640 Sermon Illustrations on Prayer

"Praying for particular things," said I, "always seems to me like

advising God how to run the world. Wouldn't it be wiser to assume

that he knows best?" "On the same principle," said he, "I suppose you

never ask a man next to you to pass the salt, because God knows best

whether you ought to have salt or not. And I suppose you never take

an umbrella, because God knows best whether you ought to be wet or

dry." "That's quite different," I protested. "I don't see why," said

he. "The odd thing is that He should let us influence the course of

events at all. But since He let us do it in one way, I don't see why

He shouldn't let us do it in the other."

- C.S. Lewis, {God in the Dock} (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans,

1970) 217

"O, Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee all flesh shall come." -- Psalm 65:2.

There had been a drought for weeks in America, and the farmers had arranged to gather in the little prairie church and plead for rain. Men of God they were, and the crops were languishing, so they resolved to petition the Almighty that he should send rain. The day was appointed, and the Sabbath dawned on which in their little church they would have public prayer to God for rain.

The minister, a good man, was astonished, that cloudless summer morning, to see on the way to church one of the smallest of his Sabbath school scholars carrying a big family umbrella. Oh, what a size it was. The morning was hot and blistering; there was no sign of rain. Aye, but that little heart had heard the intimation given that prayer was to be made for rain, and in the simplicity of her faith she came prepared for the answer to that prayer. The minister had no umbrella; he was dressed in summer costume; and, as he patted the little girl on the head, he thought that in her childish innocence -- though in reality it was her superior faith -- she had made a mistake.

The service proceeded, the prayer ascended. Look at those clouds as they gather and roll up on the horizon. What is the meaning of that lightning flash of the torrents of rain that are pouring down on the roof of that prairie church? The little girl has the best of it. The minister was glad to go home under the little girl's despised umbrella; and as she sheltered the pastor in his summer costume, do you think that her faith was justified and greatly strengthened?

Ah, man; many a time you have been laughed at for carrying a big umbrella in a time of drought. Pray on, though the skies be as brass. Pray on in times of trouble. "O, Thou that hearest prayer" -- it is true, it is true about God; and all flesh shall come to him that heareth prayer.

________

Christian Scotsman.

By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."

Andrew Murray's book on “With Christ in the School of Prayer” is a good book for all of us. This is the schoolroom for the school of prayer, and this is the first lesson. Let us read Matthew 6:6 - “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

In a Bible of one of my friends not long ago I found on the margin this outline of Matthew 6:6.

“Period for prayer -- 'When thou prayest.'

“Place for prayer -- Enter into thy closet.'

“Privacy of prayer -- 'Shut thy door.'

“Persons in prayer -- 'Pray to thy Father.'

“Promise for prayer -- 'He shall reward thee.'

Have you a closet in your home for prayer? “Enter in, shut the door, pray to thy Father.” “Why,” you say, when you rise from your knees, “I don't believe he heard it. I don't believe he heard a word.” I don't believe he heard it, either. The trouble is with your haste, my brother. You cannot enter unceremoniously into the presence of the President of the United States; how much more must you revere the presence of God? My prayer-life must be the life that Jesus Christ would live. Then it must be in his name. When I have “surrendered all,” as we sang, I have the right to use his name, and “he shall reward me.” He has promised it. There are three things that give us the right to use a name:

1. A legal union. I have the right to use the name of my partner.

2. A life union. It is my privilege to use the name of my father.

3. A love union. My wife has a perfect right to use my name.

For all of these reasons we have the right to the use of the name of Christ.

There is a name that is above every name. It sets the angels singing. Plead it; plead it. “Lord, teach us to pray.” Oh, teach me. Thou didst teach George Muller and Andrew Murray -- teach me. Can you say it, my brother, and mean it -- “Lord, teach me to pray”?

By J. Wilbur Chapan, “Present Day Parables.”

A couple of years ago this headline caught my eye: "Margaret Burke's prayer answered." Burke, a destitute mother of three, had gone to St. Jude's roman Catholic Church in Rochester, New York, everyday praying for help. On her ninth there - when prayers such as hers are to be answered according to Roman Catholic belief - she found $10,000 at the foot of a statue of St. Jude. Believing the money was a miracle from heaven, she paid bills, fixed her car, and got an apartment for her family. According to the pastor of the church, the money was left by a parishioner as an anonymous donation for answered prayer. When police discovered that Burke had taken the money, she was charged with grand larceny. Realizing that Burke had acted out of faith, church officials went to court to have the charges dropped. Putting aside any question concerning the wisdom of Margaret Burke's actions, we do have to admire her faith in God and her belief in the power of prayer. How I wish that all of us, like Margaret Burke, would expect the Lord to hear and answer our prayers.

A pastor in England told his young sons about a missionary who had gone from their church to far-off Sri Lanka. He described the hardships she would experience and told how she would often encounter poisonous snakes. Freddie, who was only 5, kept thinking about those dangerous reptiles. That night during his bedtime prayer, his father heard him say in a quivering voice, "O dear God, please take care of Miss Price. Keep her safe from those snakes." The power of the child's intercessory prayer was soon demonstrated. For as the missionary was returning from a meeting one day, she saw lurking across her path a small but very deadly snake. Within striking range and with its head raised, the serpent was poised for the attack. Then suddenly it fled into the long grass. How she thanked the Lord for her deliverance! Some time later the mail brought this word from her pastor: "Little Fred never forgets to pray for you. Two Sundays ago he asked the Lord most earnestly to keep you from being harmed by the snakes!" She discovered that it was the exact day she had almost been killed.

I knew not what to ask for,

For the spirit voice seemed dumb.

As I bowed in prayer and lingered there,

For the wish I prayed might come.

I knew not what to ask for,

For my heart was sorely pressed;

'Mid the fluttering wings of a thousand things.

I knew not which was best.

I hardly liked to ask him,

For I hardly seemed to know;

In the winding ways of a tangled maze

I wandered to and fro.

What would'st thou have me do, Lord?

Was all that my heart could say;

But the what or where, or the here or there,

Was more than I dared to pray.

What would'st thou have me be, Lord?

Joyous, or sad at heart?

Silent and still, at thy holy will,

Or anxious to do my part?

What would'st thou have me say, Lord?

A "Yes," or a final, "No"?

I am waiting near, that my heart may hear

Thy whispering soft and low.

I know not what to ask for,

For the spirit voice seems dumb;

And I cannot plead in my unknown need,

O Master, in mercy come!

He knoweth what I should ask for,

As I stand at the open gate;

For the lips I close, he fully knows;

So in silence I rest and wait.

-- William Luff.

By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."

It’s being called the largest study ever to examine the effects of prayer, but a Southern Baptist professor says it’s not much of a barometer at all.

“Anyone who seeks a prayer life guided by Scripture will not take this study seriously,” Don Whitney, associate professor of biblical spirituality at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said. “Prayer is based upon a relationship, namely a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and prayer is itself a part of that relationship. And relationships cannot properly be evaluated by scientific methods.”

The study, which appears in the April issue of American Heart Journal, found that prayer by others has a neutral effect on the risk of complications after bypass surgery and that people fare worse if they know others are praying for them.

Doctors began the study on intercessory prayer nearly a decade ago when they asked volunteers from one Protestant prayer group and two Catholic prayer groups to lift up the names of patients in the trial, and they were required to include the phrase, “for a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications.”

Patients were randomly assigned to three groups -- one that was prayed for, one that was not prayed for and one that was told people were praying for them. None of the patients in the first two groups knew someone was told to pray.

Results indicated that 30 days after surgery there was no difference between patients who were prayed for and patients who were not. In fact, a significantly higher number of patients who knew they were being prayed for suffered complications.

“This study approaches prayer almost mechanically,” Whitney said, noting that a particular phrase had to be prayed exactly and specific medical results had to be recognized. Also, researchers presumed that those who prayed had a personal relationship with God that would give power to prayer.

“This divorces prayer from the Gospel of Christ which establishes the relationship between any individual and a prayer-hearing God,” he said.

Whitney added that it doesn’t matter what such studies conclude because Christians do not govern their prayer lives according to the latest scientific studies.

Another Southern Baptist professor, Mark Coppenger, was quoted in USA Today in regard to the study, saying he questions the wisdom of measuring God’s response.

“It’s my experience that God actually prompts our prayers,” Coppenger, distinguished professor of apologetics at Southern Seminary, said. “But I don’t see Him cooperating in a test.”

*

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #1438]

"We should not permit prayer to be taken out of the schools;

that's the only way most of us got through."

-Sam Levenson

Speaking at the National Day of Prayer this year in Washington D.C., Ravi Zacharias reminded the audience filled with national leaders and luminaries that, “No nation stands as tall as when it is on its knees.” It is our prayer that on this Memorial Day, as we remember the men and women who have courageously given their lives for our nation, we will also remember the God in whom we are given life and breath, the Lord Christ who reminds us in Gethsemane that prayer is a way of life. The following words are taken from a speech given by Ravi Zacharias at our Nation's Capitol on the National Day of Prayer in 2002.

Today I stand before you of this great nation, privileged by the culture of my birth, but privileged now to live in this wonderful land as a citizen. Indeed, this is a great nation. Russell Kirk in his book ROOTS OF ORDER says, “There's nothing ever been tried like this in history to reconcile liberty with law.” My dream for America is that it will fulfill the greatness that was first envisioned within the hearts and minds of its founders. And may your life be brought to the fullness that God has for you, too. Dear friend, you will find it in prayer.

In prayer, you build a conviction of safety, not only for yourself, but for the next generation. Billy Kim, the famed Korean evangelist, tells of the time during the Korean War, when one of the American soldiers was ordered to go and rescue his fallen mates. And when he was given the order, he was about to jump out when he looked at his watch and ducked for cover. A few minutes later, the commanding officer came back and said, “Go and get your fallen mates.” He said, “All right, sir.” He looked at his watch and ducked for cover once more. Three times he was ordered to do so, he said, “Yes,” but then ducked for cover. Finally he looked at his watch one last time and then stormed into the fray. Somebody said to him at the end of that painful day, “What took you so long?” And he said this: “I was terrified to go, until I remembered the hours of the day my mother was going to be on her knees in prayer. I took out of my shell hole knowing nobody was going to put fear into my heart as long as I was blanketed by the prayers of my mom.”

I love that story. For it reminds us that in prayer, we build the conviction of safety. I too, have been in the thick of way. I was in Vietnam during the heydays of its trouble. I was in Cambodia hours before it fell. I have never seen more confident service men and women than when they are leading under a blanket of prayer. Truly, our nation more than ever needs to transfer that trust to the next generation.

Journalist Malcolm Muggeridge penned some of the finest words ever written, and yet some of the most candid words. Today especially, as we remember that a nation never stands taller than when it is on its knees, I think his words are worth considering. Writes Muggeridge:

We look back on history and what do we see? Empires rising and

falling, revolutions and counter-revolutions, wealth accumulating

and wealth dispersed, one nation dominant and then another.

Shakespeare speaks of 'the rise and fall of great ones that ebb

and flow with the moon.’ In one lifetime I have seen my own

fellow countrymen ruling over a quarter of the world, the great

majority of them convinced, in the words of what is still a

favorite song, that, 'God who's made the mighty would make them

mightier yet.’ I've heard a crazed, cracked Austrian proclaim to

the world the establishment of a German Reich that would last a

thousand years; an Italian clown announce that he would restart

the calendar to begin his own assumption of power. I've heard a

murderous Georgian brigand in the Kremlin acclaimed by the

intellectual elite of the world as a wiser than Solomon, more

enlightened than Ashoka, more humane than Marcus Aurelius. I've

seen America wealthier and in terms of weaponry, more powerful

than the rest of the world put together, so that Americans, had

they so wished, could have outdone an Alexander or a Julius

Caesar in the range-scale of their conquests. All in one little

lifetime. All gone with the wind... Behind the debris of our

self-styled, sullen supermen, there stands the gigantic figure of

one person, because of whom, by whom, in whom, and through whom

alone mankind might still have hope. The person of Jesus Christ.

Ladies and gentlemen, let us be on our knees, the cause is great and our Lord is greater. Prayer is simply profound and profoundly simple. But most importantly, in prayer we find the sovereign God who will change us, the One can bring us to bloom for the purpose for which He created us. May God bless you and keep you this day and always.

____________

Copyright © 2003 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

*

[Original illustration at this nuomber was added to HolwickID #4376]

In his book, Purpose in Prayer, E. M. Bounds quotes these words

from former college professor and Confederate soldier, General Thomas

"Stonewall" Jackson: "I have so fixed the habit of prayer in my mind

that I never raise a glass of water to my lips without asking God's

blessing, never seal a letter without putting a word of prayer under

the seal, never take a letter from the post without a brief sending of

my thoughts heavenward, never change my classes in the lecture-room

without a minute's petition for the cadets who go out and for those

who come in."

Oliver G. Wilson said, “Prayer fills man’s weakness with God’s omnipotence and opens the gates to new fields of achievement. It makes the weak strong and the simple wise.”

Abraham Lincoln felt a great need for wisdom during America’s Civil War. A personal friend of his wrote, “I had been spending 3 weeks at the White House as the guest of the President. One night -- it was just before the Battle of Bull Run -- I was restless and could not sleep. From Lincoln’s bedroom I heard the low tones of his voice. Looking in the door that was slightly ajar, I saw a sight which I have never forgotten. The tall Chief Executive was kneeling before an open Bible. He did not know I could overhear his agonizing supplications as he pleaded, ‘O Thou great God who heard Solomon in the night when he prayed and cried for wisdom, hear me. I cannot lead these people. I cannot guide the affairs of this country without Thy help. O Lord, hear me and save this nation.” The answer he received is now history, for the Union was preserved.

=================

Another version:

A visitor to the White House when Lincoln was president was with Lincoln for three weeks as his guest. One night, soon after the Battle of Bull Run, this visitor could not sleep. Suddenly he heard a low voice proceeding from the room where the president slept. He got up and walked toward the door, which was partly open. Then he saw the president kneeling before an open Bible. The light was turned low, and the president’s back was to the door; he did not know that he was being overheard. In piteous and solemn tones the president was praying: “Thou God that heard Solomon in the night when he prayed and cried for wisdom, hear me! I cannot lead this people. I cannot guide the affairs of this nation without Thy help. I am poor and weak...O God, Thou didst hear Solomon when he cried for wisdom -- hear me and save this nation.” And God did hear, and sent help.

(“Choice Illus.” W.W. Clay, pg 57-58)

An officer once complained to General Stonewall Jackson that some soldiers were making a noise in their tent. "What are they doing?" asked the General. "They are praying now, but they have been singing" was the reply. "And is that a crime?" the General demanded. The articles of war orders punishment for an unusual noise was the reply. "God forbid that praying should be an unusual noise in the camp," replied General Jackson.

-- Wesleyan Methodist

Superior Judge William Constagney presides in Charlotte, North

Carolina. His honor has begun each session of court by bowing his

head and silently asking divine guidance. But wouldn't you know, five

lawyers and the North Carolina Civil Liberties Union are demanding

that the praying must stop. He says he is trying to set the tone for

a solemn and dignified atmosphere in the courtroom. They say it's not

legal to use religion to control the atmosphere. --Associated Press

Two Christian men "fell out." One heard that the other was

talking against him and he went to him and said: "Will you be

kind enough to tell me my faults to my face, that I may profit

by your Christian candor and try to get rid of them?" "Yes,

sir," replied the other; "I will do it." They went aside, and

the former said: "Before you commence telling what you think

wrong in me, will you please bow down with me and let us pray

over it, that my eyes may be opened to see my faults as you will

tell them? You lead in the prayer." It was done, and when the

prayer was over the man who had sought the interview said: "Now

proceed with what you have to complain of in me." But the other

replied, "After praying over it, it looks so little that it is

not worth talking about. The truth is, I feel now that in going

around talking against you, I have been serving the devil myself

and have need that you pray for me and forgive me the wrong I

have done you." Here and there in almost every community is a

man or woman who might profit by this incident.-Christian Index

The brilliant scientist Sir Isaac Newton said that he could

take his telescope and look millions and millions of miles into

space. Then he added, "But when I lay it aside, go into my room,

shut the door, and get down on my knees in earnest prayer, I see

more of Heaven and feel closer to the Lord than if I were

assisted by all the telescopes on earth."

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,

Uttered, or unexpressed--

The motion of a hidden fire

That trembles in the breast.

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,

The falling of a tear--

The upward glancing of the eye,

When none but God is near

Prayer is the simplest form of speech

That infants lips can try--

Prayer the sublimest strains that reach,

The Majesty on high.

Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice

Returning from his ways,

While angels in their songs rejoice,

And cry, "Behold, he prays!"

Prayer is the Christian's vital breath--

The Christians's native air--

His watchword at the gates of death--

He enters heaven with prayer.

The saints in prayer appear as one

In word, and deed, and mind,

While the Father and the Son

Sweet fellowship they find.

Nor prayer is made by man alone--

The Holy Spirit pleads--

And Jesus, on the eternal throne,

For sinners intercedes.

O Thou by whom we come to God--

The life, the truth, the way!

The path of prayer Thyself hast trod;

Lord, teach us how to pray!

--James Montgomery

Dr. Thomas M. Carter, an ex-convict, tells a thrilling story

of his mother who constantly followed him with her prayers. On

one occasion while he was in prison, she received a telegram

stating that he was dead and asking what she wanted done with

his body. Stunned by the news, she opened her Bible and laid

the message beside it. "Oh, God," she said, "I have steadfastly

believed that You are a rewarder of them who diligently seek

You. I felt sure that I would live to see Tom saved and preaching the

Gospel; and now this wire says he is dead. Lord, which is true, this

telegram or Your promises to me?" When she rose from her knees,

having won the victory, she sent this note to the prison: "You must be

wrong. My boy is not dead!" There had been a mistake -- Tom Carter

was alive! He was later converted and lived to preach!

It is related of Alexander the Great, that, on one occasion a

courtier asked him for some financial aid. That great leader told him

to go to his treasurer and ask for whatever amount he wanted. A little

later, the treasurer appeared and told Alexander the man had asked for

an enormous sum, and that he hesitated to pay out so much. "Give him

what he asks for," replied the great conqueror; "he has treated me

like a king in his asking, and I shall be like a king in my giving!"

Greatly grieved must be our God because of the smallness of our

requests of Him! "Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with thee

bring; For His grace and power are such, None can ever ask too much!"

--W. B. Knight

There is a story told about a faithful old deacon whose oft

repeated prayer expression was, "O Lord, touch the unsaved with

Thy finger." One prayer meeting night he was leading in prayer when

as he intoned this petition, as he so often did, he abruptly stopped

praying. Supposing he had been taken suddenly ill, someone went to

him and asked if there was anything wrong, if he were ill. "No," he

replied, "I'm not ill. But something seemed to say to me, 'Thou art

the finger'." --Selected

A lad who had not been reared in a Christian home, knew nothing

about prayer, and cared less, had been on a torpedoed ship, when all

on board were thrust out into the water to swim for their lives.

Twelve of the boys kept together. Suddenly, horrified, they saw a lake

of burning oil coming toward them. It was impossible to escape. What

could they do? Just then a Lutheran, the only Christian in the group,

began to pray aloud. It was the heart cry of one in dire need to the

God of mercy whom he knew: "O God, save us! O God, save us! O God,

save us!" And with that, every one of the eleven, who had never known

or thought about our God of love, followed aloud with, "Please, God!

Please, God!" Immediately the flaming oil parted, leaving a clear,

wide path directly in front of them. And what do you think our

gracious Lord had placed in this path? A raft! The lad who told the

story ended with, "And no one can persuade these boys that God does

not hear prayer." --Sunday School Times

When her husband, Edmund Gravely, died at the controls of his

small plane while on the way to Statesboro, GA, from the Rocky

Mount-Wilson airport, NC, his wife Janice kept the plane aloft

for two hours until it ran out of fuel. During this time she

sang hymns and prayed for help. As the plane crossed the South

Carolina-North Carolina border, she radioed for help: "Help,

help, won't someone help me? My pilot is unconscious. Won't

somebody help me?" Authorities who picked up her distress

signal were not able to reach her by radio during the flight

because she kept changing channels. Mrs. Gravely finally made a

rough landing and crawled for 45 minutes to a farmhouse for

help. How often God's people cry out for help to God, but

switch channels before God's message comes through. They turn

to other sources for help, looking for human help. When you cry

out to God for His intervention, don't switch channels!

Mrs. Oswald Chambers once said of her husband, “Like all teachers of forceful personality, he constantly had people longing to pour out their intimate troubles to him. I remember at the close of one meeting a woman came up to him with the words, “Oh, Mr. Chambers, I feel I must tell you about myself.’ As he led her away to a quiet corner, I resigned myself to a long wait; but he was back again in a few minutes. As we went home, I remarked on the speed with which he managed to free himself, and he replied, ‘I just asked her if she had ever told God all about herself. When she said she hadn't, I advised her to go home and pour out before Him as honestly as she could all her troubles, then see if she still needed or wanted to relate them to me.'“

Chambers knew the importance of going directly to Jesus when faced with a special need or a trying situation.

A sign in front of a church carried this admonition: "When

your knees knock together, kneel on them." That's good advice!

Quieting our hearts before God will calm our fears and renew our

courage.

Among the benefits that come to those who continue

steadfastly in prayer is the joy of having God "draw near to

you." This thought is captured in an interesting poem by Perry

Tanksley. The poem gives us a brief but stirring biography of a

humble Christian by the name of Jim.

For years each day he'd rise to pray;

And when in church, he'd bow his knee

And meekly say, "Dear God, it's Jim."

And when he'd leave, we all could see

God's holy presence walked with him.

As Jim grew old, the chastening rod

Of years left him so ill and drawn,

His path to church is now untrod;

But in his heart each day at dawn

He hears the words, "Dear Jim, it's God."

It takes effort to pray well. It takes preparation to pray

meaningfully. It takes diligence to pray faithfully. Yet

prayer is not a burden but a glorious opportunity that brings

rich rewards.

In May 1934 a Charlotte, North Carolina farmer lent a pasture

to some thirty local businessmen who wanted to devote a day of

prayer for Charlotte because the Depression had spread spiritual

apathy in the city. They had planned, despite the indifference

of the ministerial association, to hold an evangelistic campaign

later that year. During that day of prayer on the land their

leader, Vernon Patterson, prayed, "out of Charlotte the Lord

would raise up someone to preach the Gospel to the ends of the

earth." The businessmen next erected in the city a large

"tabernacle" of raw pine on a steel frame, where for eleven

weeks from September 1934 a renowned, fiery Southern evangelist

named Mordecai Fowler Ham, and his song leader, Walter Ramsay,

shattered the complacency of churchgoing Charlotte. Well, God

did hear their prayer. The farmer who lent his pasture for the

prayer meeting was Franklin Graham and his son Billy became a

Christian during the meetings and the rest is history.