Prayer is natural and unnatural. It’s natural because, as the aphorism “there are no atheists in foxholes” reminds us, all of humanity looks to God in distress. And yet, it’s unnatural: how do we pray to a God we cannot see? Even mature believers need spiritual encouragement and practical help to grow in prayer.
What follows are some of the best sermons on prayer from Pastor Colin Smith that you can listen to for free at openthebible.org. For more of Pastor Colin’s biblical teaching, follow us on YouTube, the Open the Bible app, or by searching “Open the Bible” in your favorite podcast app.
1. Prayer 101 (transcript available)
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. James 5:17-18
Do you struggle with your prayer life? Every Christian will struggle with this at one time or another. Join Pastor Colin as he talks about the life of Elijah and discover the 7 “P’s” for effective prayer.
Listen below or watch on YouTube.
Part of the Surprising Influence of a Godly Life series.
2. How to Pray (transcript available)
Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. (2 Samuel 7:27)
Where can you find the courage to pray? In How to Pray, Pastor Colin talks about the relationship between the Word of God and prayer, demonstrating from the Psalms how to turn God’s promises into prayer.
Listen below or watch on YouTube.
Part of the Life of David series.
3. Praying for the Person Who Causes You Pain (transcript available)
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
Have you ever wondered what Jesus was doing while on the cross? Was He gritting his teeth… or fantasizing about getting revenge on His tormentors? He prayed for His tormentor’s forgiveness.
Part of the 7 Words from the Cross series.
4. How to Pray When You Feel like Giving Up (transcript available)
How can you say to my soul, “flee like a bird to the mountain…?” Psalm 11:1
What did David do when he felt that everybody was against him, and he was getting nowhere? What did David do when he felt like giving up? He took refuge in God. Pastor Colin Smith talks about how we do that.
Listen below or watch on YouTube.
Part of the With Christ in the School of Prayer series.
5. Knees: Praying in the Name of Christ (transcript available)
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. (James 5:14-15)
How can you pray to God more boldly? How can you pray more humbly? Pastor Colin talks about how you can pray both more humbly AND more boldly!
Part of the series The Anatomy of Faith.
Go Deeper in Prayer
Pray the Bible: A Free Video Course on Prayer
We all face obstacles in prayer. Some are theological; we forget why prayer matters or don’t feel heard by God. Other obstacles are practical; we don’t know what to say or we simply can’t focus for prayer. Kevin Halloran, author of When Prayer Is a Struggle: A Practical Guide to Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer, believes that if we pray the Bible, we can bypass many of our struggles and go straight to fruitful prayer and deeper communion with God. This course will introduce you to the benefits of praying the Bible as well as several tools for doing so.