Short Prayers That Will Change Your Life | Jentezen Franklin
Sunday, February 15
In this powerful message, Pastor Jentezen Franklin continues the series on The Power of Short Prayers, and shares how concise yet sincere prayers can open doors to remarkable change in your life. Using Matthew 6, Habakkuk 3, biblical examples like the thief on the cross, and stories of urgency in prayer, he emphasizes that God responds to passionate, purposeful cries with healing, family restoration, salvation, and breakthrough in every area.
Key Verses
Matthew 6:7; James 5:16; I Chronicles 4:10; Habakkuk 3:1-3; Matthew 9:20-21; Luke 23:42-43; Luke 15:10
Puntos clave
1. When you pray, God comes from where He is to where you are. God will always come to where prayer is. God will come to you, your family, and your business when you start praying with urgency and passion.
2. Short prayers turn possibility into reality. God will leave His purpose and find a possibility when He hears a short prayer. You never know the possibilities contained in one short prayer.
3. God won’t leave you stranded. God is your creator, and He doesn’t want to see you broken down on the side of the road while everyone else is going fast. When you pray, God will stop and fix what’s broken in your life.
Introducción
Matthew 6:7-8 (NIV)
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Today we’re going to look at the message “Short Prayers That Will Change Your Life” by Jentezen Franklin. In this teaching, he challenges the idea that prayers must be long to be powerful or to move God to respond. Instead, he reminds us that short, sincere prayers often carry more weight than long, repetitive ones.
God is not looking for empty words or religious performance. He desires humble hearts that are fully surrendered to Him. In Book of Hosea 6:6, the Lord says, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” In other words, God values a heart devoted to Him—expressed through simple, genuine prayers—more than lengthy, meaningless repetition.
Pastor Franklin explains that prayer has been central throughout his life. He shares this not to boast, but to emphasize its importance. He points out that it has often been the short prayers—quick prayers of surrender, cries for help, and moments of praise—that have sustained him and kept prayer at the center of his life, family, and ministry. When we begin with frequent, simple prayers, they grow into a lifestyle of prayer that touches every part of our lives.
This week we will dig into:
· Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer
· The Power and Examples of Short Prayers
· Practical Application of Short Prayer
LET’S START THE DISCUSSION:
· What stood out to you in this past Sunday’s message?
· Have you ever been intimidated when asked to pray? If so, why?
Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer
Matthew 6:7 “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”
Jesus warns against vain repetitions when we pray. He is simply communicating our invitation and encouragement to pursue connection with God and not perform a ritual. It was not uncommon for heathen or pagan religions to believe that ‘many words’ and repetitions earned them consideration. These ‘works’, by virtue of the length of the prayer, might appease their god. But our God is a God of relationship and not of repetition.
The key to any relationship is connection. It is the communication of a sincere heart forged in trust and faith that we have to guard against becoming mechanical. Prayer is about intimacy and not manipulation.
This warning in Matthew 6:7 precedes the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus provides a model prayer that is simple, concise, and focused on God's kingdom; it puts our eyes on Him and not on performance.
Believing ‘long prayers are better’ can become a trap and could altogether stop us from praying at all. The root of evil in the ‘many words’ of the heathen beliefs is that the quantity had a persuasion to it. Can you imagine if fifty prayers failed then perhaps a hundred might succeed? Not only does this suggest that the number of prayers becomes a way to change the will of God but allows us to think that we have a means to influence God instead of developing a connection that He desires.
His desire for a genuine relationship can be seen in the very next sentence in Matthew 6:8 “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” His fatherly care unfolds for us here in this scripture. Jesus brings light to God’s omniscience and expresses His desire for us to know Him.
Lastly, we tend to worry more than pray. God’s intentions are to show us there is victory in the asking. Pastor Franklin reminded us throughout his sermon of the many times that God halted His direct purpose to pause and answer a heartfelt or urgent prayer of those who sought Him out.
· Why do we equate length with power in our prayers?
· How does this change our prayer approach?
The Power and Examples of Short Prayers
The Bible makes it clear that the effectiveness of prayer is not determined by how many words we use, but by the intensity and sincerity behind them. James captures this truth powerfully:
James 5:16 (ESV) “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (emphasis added)
James 5:16 (NKJV) “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Here, “fervent” speaks of urgent, passionate, heartfelt prayer—prayer with real fire and earnestness, not routine or mechanical words. When prayer carries that kind of urgency, it produces dramatic results.
Scripture gives us several striking examples of short, fervent prayers that released heaven’s power:
· Elisha prayed a concise prayer, and fire fell from heaven (see 2 Kings 1).
· Peter spoke one direct sentence to a man lame from birth—“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk”—and the man instantly leaped and walked (Acts 3:6–8).
· Paul uttered a 14-word command to a demon-possessed girl—“I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her”—and the spirit left her that very hour (Acts 16:18).
· Hezekiah, facing a terminal illness and a death sentence from God, prayed a 29-word prayer; God immediately extended his life by 15 years (Isaiah 38:1–5).
· The prophet Habakkuk cried out a 33-word prayer: “O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years!” (Habakkuk 3:2). In response, God moved dramatically—the Holy One came from Mount Paran and Teman in power (Habakkuk 3:3).
These accounts show that urgency—like a mother’s desperate cry when her child is in danger—often unlocks miracles, breakthroughs, and divine intervention. Short prayers don’t mean shallow prayers; they express focused faith and deep dependence on God.
Interestingly, when we develop the habit of praying heartfelt prayers throughout the day, it often leads to longer, richer times of communion with God over time. What begins as quick cries of faith grows into a sustained lifestyle of prayer.
Group Discussion Questions
· Look at this bulleted list above. Which of the biblical examples above (Elisha, Peter, Paul, Hezekiah, or Habakkuk) speaks to you the most right now, and why?
· Why do you think God responds so strongly to fervent prayers? How can we cultivate more of that urgency in our everyday praying?
Practical Application of Short Prayer
Pastor Jentezen regularly prays the powerful priestly blessing from Numbers 6 over the congregation during Sunday service. Speak these rich blessings over your family and children often. Start with short prayers every day and stay consistent. Soon, longer prayers will come naturally. Always pray before big events or decisions...fancy words or long sentences don’t matter—the heart does. God is eager to restore life and do great things for you.
In Isaiah 38, Hezekiah, facing death, turned to God, wept bitterly, and prayed a simple 29-word prayer. God heard him, healed him, and added 15 years to his life. Amazing!
Pray with urgency—like a parent crying out for a child in danger. No polished words, just raw need. These short, heartfelt prayers spark miracles and breakthroughs, building a deeper prayer life over time.
Elisha, Peter, and Paul saw powerful results from brief, effective prayers. Short prayers can produce profound change.
Consider Habakkuk’s 33-word plea in Habakkuk 3:1–3 for revival in a dying generation. It moved God to come down from Teman and Mount Paran (linked to Mount Sinai, the holy place where He met Moses in glory and gave the Law and Tabernacle plans—a site no one could approach). Yet God left that sacred place to answer a humble prophet’s cry.
When you pray like that—with desperate simplicity—God will move heaven and earth to come to your situation, your home, and your family. He is drawn to short, sincere prayers and delights in answering them. He’ll shift His purposes to make a way for you, simply because you asked.
· What short prayers have you prayed recently that brought real results?
Conclusión
In closing, we must remember that the power of prayer is found in faith and sincerity—not in the number of words we use. God responds to the cry of the heart, whether the prayer is short or long. It is our genuine faith and dependence on Him that moves His grace and mercy.
The real challenge is to practice consistency in these short prayers. As we pray often throughout the day, we strengthen our relationship with God. This steady connection helps us worry less, trust more, and experience greater breakthroughs as we continually bring our needs to Him and surrender to His will.
Llamada a la acción:
Do an honest evaluation of your prayer life and habits,
Make a personal commitment to the Lord to look for opportunities to pray simple short prayers throughout your day,
Use your Bible, and Pastor Franklin’s book The Power of Short Prayers, to see examples of short prayers, what circumstances they were praying through, and how God responded,
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and bring to mind opportunities reach out to the Heavenly Father with a short prayer,
Journal your prayers from time to time and note how God has responded.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving us the gift of prayer. Forgive me for anytime I have prayed out of mindless repetition as I know that this is a sacred privilege to ‘…Approach the Throne boldly and with confidence…” to ask for Your grace, mercy, and provision. Help me to see opportunities throughout my day to maintain that connection with You through a short prayer and deepen my relationship with You through each heartfelt prayer. Help me to become the prayer warrior that You call all Your children to be. In Your Holy Name Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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