In Sermon Illustrations: "Prayer How To"

Astounding Answer  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 11, 2004

ASTOUNDING ANSWER When you think of what prayer really is it’s astounding that we’d get an answer at all. Ambrose Bierce once said that to pray was … "To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf of a single petitioner confessedly ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:3

Tags: Prayer Supplication, Parable General

God Is Not A Genie  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 11, 2004

GOD IS NOT A GENIE An auto dealer, facing bankruptcy, was walking along a beach when he kicked a bottle and out popped a genie. "Thanks for setting me free," said the genie. "To show my appreciation, I’ll grant you one wish." "Okay," said the auto dealer, "I want to be the only foreign car dealer ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:1-20

Tags: Parable General, Prayer Answered

Pray Till You Get Cookies  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 11, 2004

PRAY TILL YOU GET COOKIES We should be like the 3-year-old boy (that Paul Harvey told about) who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered the grocery store she said to him, "Now you’re not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask." She put him up in the cart ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:1-18, Jeremiah 33:3, Jeremiah 29:12

Tags: Prayer Supplication, Parable General

A Friend Told Me About A Man Who Had Come To Him ...

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Nov 1, 2004

A friend told me about a man who had come to him with a prayer request. He had purchased a lottery ticket that would pay him $100,000 if it turned out to be the "lucky" one. He asked my friend, who was a pastor, to pray that his number would be picked so he could give one-tenth of his winnings to ...read more

Tags: Giving General, Prayer General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Being Heard By The Judge  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 1, 2004

BEING HEARD BY THE JUDGE To understand the story of the persistent widow, we need to understand its New Testament setting, Wiersbe describes it this way, “The courtroom was not a fine building but a tent that was moved from place to place as the judge covered his circuit. The judge, not the law, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

Tags: Parable Widow, Prayer Persistence

Begging The Governor

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 1, 2004

BEGGING THE GOVERNOR The story of a Danish noblewoman, Baroness Blixen, was made known in the movie "Out Of Africa." She lived in Kenya as the owner of a large Coffee plantation. There was a tribe known as the Kikuyu tribe that Blixen had grown to love. Some of the Kikuyu lived on a part of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

Tags: Parable Widow, Prayer Persistence

A Traveling Man Came Into A Hotel To Secure A ...

Contributed by Bart Leger on Feb 2, 2005

A traveling man came into a hotel to secure a room for the night. Upon being informed that every room in the building had been taken, he was naturally quite perturbed, until a portly gentleman standing nearby kindly offered to share his room with him. The offer was thankfully accepted. Upon ...read more

Tags: Prayer General, Disciplines Scripture

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Woman Who Worked For A Vet Was To Have Knee ...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Sep 26, 2005

A woman who worked for a vet was to have knee surgery. She was nervous about the procedure and asked her boss if he had any advice. He replied, rather half-mindedly, ‘Just turn your worries ...read more

Tags: Prayer Of Faith, Faith General

Denomination: Church Of God

Do You Know That You Already Have The Gift Of A ...

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Sep 30, 2005

Do you know that you already have the gift of a consuming passion for hungering and thirsting? You activate it when you surrender your life to the Spirit’s working. Billy Graham was asked, “What is the most important ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 84:1

Tags: Prayer General, Basics Of Christianity

Denomination: Pentecostal

Lorraine Pintus Says That She Realized That Her ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Oct 8, 2005

Lorraine Pintus says that she realized that her spiritual life was in the doldrums because she was not making Jesus a part of her daily life. She wrote: "When I started taking Him with me wherever I went, then I started relating to Him and enjoying Him in a deeper way. I would ask God: `Would you ...read more

Tags: Faith General, Prayer Of Faith

Denomination: Christian Church

My Son Nathan Is Autistic, So He Struggles ...  PRO

Contributed by Lisa Delay on Oct 8, 2005

My son Nathan is autistic, so he struggles everyday with many things most of us take for granted. We, as his family, struggle too along with him. Things like speaking, a change in his environment, certain sounds, interruptions in his plans or routine and a host of other things often cause him great ...read more

Tags: Prayer Hardship, Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Was Working With Some Particularly Complex Lab ...

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Mar 13, 2010

I was working with some particularly complex lab equipment last week, and it was not doing what I needed it to do. After I got it working, I realized that the words I was muttering under my breath as I struggled with it were not songs of thanksgiving. I won’t quote myself. But I am reminded by ...read more

Tags: Give Thanks, Prayer General

Denomination: Catholic

Pray As If Your Life Depends On ...

Contributed by Aurora Alonso on Sep 2, 2010

"Pray as if Your Life Depends on ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Tags: Faith, Hope, Prayer, Persistence

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Know Where You Are, Just Tell Me What You Need  PRO

Contributed by H.b. Charles Jr. on Jan 16, 2012

I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED DR. C.C. MCCUTCHIN of Oklahoma was on the highway, traveling from Tulsa to Oklahoma City, to visit a member who was in the hospital. But on the way, he got a flat tire. Thankfully, he made it to a "Call Box" on the side of the road. But he had never ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-17

Tags: Communion, Communing, Prayer Answered

Denomination: Baptist

A Little Boy Told His Father, "I Want A New ...  PRO

Contributed by Phillip Parkin on Nov 24, 2012

A little boy told his father, "I want a new bike". The father said, "In this house we pray and ask God for the things we want and need". That night the little boy prayed, " Dear God, I need a new bike". The next morning the little boy woke up and ran to the garage but there was no bike. The little ...read more

Scripture: John 16:23, Matthew 7:7-11

Tags: Men's Day, Prayer, Provision

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Handful Of Suckers

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 10, 2018

The woman in the red skirt walked up to the counter and laid down two bags of flour. There beside the register were the rest of her groceries. "That everything?" asked the man behind the counter. He owned the general store, waited on her every Thursday as she came to town to do her shopping. He ...read more

Tags: Prayer, Generosity, Abundance, Asking

Denomination: Baptist

He Had A Hat

Contributed by Gaither Bailey on Oct 4, 2019

During a tornado a mother was crying for help. It seems that her son was taken up into the tornado and blown away. The mother turned to heaven and shouted a prayer: “Please, Lord, bring back my son! He’s all I have. I’ll do anything to get him back.”--- Suddenly, her son fell from the sky right at ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:5-10

Tags: Prayers, Faith, Duty, Desires

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

God Hears Everything We Say

Contributed by Rev. Duraimony Dickson on Nov 20, 2020

There was a man who had a habit of grumbling at the food his wife placed before him at family meals. Then he would pray a blessing to the Lord. One day after his usual combination of complaint and prayer, his little girl asked, “Daddy, does God hear us when we pray?” “Why, of course,” he replied. ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 2:6-7

Tags: Prayer, Complaint, God Hears

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Story Of The Christian Lion

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 20, 2022

A missionary in Africa was walking through a jungle when he heard the ominous roar of a lion behind him. He was very scared and dropped immediately to his knees and started praying feverishly! "Oh Lord," prayed the missionary, “You know I have served you my whole life. I have even ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:3

Tags: Thanksgiving, Protection, Prayer, Humor

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Full Armor Of God

Contributed by John Bright on Oct 3, 2025

Our defense is provided by the Full Armor of God found in Ephesians 6. I would recommend this article: https://www.gotquestions.org/full-armor-of-God.html (I also want to recommend the YouVersion Bible App for your smart phones or computers. Good studies there on the Full Armor of God) Here’s a ...read more

Tags: Prayer, Full Armor Of God

Denomination: Methodist