The Practice of Prayer
Matthew 18:19-20
Importance of Prayer
- The Power of Prayer
- Jesus' life on earth and in heaven
- The life of the believer
- Establishing the significance of prayer
- The Pattern of Prayer
- Jesus' model of prayer
- Directing prayer to God and presenting needs to God
Practice of Prayer
- Undesirable Prayer Habits
- Generality: Praying too broadly and vaguely
- Dishonesty: Masquerading and not being truthful with God
- Smallness: Having too small faith and requests
- Repetition: Avoiding vain repetitions and babbling
- Predictability: Using canned phrases and clichés
- Desirable Prayer Habits
- Time: Establishing regular and special times for prayer
- Example of Jesus praying early in the morning (Mark 1:35, Psalm 5:3)
- Daniel's custom of praying three times a day (Daniel 6:10)
- People: Involving others in prayer
- Personal dimension (praying alone)
- Partnership dimension (praying with others)
- Family dimension (praying with spouse and children)
- Opportunity: Praying as opportunities arise in daily life
- Praying while working, driving, or encountering people
- Study: Studying the prayers in the Bible and turning scriptural promises into prayers
- Expectancy: Believing in God's ability to answer prayers
- Example of Elijah's persistent prayer for rain (1 Kings 18:42-44)
- Story of Peter's deliverance from prison (Acts 12:5, 12-16)
Conclusion
- Encouragement to develop a prayerful life and trust in God's responses
- Personal anecdotes about the impact of persistent prayer
- Reminder that the weakest saint on their knees can have a powerful impact
*The above summary is AI-generated, so discrepancies may exist. Please refer to the audio or video file to verify accuracy.
About the Contributors
Howard G. Hendricks
Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, known simply as “Prof,” directly or indirectly touched millions of lives in the evangelical community and beyond. For more than sixty years Prof served on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), where he taught more than ten thousand students. He served as the chairman of the Center for Christian Leadership for over twenty years. He also ministered in person in more than eighty countries. Through speaking engagements, radio, tapes, films, the sixteen books he authored and coauthored, countless journal and popular-market articles, his service on numerous boards, and his work as a chaplain to the Dallas Cowboys (1976–1984), his reach was and is worldwide.
His legacy, in partnership with Jeanne, his wife of more than sixty-five years, includes four children and six grandchildren. Holding large audiences enthralled at venues such as Billy Graham’s conference center or Promise Keepers’ stadium rallies, Prof would confide, “It’s wonderful to be here with you, but I have a group of delicious students waiting for me back at the seminary.”
Contributors
