Short sermons on prayer are very helpful. They help us get ideas for writing sermons on prayer.
This short sermon on prayer notes the four types of prayer – adoration, confession, thankfulness and supplication. Furthermore, this short sermon on prayer looks at prayer from a different perspective. It looks at prayer as change!
Short Sermons on Prayer!
We know that prayer is communication with God—God of the Bible. God communicates with us through His word and we communicate with God through prayer.
And the beauty of prayer is that God hears us. He hears us because He is always present—the theological term we use is omnipresent.
God is the only One who is always present. That’s why when I pray and you pray, God hears us both.
Most of us know that prayer involves adoration, confession, thankfulness and supplication. (I have written another article on the 4 Main Types of Prayer for your perusal. This article defines the different types of prayer!)
However, I want to look at prayer from a different perspective – do we know prayer as change?
Someone once said, “To pray is to change!” Do we pray to change?
Praying to change involves…
1. Prayers of Examination (Psalm 139)
Someone said this, “During prayers of examination we invite the Lord to search us out and know us and let us know the outcomes.”
Look at Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Three reasons why we should pray prayers of examination.
A. God knows us better than ourselves
The Bible says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).
That’s why we need to allow God to search our hearts – he sees all things!
B. We naturally hide sin (Example: King David)
Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9).
King David hid his sin and God had to send Nathan to expose it (2 Samuel 12).
C. We tend to justify sin (Examples: Adam & Eve)
Adam blamed Eve (Genesis 3:12) and Eve blamed the serpent (3:13).
It is relatively easy to justify our sin by blaming others but it is better to acknowledge our short-comings and confess them to God (1 John 1:9).
What are some prayers of examination?
- God, point out the sin in my life
- Lord, point out the short comings in my life
- Lord, do I really love my neigbor more this year than I did last year
- Lord, am I insensitive, am I prideful, am I self-centered, am I forgiving or am I bitter about something?
2. Prayers of Relinquishment (Luke 22:42)
Prayers of relinquishment are prayers where we surrender our will to God’s will.
Three examples of prayers of relinquishment.
A. Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane
Jesus said, “Not my will but yours be done.” There was a struggle, dialogue with God and finally a choice to be made – Jesus chose to surrender His will.
Are you willing to surrender your will to God?
Believers often sing songs that encourages Christians to relinquish all to God. “All to Jesus I surrender. All to thee I freely give. I will ever love and trust you in your presence daily live. I surrender all, I surrender all. All to thee my blessed Savior I surrender all.”
“All of my ambitions, hopes and plans I surrender these into your hands. For it’s only in your sill that I am free. Jesus, all for Jesus.”
B. Job in his baffling experience
Job struggled to understand the situation that he find himself in so he talked to God and finally he made a choice – He chose to surrender all to God regardless.
When Job handed all over to God, a transformation took place. “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted … My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”(Job 42:2, 5-6).
C. Paul and his lack of support (2 Timothy 4:16)
Look at what it says at beginning of verse 16, “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me.”
When Paul stood before the Roman court to give a defense of the charges against him, no one stood with him and supported him.
Not one Christian in Rome stood beside him to advise him or support him. Why? We don’t know why? Paul doesn’t tell us. Perhaps they were afraid. Perhaps they were too busy. Perhaps they were out of town. Perhaps they just didn’t know about it. We just don’t know.
But what we do know is that Paul was abandoned. Imagine the emotions running through Paul’s mind. Just when he needed some friends, it seems they all abandoned him. That must have really hurt.
But notice Paul’s reaction! Look at the end of verse 16, “May it not be charged against them.” Paul makes a deliberate choice not to become bitter about this.
Sometimes, when we work together with God and each other, people will let us down but we are not to get vindictive. We need to have an understanding spirit like Paul—a spirit that relinquishes hurt and disappointment.
3. Prayers of Rest (Matthew 11:28-30)
Prayers of rest are prayers which give our burdens over to God.
Look at Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Two examples of prayers of rest.
A. Give yourself to God in salvation
We find rest when we accept salvation in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Come to me … and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).
The Hebrew word translated as “rest” means “to be at peace with God (Psalm 37:7). In the book of Hebrews, God declares that those who believe in Jesus Christ can enter into his rest (Hebrews 4:1-3). In Jesus Christ, we can be at peace with God.
B. Give your burdens to Jesus
Look at Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
We also find rest when we give our burdens to Jesus. You know, we are a stubborn bunch at times. We want to do it ourselves. But the reality is we can’t. We can’t save ourselves and we can’t carry some burdens. We must learn to release our burdens to Jesus and find rest in him.
4. Prayers for others (Colossians 1:9)
Prayers for others are prayers of intercession for others.
Look at verse 9, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.”
One of the greatest neglects in the church today is corporate prayer. We are so me oriented that we forget the we of corporate prayer.
When was the last time you came together with people from the church to pray? You know, the old saying is true: “A church that prays together is a church that stays together.”
“To pray is to change!”
- Do you pray prayers of examination?
- Do you pray prayers of relinquishment?
- Do you pray prayers of rest?
- Do you pray with others?
Remember: Short sermons on prayer are very helpful. Hopefully, this short sermon on prayer was helpful to you!
I have written another article on the 4 main types of prayer. This article explains in greater detail adoration, confession, thankfulness and supplication. By clicking on the following link, you will access this information – What are the different types of prayer?