Date: 19-10-25
Preacher: Rev Yee 
Title:  Does Prayer Work?

Does Prayer Work?

Rev Yee posed the title of his message as a question to the congregation? His remark was that it would be quite natural for most of us to ask whether prayer works due to our fallen nature where we doubt even the Almighty. However to those who don’t question, he said they are the ones with a faith that God delights in. 

Next he compared the secular sayings ‘where there is a will, there is a way’ vs ‘man proposes and God disposes’ and asked the congregation which holds more water. 

Rev Yee then went ahead to share 3 key points why prayer works with Proverbs 19:21 as the biblical reference.

1. Prayer speaks of our relationship with God

   1. Rev Yee emphasises that prayer is not presenting God with a shopping list but building a relationship with Him. Hence, we first pray for God’s name, God’s kingdom and God’s will and then our needs. We have thus to adjust our hearts from self-centredness to God-centredness.

   2. He quoted the example of Daniel before he was thrown into the lion’s den. Daniel did not pray for God to rescue him immediately but he was asking to be close to God. The result was God not only saved him but He also received glory too.

2. Prayer works because it is God’s promise

   1. We are to ask in the name of the Lord. The purpose is not for ourself but for the sake of the Lord’s glory. If we bear that in mind in our prayers perhaps we will then not ask frivolously in our prayers. 

   2. Our God is one who loves His people and certainly He delights in seeing us being satisfied and joyful as a result of answered prayers.

3. Prayer works because it is the way to God

   1. Rev Yee then emphasises the importance of entrusting our prayers with God. Here he shared the story of how a boy asked his father, who was an engineer, to repair his damaged toy plane and each time when it was about to be repaired, the boy would take it from the father and as it was not totally repaired, it would still be damaged. Rev Yee said that when we pray, we should entrust our prayer totally to Him.

   2. It means to let God take over for if we cannot, it doesn’t mean God can’t.

In conclusion, prayer is not empty talk but God-given secret to success and I love his last slide which contained the following words which I am reproducing below:

‘If we think that prayer is useless, it is because we only seek for outcome and have neglected that:
Prayer is a relationship 
Prayer is entrusting 
Prayer is God’s way.’