Prayer--the Long and Short of It!
David Wilkerson emphasizes the importance of specific, sincere, and brief prayer, highlighting the dangers of rash prayer and the true purpose of prayer as enjoying personal communion with God.
David Wilkerson emphasizes the importance of concise and sincere prayer, warning against the tendency to use long, wordy prayers that may lack genuine intent. He argues that God desires intelligent and respectful communication rather than empty clichés or attempts to impress Him with verbosity. Wilkerson encourages believers to be specific in their prayers, as this leads to clearer answers from God, and highlights the necessity of personal communion with the Lord. He stresses that true prayer requires dedication and transformation, urging that no one should approach prayer lightly or without preparation.
Text
"Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few" (Ecclesiastes 5:2).
There is often a pretense in long prayers. A desire to build up "credit power" with God; an ambition to duplicate the prayer lives of men used of God; a subtle attempt to overwhelm the Lord with enough words to weary him into action. I wonder--does God ever get bored? Does he long for more prayers and petitions framed with brevity and intelligence? Some of us go to the secret closet and just "run off at the mouth." We become rash, wordy, and parrot clichés, meaningless petitions and praise patterns. God deserves an intelligent, concise presentation of our needs, a clear-minded offering of sincere praise, and a dignity based on our respect for the King of all kings.
Be specific with God in prayer and he will be specific with you in regard to the answer. Nonchalance and levity have no place in his courts.
Jesus said, "Tarry ye here, and watch with me" (Matthew 26:38).
The true purpose of prayer is that we enjoy much personal communion with the Lord. The heart is reluctant to dwell in God's presence and satisfies itself with "devotions." This describes a hurried period late at night or early in the morning when a "quickie" prayer is offered and a hurried portion of Scripture is partly absorbed. All the witnessing in the world cannot excuse a man from his duty and privilege of prayer in the secret closet. Locked in with God until the carnal soul is transformed! No man should pray without plowing and no man should plow without praying.
Every gift from God will cost you a groan. True men and women of God feel too weak to face the enemy without daily, consistent prayer.
Sermon Outline
- The Dangers of Rash Prayer
- The Pretense of Long Prayers
- The Importance of Specific Prayer
- The True Purpose of Prayer
- Enjoying personal communion with the Lord
- Transforming the carnal soul in God's presence
- Overwhelming the Lord with words
Key Quotes
“Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.” — David Wilkerson
“No man should pray without plowing and no man should plow without praying.” — David Wilkerson
“Every gift from God will cost you a groan.” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- Pray with specificity and sincerity, and God will be specific with you in regard to the answer.
- Make time for daily, consistent prayer to feel empowered to face the enemy.
- Prioritize enjoying personal communion with God in your prayer life.