July 18, 2026
Prayer Is More Than a Wish List
By Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D.
In his book The Power of Prayer, Dr. R. A. Torrey writes:
Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. All that God is, and all that God has, is at the disposal of prayer.
If this is true, why do we spend so little time in prayer? There are several answers. First, some people simply do not know how to pray. They struggle in prayer and wonder if the Lord hears their words. But He is attentive to the cries of His people: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; . . . The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles” (Psalm 34:15, 17).
Second, many have the wrong idea about prayer. They believe there is a specific formula to prayer—something they can repeat in order to have their prayers answered. To be sure, the disciples were with Jesus morning, noon, and night for three years. It was not long before they asked Him to teach them how to pray. They saw the benefits of prayer displayed in His life, and they quickly realized that prayer was a tremendous source of power. But Jesus gave them a simple prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, that shows us how to be humble before God and seek His will above all. We can’t approach God as our bellhop, our servant, who will cater to our whims if we just ask in the right way.
Rather, prayer is our greatest form of communication with our heavenly Father—it is a means of building our relationship with Him. In prayer, we can bare our souls and be refreshed by God’s unconditional love and grace.
Well-phrased words or eloquently delivered sentences will not usher you into the throne room of God. However, a humble heart and a deep desire to worship the Savior are the very keys that will open heaven’s door to God’s inner chamber.
Prayer: Lord, teach me how to pray. I desire intimacy with You. Fashion within me a heart like Yours. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples’” (Luke 11:1).
Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon series The Prayer That God Answers, Guiding Our Prayer Lives: LISTEN NOW
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