Want to improve your prayer life? Try shorter prayers

What Christian doesn’t want to pray with more confidence and impact? To pray with more power. To move Heaven and earth when they come to the throne of grace for help in time of need. I know I do! When I intercede for myself, for my family, for my church, or for God’s plans and purposes for the ministry, I want to know I’m opening Heaven’s windows when I open my mouth. 

I also know that it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that longer prayers are better prayers. There is a temptation to believe the more we talk, the more persuasive we are in moving the hand of God. But that is not what the Bible shows us. 

Your Bible is filled with examples of short prayers that brought break throughs, miracles, deliverance, and heavenly help — Prayers for nearly every circumstance and season of life. 

Your Bible declares: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). Please notice that it does not say, “the long, eloquent prayer...” 

You can get a lot done with a short prayer. Let me give you a few reasons why. 

For one thing, short prayers often carry a sense of urgency that long prayers don’t. I’ve watched the mother of a toddler running out into a busy street shout the name “Jesus!” and then witnessed every car miraculously swerve or come to a sudden stop. That one-word prayer is as effective as the tongues of men and angels. Even Peter’s short prayer, “Lord, save me!” in Matthew 14:30, was enough to bring Jesus to his side when he was sinking. 

Secondly, short prayers are powerful because the Bible says that when we pray, even briefly, God moves. Now that phrase, “God moves,” may prompt a question in your mind. “Isn’t God omnipresent? In what sense does He move? Isn’t He everywhere, all the time?” 

The answer is, “yes, of course.” But when you pray, God, in a sense, “moves” from where He is to where you are. After all, doesn’t the Word say, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you,” in James 4:8? Crying out to God in prayer is the best way to “draw near” to your heavenly Father. 

You never know who God will call to do the impossible. Or when He will call upon you to partner with Him in bringing about a miracle. God can fix anything if we’ll just pray. God is committed to restoring His creation, unwilling to leave it in a state of brokenness or abandonment. With divine wisdom, He knows how to mend what is broken. When you pray, He responds, accomplishing what is beyond your ability. 

What is impossible with man is possible with God. 

God’s ears are ever and always inclined to the voices of His people. In the Gospels, we see that Jesus was frequently stopped by cries for help while on a journey to a specific place. Over and over, He stopped and brought about a miracle in response to those cries. 

You may only see where you are right now, but God sees the glorious possibility of where you could be. You see where your loved one is right now, but God sees what is possible for them. In other words, just as Jesus demonstrated, God will pause His purpose to bring about your possibility. 

I hope that as you look at each prayer throughout the Bible, you’ll feel encouraged that God is kind and loves to answer the prayers of His people, making your faith stronger. And I hope you’ll find ways to apply to your own life and circumstances the truth and principles they contain. 

Please don’t misunderstand, though. I’m not suggesting that you spend less time talking to God. Fellowship with Him. Pour out your heart to Him. Spend all the time you can in intimate connection with Him. By all means, carve out as much time as you can to quiet your soul and listen for His voice of wisdom. Just don’t make the mistake Jesus pointed to in Matthew 6:7: “When you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” 

Longer isn’t necessarily better. Sometimes less is more. 

This is an adapted excerpt from Jentezen Franklin’s newest book, The Power of Short Prayers.