The 20th century Jewish theologian and rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel famously said, “The issue of prayer is not prayer; the issue of prayer is God.” In other words, prayer is about engaging our God. C.H. Spurgeon, the famed 19th c. London preacher echoed a similar sentiment: “True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that—it is spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.”

Nearly 2,000 years earlier, another Rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth, taught something very similar—albeit with a significant twist. Jesus not only taught about prayer, He claimed to answer prayer: “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:14). Jesus claimed equality with God, and on that basis assured us of the effectiveness of our prayers.

Practically speaking, this means that prayer is not just a required routine but a reality! It works because we have been graciously invited to bring our requests before the One who is “God with us” and “God for us”. Join us as we ponder the topic of the effectiveness of prayer in a series of messages entitled “Prayer Works”.

If you have missed any sermons in this series, you can download the audio from our Sermons Page.