3. Questions for group discussion (or individual reflection)

(I) C.S. Lewis, or “Jack,” lost his mother, at the age of nine. A few days before she died, and knowing her death was imminent, Mrs. Lewis prayed for her two sons (Jack and his brother Warren, or “Warnie”) and gave each of them a Bible which she signed. The Bible shown near the beginning of the video is the one Mrs. Lewis gave to Warnie. Have you ever been given a Bible, e.g., by a family member, a friend, or your church? Why do you think they gave you that Bible? Have you ever given a Bible to someone else?

(II) What were Lewis’s views on whether and how our lives and prayers influence God? What are your views? [STSP, pp. 39, 46]

(III) Do you sometimes “pray the Scriptures”? How do you do that, or how might you do that?

(IV) How did Lewis’s understanding of praise change over the course of his life? Do you agree with Lewis’s statement that “we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation”? What steps could you take to enrich your praise life? [STSP, pp. 47-49]

4. Read a Reflections: “Getting a Bigger View of Prayer” (1 page)

5. Close in prayer

Personal Action Steps

(1) Dorsett observes that Lewis’s correspondence shows that he interceded faithfully for an unusually large number of people and also humbly sought prayer for himself. Make a list of people you might approach to pray for you, and identify one person you will call during the next week to discuss (or schedule a time to discuss) the best means to communicate your needs.

(2) Make plans to pray two Psalms during the next week. Identify the two Psalms and the days you will pray them.

(3) Dorsett notes that late in his life, Lewis observed that petitionary prayer is “both allowed and commanded to us: ‘Give us our daily bread,” but also maintained that “prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it, confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine. In it God shows Himself to us.” What types of prayer would you like to add to your current prayer life? How would you accomplish that? Write down a specific step you will take during the next week to enrich your regular prayer life in this area.

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