Short Prayers Have Little Impact

Short Prayers Have Little Impact

“Save me, Lord!” [Peter] shouted. Matthew 14:30

One morning Deana prayed for her daughter Ruth during the few minutes they waited together for her ride to school. Ruth looked up at her and said, “Mommy, I like that! Can you do that for me every day before school and even until twelfth grade and college?” Deana had prayed only a short prayer, but it had a big impact.

One misconception about prayer I often hear is that long, eloquent, and somewhat “pastoral” prayers are the most effective and that in order for us to get any help from heaven, our prayers need to follow a specified form or be of a certain length, and they certainly need to be as well put together as the prayers of Bible study leaders.

But God doesn’t look at the size or the eloquence of a prayer. He looks at the heart of the person praying. Jesus said “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do” (Matthew 6:7). Make it short, simple, and heartfelt. Today’s verse, “Save me, Lord!” which Peter prayed when he was sinking, is just one of the many short prayers in the Bible that were powerfully rewarded. The ten lepers cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13). Jabez prayed a short prayer, and God answered in a big way (see 1 Chronicles 4:9-10).

Your prayer might be as small as a sigh that expresses your pain, or two words—Help, Lord! or Thank you!—and God hears you. Amy Carmichael, who founded Dohnavur Fellowship in India, encouraged others to pray these short “telegraph prayers,” and she did so herself. She said we all have a continual need for God’s help and he’s nearer than we can imagine, so near that a whisper can reach him. So she prayed, “Thy courage, Lord!” or “Thy patience, Lord,” when she needed courage or patience. As she practiced this short, simple way of praying, God never disappointed her. Please don’t wait until you’re “good” at prayer. Pray some short, heartfelt prayers today, and watch the Lord work. —CHERI

Lord, I’m thankful that it’s not the size of my prayer that counts but the reach of my heart to connect with you and seek your help for myself and others.

Some of our shortest prayers are our most effectual ones.

—RAYMOND EDMAN (1900–1967), PASTOR, DEVOTIONAL WRITER, AND FOURTH PRESIDENT OF WHEATON COLLEGE