I have learned the following three truths from prayer class.
1) intimacy. “Prayer is communication for the purpose of relationship which lead to intimacy with God.”
Intimacy is the ultimate goal of prayer. Intimacy simply means to know God. Similarly as Adam knew his wife, Eve which produced their first fruits of Cain and Abel. Or as I intimately know my wife, Felicia and we had a son, Caleb.
Fruit bearing is a byproduct of intimacy. The majority of the common contemporary teaching on prayer (which I mostly rejected) has been on how to get your prayers answered; as if God is just a big Santa Clause.
The truth of ultimate goal is prayer is intimacy will follow me to eternity.
2) The second truth I learned was the difference between repeated confessions (or declarations) and vain repetitions as my Saviour specified in Matthew 6:7.
Matthew 6:7 “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
Simply put, the heart of the repeater determines if it an effect confession/declaration or vain repetition.
3) Thirdly, I learned that we can worship each expression of God (i.e. God as Father, God as Son, and God as Holy Spirit) I was kind of getting a bit legalistic in my prayers based upon the following scripture.
John 16:23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.”
Thanks Mary Parker for letting the Lord use you to teach this class.