Recap:
Last week Pastor Andy reminded us that the first rhythm of the Christian life is belonging. Christianity isn’t something we attend, it’s who we belong to. God has always existed in relationship, Father, Son, and Spirit, loving one another, moving together. And because we’re made in His image, we were created for relationship too. Not just with God, but with one another.
That’s why church isn’t a movie theater where we spectate. It’s a family room. These are your brothers and sisters. We pray together because when we pray, God moves. We’re not talking into the air, we’re talking to our Abba Father. Everything He has belongs to us, and everything we have belongs to Him. That’s belonging.
Today we move from the rhythm of community to the rhythm of prayer, talking to God.
Here’s the big idea:
We don’t pray to inform God. We pray to be formed by God.
In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve are in the garden, provided for, walking with God, until one decision changes everything. The fruit looks good. It promises wisdom. And they take it. Their eyes are opened, but what they see is shame. Fear. Nakedness. So they hide.
And when God comes walking in the garden, He asks the first question ever asked of humanity:
“Where are you?”
Not because God doesn’t know their location, but because He’s asking about their hearts.
Sin didn’t just bring guilt, it broke communication. And you can’t have communion without communication. That’s always been the enemy’s strategy: put something in front of you that looks beautiful, wise, satisfying, so you’ll take it, and stop talking to God.
Shame makes us hide.
Fear keeps us quiet.
Guilt convinces us God doesn’t want to hear from us anymore.
So we play church. We smile. We show up. But inside, there’s distance.
But here’s the gospel beauty of the garden, God speaks first. He comes looking. He initiates. He calls out, “Where are you?”
Prayer isn’t giving God information.
Prayer gives God access.
It’s not explaining your life to Him, it’s opening your life to Him. Opening the door of your heart and saying, “God, here’s the mess. Here’s the fear. Here’s the shame.”
And prayer isn’t passive.
Prayer is resistance.
From Genesis on, the people who walked with God: Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, were being shaped by Him while the world around them was falling apart. Prayer formed something in them that allowed them to resist the wrong voices.
Because every day, something is trying to shape you, your phone, social media, news, culture. It all looks good. It all sounds wise. But it’s just another piece of fruit.
Prayer resists being shaped by the wrong voices, and brings us back to center.
When life gets busy, anxious, loud, or exhausting, prayer recenters us, not always by changing our circumstances, but by reordering our hearts.
So this week, hear the question God is still asking:
“Where are you?”
And answer it honestly.
Maybe you’re hiding in hurt, like Psalm 13: “How long, Lord?”
Maybe you’re hiding in anxiety, “Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.”
Maybe you’re hiding in fear, “Don’t be anxious about anything… by prayer and petition.”
Open the door.
Let Him in.
Because there is no communion without communication.
And God wants to walk with you, at His pace, back into rhythm.
And even today, He’s still asking:
“Where are you?”
Group Questions:
Icebreakers:
Choose 1–2 depending on time and group comfort:
- Low-pressure start:
When life feels busy or overwhelming, where do you naturally “hide” or retreat? - Relational:
Growing up, what did prayer look like in your home, or did it at all? - Rhythm check:
What’s one rhythm in your life right now that feels healthy? One that feels off?
Group Discussion Questions
- Belonging Before Behavior
- The message said, “Christianity isn’t something we attend, it’s who we belong to.”
How does that change the way you think about church and prayer? - What difference does it make to pray to God as Father instead of a distant authority?
- “Where Are You?”
- In Genesis 3, God asks Adam and Eve, “Where are you?”
Why do you think that question still matters today? - When you hear God asking you that question right now, what comes to mind first, emotionally or spiritually?
- The Things That Make Us Hide
- The sermon named shame, fear, and guilt as reasons we stop talking to God.
Which of those do you most relate to, and why? - Have you ever found yourself “playing church” while feeling distant from God internally? What made that season difficult?
- Prayer Gives God Access
- The message said:
“Prayer isn’t giving God information. Prayer gives God access.”
What feels vulnerable about that idea? - What part of your life feels hardest to open up to God right now?
- Prayer as Resistance
- The sermon described prayer as resisting the wrong voices shaping us.
What voices compete most loudly for your attention right now? - How have you seen prayer reorder your heart, even when circumstances didn’t change?
- From Information to Formation
- How does this message challenge or reshape how you normally approach prayer?
- What might it look like for prayer to become a daily rhythm instead of a last resort?
Guided Prayer Moment (5–7 minutes):
Invite the group into quiet reflection:
- Ask everyone to sit comfortably, phones down.
- Slowly ask:
“God, where am I right now?” - Encourage them to name it honestly, no spiritual language required.