Text: Matthew 15:21-28 (ESV)
“And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.”
One of my favorite stories of Jesus is His interaction with the Canaanite woman whose daughter was possessed by a demon. She tells Jesus her problem, but the disciples try to push her away from Him. Jesus waits in silence. The Canaanite woman then utters a prayer that moves Jesus into action.
The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” She said. [Matthew 15:25]
How would our day change if we utter those same words with the problems we have?
Sometimes I convince myself that I’m too busy to pray. The reality is, though, we can pray a simple prayer that may be only one sentence long yet God will answer it, because He answers our prayers not by how eloquently we pray but by how much faith we pray with.
God doesn’t need a 30-minute prayer session to be moved into action. He just needs faith and a sentence to call Him to do something.
Here are 20 one-sentence prayers that you can pray any time and any where that could change your day and that of those around you.
1. Lord help me be a better spouse and better parent today than I was yesterday and the day before that.
This prayer I should be silently praying anytime I go to the fridge. What a prayer to quickly pray when you are with your family that God will be happy to answer if only we would.
2. Lord help me to show this person your love and attention in a way that they haven’t seen before.
Next time you meet with someone, let this prayer roll of your tongue silently before a word you speak to him or her. Every encounter we have is an encounter to change how someone views God.
3. Lord help me believe that you are with me even when I’m unsure if you are.
God is with us! We know this theologically but sometimes in the face of chaos or trials we forget to live this out practically. Next time you feel anxious or uncertain, ask God give you a little nudge to remind you He is with you.
4. Lord help me turn from my sin when my sin turns toward me.
David said, “My sin is always before me.” Yikes. Sometimes instead of knocking, sin rings the doorbell. When temptation comes, let this prayer help you not answer its call.
5. Lord help me do the things I know I should be doing but currently I am not.
God is great at giving us a push in the back. There are things you know God is asking you to do but currently you aren’t. What better way to start doing them than asking God to help you.
6. Lord help me to believe that I can make a difference in someone’s life today by just saying something nice to them.
The words you say to people are little parachute bombs filled with either rocks or flowers. Words hurt or help people, and sometimes we forget this.
7. Lord help me believe your Word can be like a flashlight and guide me down this darkened path.
I know not many of us are trudging the Oregon trail at night, but metaphorically we are on the path of life. Sometimes it gets dark, and when it does remember God has provided the ultimate light source, His Word.
8. Lord help me give the love you have given me away freely and without charge to the people around me whom I struggle to love even a little bit.
There are people in your life whom you find it difficult to love. If you were charging for love, you would put a 200 percent tax increase on it. Instead of withholding giving away love, give it away without holding onto being right.
9. Lord help me trust that you have a plan for my life even when it may feel like it is a bad one.
Do you ever feel like the plan that God has for you feels more like a wild goose chase that is zig zagging around the world? Well, sometimes it does, but God’s plans are perfect and straight if we trust Him as the master mapmaker for our life.
10. Lord help me have patience because I’m pretty sure I’m out.
Patience is essential in ministry. People will test your patience including your own family. When your patience seems like it has evaporated into the atmosphere, ask God to replenish it.
11. Lord help me not find my significance from social media today.
Twitter, Facebook, Google+: All are great until we look to them as our significance meter.
12. Lord help me run to your Word for guidance instead of looking for an answer inside Google.
Google has provided every answer we need to almost every question we have. Need some advice? Type it into the search bar, hit enter and in .2 seconds you will have 100,000 responses. Google is great, but God is greater.
13. Lord help me to not care what people may think about me and only be concerned with what you think about me.
Church leaders and pastors are typically people-pleasers. We want people to like us and accept us. Be careful, though, the desire to be liked by others doesn’t squash your desire to know what God says about you.
14. Lord help me forgive people quickly and swiftly because if not the bitterness will have its way with me.
Forgiveness is not easy to do, but the alternative of not forgiving is much harder to live with. Ask God to help you forgive, after all He does it whenever we need it from Him.
15. Lord help me not treat ministry like a job but only as a calling from you.
Whenever ministry becomes a job, you’ll quickly find burnout won’t be close behind. God calls us not to a 9-5 job but to a lifetime of living a call that is the greatest call we’ll ever answer.
16. Lord help me have faith, the kind of faith that I could lift a mountain and toss it into the sea.
When you have the mentality that nothing can stand in your way of doing God’s work, including a mountain, then you will achieve the greatness that will come with having a faith that can move even mountains.
17. Lord help me to lead well those you have asked me to lead.
Whether you realize it or not, you are leading people. More importantly you are leading people God has entrusted into your care. Ask the Lord for help, because left to our own we will choose to let people lead themselves.
18. Lord help me see things and hear things that others aren’t because they are too busy.
In 2 Corinthians 4:18, Paul encourages the Corinthians to focus not on the things they can see but on the things they can’t. We look around and see many problems. Instead of seeing the problems, see the God who is orchestrating your solutions.
19. Lord help me work hard on the right things and leave the results up to you.
We want results. When you aren’t getting the results you want, ask God to help you keep working hard on the right things and leave the results up to Him.
20. Lord help me.
Sometimes we may not know how we even need God to help us. When you are at a lose of words, let God fill in the blanks.
Pastor H. Gene Allen 