Jentezen Franklin - The Power of Short Prayers - Part 2
I'm preaching today on the power of short prayers. The power of short prayers. If I can get you to start praying not long prayers, not hours and hours that'll come the more you spend with Jesus. The more time you want to spend with Jesus. But if I could just get you to start acknowledging Him every day in short prayers. The power of short prayers. Short prayers produce profound results in the Bible. Elijah prayed a 64-word prayer contained in one chapter and fire fell from heaven. Simon Peter prayed a one sentence prayer and a man who had never walked lame from birth got up and put the bed on his back and ran, through the streets shouting praise to Jesus.
The Apostle Paul in Acts 16:16: "Cast the devil out of a woman who was a fortune teller operating under a demonic spirit of witchcraft". He prayed a 14-word prayer and the demon possessed woman was set free from 14 words of prayer. Hezekiah in Isaiah 38:1 prayed a 29-word prayer and God added 15 years to his life. Thirty-nine words of prayer and God gave him 15 more years. The Lord's prayer is just 68 words, 68 words when Jesus said, "If you wanna know how to pray, pray this". And He didn't give us seven chapters of a prayer. He didn't give us nine books of a prayer. He gave us a prayer of 68 words, and He said, "If you'll pray this every day". You can pray it as the blessing over the food and it's done in 20 seconds. And yet it's a short prayer that if you would just start praying short prayers it would release God's miraculous power into your life, into your family.
It's like a mother seeing her child walking out in front of a bus or a car and she just says, "Jesus"! It's passionate, it's powerful. It's short, but it can be effective. We've all experienced that driving our car or something and you see a car coming right at you. "Oh, God in the name of Jesus". And when you do there's such passion. It's not a long prayer. It's not the length of the prayer. It's the passion, the heartfelt purposeful prayer. Jesus had three years of ministry, that's not long. I mean He everywhere He went, He was on a purpose. He had three years to get the job done. And He was interrupted over and over and over and over and over and over and over. God put Kingdom work over and over and over. He was going every where He was going because he only had certain amount of time to go where He was supposed to go. And leave the stories He was supposed to leave. And every time He's going somewhere He's getting interrupted. And He stops where he's going, His purpose, for a possibility.
I saw a movie about the blind singer that sings, "Georgia," I can see him I can't think of his name. Ray Charles, thank you. It's a funny line in that one I'm not making this up. He loved women. I mean that was part of his struggle was he loved women. And somebody asked him they said, "You like all kinds of women. Little women, big women, middle women, whatever, every color, every way you like women". You know what he said? He said, "I've never seen an ugly woman". He said, "It's amazing how good people look when you get blind to what they look like". Well, that touched me. Some of the people we don't think are so good and so important. It's amazing how good people look when you get blind to what they look like right now. See, you see what they are right now, but God sees a possibility. God sees what His grace could do. God sees what His blood can do. God sees what His word can do in that life. And they may not look good to you, but God sees a possibility. Calvary, Calvary was His purpose.
How many of you would agree with that? I mean if you wanna sum up why Jesus came? Calvary was the big deal. Calvary was everything. But watch Jesus on Calvary, bleeding, dying, suffering. Two sinners, thieves on crosses, one curses Him. Calvary was why He was here and suddenly, one of those old thieves that had lived a miserable wretched life says, prays a nine-word prayer. A nine, talk about the power of a short prayer. "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom". That's it. You're dying. He hasn't prayed his whole life and he prays one short prayer with passion. And Calvary was His purpose, but God, Jesus puts His purpose on hold and says, "I got to hold the whole thing up. I so loved the world that the Father sent me to save the world, but I can't die right now. ‘Cause I'mma leave my purpose for one little possibility".
Hanging on this cross. This thing ‘cause everybody counts. He's interested in beings, but He's interested in you. He knows the number of hair on your head or on your arm. Jesus refused the narcotics that would've made Him unconscious. He said, "One more time before I leave this planet, I'm gonna be interrupted even though my purpose is to die on this cross. I see a possibility. He's a thief and he's a good one. And he's so good this thief is gon' steal heaven". The thief that stole heaven. His last breath, "Lord remember me, when you come into your kingdom". And Jesus said, "Put everything on hold. I'm coming from where I am to where a possibility, a passionate prayer is spoken". And he said, "This day Sir," I mean think of that when Jesus went walking through the gates of paradise. He wasn't alone, but I can see that old thief riding His coat tail.
Saying, and everybody and all the angels and all the elders and all the millions of saints are shouting, "King of glory. Who is the King of glory? Open up the gates and let Him come in, and here He comes, and then here comes this". Prayed nine words of passionate prayer and he was the first one to be covered by the blood. Jesus is here this morning. God will put on hold all that He is doing to fix one marriage this morning. Maybe watching me by television, you maybe watching me at one of our campuses. But He'll put everything on hold to fix one sinner, to set one captive free.
I have three altar calls I wrote this down about four weeks ago. The Lord said, "I want you when you preach this to do three calls: a healing call, a family call and a salvation call". A healing call if you need healing, all you have to do is pray a short prayer and receive. If you need a miracle in your family, a family call. I can't talk about family the way I used to talk about family. I can't preach about family the way I used to preach about family. I've gone through and Cherise has gone through, and we have gone through so much that it's indescribable. I feel numb sometimes. I feel I don't feel anything I just operate by faith. But all I know to do is when I think about it, and I think about what Satan has tried to do I can worry about it or I can pray about it.
And I'm learning the power of short prayers. That every time I think of a member or one of my kids or one of my grandkids. Instead of worrying I'm learning to just say Lord revive your work, take control. I trust you. I plead your blood over my family. That's it. I can't cry anymore tears. I can't change nothing. I can't, but I can pray. And I'm dangerous because I can pray. Because I know how to come boldly into the throne of grace in the time that I need the most a miracle. And I don't know what you're going through. I don't know what your family's going through. I don't know what you're personally going through. Anxiety, fear, panic attacks, stuff just hits, and life just compounds, and it can be brutal, brutal. But I'm telling you, you have not because you ask not. And I'm telling you that I believe in counselling. I believe in getting all the help that human ability can provide.
And certainly, they're people who can help, but it's all gon' come back to the cross. It's all gon' come back to an altar. It's all gon' come back to the presence of the Holy Spirit molding and shaping and emptying and cleansing and delivering everyone of us. Maybe you feel alone, maybe you feel forgotten. Maybe you feel lost. Maybe you feel like you're that guy on the side of the road with your hood up and every other car is passing you by. And happy families are passing you by having a wonderful life. But I'm telling you today that every person that's sitting in this service, every person counts, every person counts to God. Pray a short prayer and invite Him. He's ready to pull over. He's ready to get out of His limo. He's ready to step off the clouds, off Mount Teman and come to you and your house and your life.
Do you believe he loves you that much? I do. I know He does. Hallelujah, hallelujah. Oh can we worship Him just a moment. I feel His presence right now. The sweet presence of the Lord filling this room, filling every campus. Just stand to your feet all over the room and lift up your hands like antennas. Lift up your hands like satellite dishes. Lift them up and begin to worship Him and pray just a moment. Just give Him a short prayer. What is the need of your life? Is it financial? Is it physical? Is it a family call? Is it a marriage call? Just ask Him. Tell Him how you feel. Just say, "Lord I really need a breakthrough. I really need an answer. I really need a sign. I really need something. I really need encouragement".
Sometimes that's all you need to keep going. It's just do something in a way that I get a message from you. I promise you if you'll ask, you'll receive. So, ask Him right now. Ask Him bold. Ask Him big. Ask Him for miracles. Ask Him for the power of God to be loose into your home, into your family, into your life, into your anxiety, into whatever is causing you to fear and feel ashamed or afraid or embarrassed or humiliated. That's not from God. He said, "For your shame I'll give you double". Glory to God, hallelujah, hallelujah.
So, this is a family call, this is a healing call, and this is a sinner, salvation call. If you have any of those needs in your life, get out of your seat and come stand on behalf of that need. "Why do you like altar calls"? ‘Cause I've seen God do miracles in altar calls that's why. My faith is there. I have to operate where my faith operates. My faith operates down here. Faith can move a mountain. Faith can change. Faith, I saw chains break. I just saw chains break. The Lord said, "I'm gonna be a chain breaker in this service". Oh, Glory. Oh, Glory hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Now throw up your hands and throw it up in a prayer and call Him your chain breaker right now. Say:
Lord, I just receive it right now. For my family I receive it right now. For my marriage I receive it right now. If you're lost. If you're backslidden get down here. Come, as close as you can come because God sees your physical posture and response to His word. He'll come where prayer is. He'll come where someone calls on His name. Thank you, Jesus, thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus.
Tell somebody by faith, say this tell somebody around you the turning is here. Glory, boy it's hard the presence of the Lord is just. I know He's everywhere but when His glory comes there's a... His weightiness is not everywhere. He's everywhere, but His full attention is on His people that pray. How many of you will do your best to pray short prayers this week raise your hand? If you have to make a sticker and put it on your car or put it on your work computer pray short prayers, pray short prayers.
When you get up in the morning put one in your shoes if you have to. If you're not used to it, I'm serious. You have to establish a habit. I mean at some point if you're a chain smoker at some point you don't have to remind yourself to smoke. It's just natural you get up it's the first thing you want. That's how real prayer can be. If you don't get your prayer fix you feel funny. I can go a day maybe but something not that I'm some super saint or nothin' but it's just part of who we are to talk with the one we love.
I believe God let you hear this message today to tell you, "all I need you to do is acknowledge me in all of your ways". The Bible said, "if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you can and shall be saved". If you'll pray this prayer in faith, and receive Christ today. Pray this prayer, say:
Jesus, you are the Savior. I put all my faith in You. I know when You hung on the cross You were there for me. And today, I surrender. Today, wash me, forgive me, cleanse me. In Jesus' name. I am free. I am forgiven, I am loved by God. In Jesus' name.