Infusion Bible eStudies are downloadable small group studies that can be read online, printed, or emailed. Each study includes a leader guide and a study guide and is suitable for a one-hour group Bible study.
Listen...to the words of the Scripture, and in them discover God's message for you today.
Look...at a brief verbal snapshot from the scrapbook of contemporary life and discover its connection both to you and to the Scripture passage.
Live...inside the Scripture to discover its context and message; then allow the Scripture to come alive in you and cause you to live out your faith in new and more-effective ways.
Read an excerpt from this study below.
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Paul begins our Bible Lesson by urging that prayers be offered for “everyone” (1 Timothy 2:1). Have you considered what a tall order that is? Dr. Edward Bosworth, professor of New Testament at the Oberlin Theological Seminary, was known for his faithfulness in prayer. A man whose daughter was having some emotional problems wrote to Dr. Bosworth asking him to include “Mary” in his daily prayers. In his reply, Dr. Bosworth expressed his concern for Mary but said it was impossible for him to include her on his prayer list because the list was already full. He went on to say:
I do not think I should have more people on my list than I can attend to thoughtfully and prayerfully in the period of my day that is specifically set aside for that purpose. A man must mean business with all of the prayers of his mind and spirit when he lifts another person in prayer to God. When there is a vacancy on my list, I will include Mary.1
If that reply strikes us as odd, it may be because we do not approach prayer with the energy and confidence Dr. Bosworth did. Nonetheless, his response to the request also reminds us that seriously praying for “everyone” is a human impossibility. Still, everyone is the word Paul used; and we can learn something meaningful about prayer by considering his urgent counsel.
