Rev. Douglas Denton outlines some prominent themes in Paul’s letter to the Romans.

The picture of God is as our heavenly Parent, who cares for us and who is perfectly good.  The beginning of prayer is to focus not on our needs but on God.

Jesus, in teaching about prayer, draws his hearers from thinking about how they look to directing themselves truly to God. Genuine prayer involves doing what Mary did – sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to what he was saying. This also means avoiding what Martha was doing – getting

Prayer as the practice of ongoing communion with God; prayer is not an emergency appeal to God but a receptive connection with God. Such prayer involves intentional focus; we need to “do things that draw us closer to God” (one of the Methodist General Rules).

We are all confronted by challenges that are bigger than us. What can we expect from God in those situations?

The question is this, “How are we to know if God is going to stand by us and keep the promises we have come to feel God has made to us?”