Ending the Filibuster - Church Prayer Leaders Network

Packing Power into Your Prayers

By Sandy Mayle

In August 28, 1957, Senator Strom Thurmond took the floor of the U.S. Senate to express, regrettably, his opposition to the Civil Rights Act under consideration. His filibuster, the longest in U.S. history, lasted 24 hours and 18 minutes.

How in the world did he fill the time?

He read aloud, word for word, the voting laws for each of the 48 states. He read the entire United States criminal code, the Declaration of Independence, George Washington’s farewell address, and a Supreme Court decision. By some accounts he even read from the phone book and discussed his grandmother’s biscuit recipe.

In the end, it didn’t change a single vote for the bill, which passed.

Another Kind of Filibuster

I’ve filibustered God.

I’ve monopolized long devotional times with my own concerns and agendas. I’ve wandered to topics having little to do with the subject at hand, and to trivia that likely was completely irrelevant.

Those long prayer times made the “legalistic me” feel like I’d really prayed and earned a response from God. I thought the time expended demonstrated my sincerity, was more persuasive, and set a better prayer example.

But all too often, in the end, those lengthy prayers don’t seem to change a single thing.

A Time for Long

There’s definitely a time for extended seasons of prayer, all-night intercession, and 24/7 vigils to persistently knock on heaven’s door. Prolonged prayer initiatives are vital efforts and often the Lord is looking for our whole-hearted participation.

God’s Word confirms this:

Jesus spent an entire night (perhaps one of many) in prayer (Luke 6:12).
From prison, Paul urged the church at Ephesus, “. . . prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. . . . And don’t forget to pray for me” (Eph. 6:18–19, msg).
The psalmist David invited God’s people to pour out the pent-up burdens of their hearts: “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (Ps. 62:8). Take your time, he was saying. Pour and keep on pouring, however long it takes, until the heart-pitcher is emptied of its anguish and filled with His comfort.

Our Lord welcomes these prolonged prayers. But He also cautioned His followers about babbling on and on.

Four Sentences

Jesus instructs in Matthew 6: “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” (vs. 7). He is addressing interminable, mindlessly repetitive prayers.

He continues, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (v. 8). And then in verses 9–13, He teaches believers how they should instead pray, providing the prayer-prototype we call “The Lord’s Prayer.”

They are four simple, but profound, sentences:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
“Give us today our daily bread.”
“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

These four sentences model concise, intentional petitions. But we face real opposition to this kind of prayer:

The world preaches, “More is better!” When this mindset influences our prayer life, we become convinced that longer prayers inherently carry more power, give God more glory, and produce greater measures of success. More words equal more answers.
The flesh (the carnal human nature) believes God values and rewards sweat equity. He isn’t glorified by short petitions; rather, He is hindered by their brevity. If we believe this, we become formula-driven, time-sensitive, and effort-conscious. Our words become filler that multiplies to meet expectations.
The enemy accuses and shames: “You’re a failure as a prayer warrior. Those few words won’t accomplish anything. Look around you. Those who put in the time are the true prayer warriors. You need to become like them.”

When we embrace the world’s mindset, when we succumb to the flesh, and when we listen to the enemy, something sinister and sapping happens. Big shouts down brief. Shame prompts wordiness. Legalism flourishes.

And before we know it, we’re filibustering in the throne room of God.

Two Sentences

The writer of Ecclesiastes warned, “Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think. Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear. God’s in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better” (Eccl. 5:2, msg). No rambling, run-on requests that monopolize the conversation. No Thurmond-like “holding the floor” before our Heavenly Father.

In 1 Kings 18:16–39, the prophet Elijah challenged the people of Israel to a contest: Baal vs. God. An offering was prepared and placed on an altar. Whichever deity answered by fire, the Israelites would worship.

The prophets of Baal called on their god from morning until noon, but of course there was no answer. At noon Elijah began taunting them, so they shouted louder and longer, and kept it up until evening came—but still no response. No god answered; no fire appeared.

Morning until evening they prayed, for nothing.

And then, “at the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again’” (vv. 36–37).

Two sentences.

And the fire fell. And the people fell too, crying, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

There is great power in simple, sincere, and straightforward petition.

One Sentence

Several years ago, one of our children, like the prodigal, “journeyed to a far country.” Though I already prayed regularly for our son, the crisis initiated prolonged intercession and seasons of prayer in the night when I poured out my heart to God.

But during this time God also put one particular request on my heart. It was a short prayer, often expressed in a handful of words. Yet it came with a unique yearning, as though God Himself had birthed it (as I believe He had): “Please, God, bring him back home.”

One sentence.

There were many other aspects of the tragic circumstances I could have zeroed in on, but this was the one God initiated and kept calling forth from my heart: “Bring him home.” I prayed it every night before drifting off to sleep. Night after night.

And one night, that concise prayer was suddenly and dramatically answered. The very next day, our prodigal was home.

There is great value in petitions distilled to their essence.

The Condensed Prayer

When wordiness and mind-wandering and misgivings are removed, our prayers become solid. Focused. Intense. Those prayers pack power.

The goal isn’t to spend less time with the Lord. It’s to wait on Him receptively, talk less and say more, as we pray in God-confidence those prayers that originate in His heart.

Let’s lay aside mind-numbing repetition and legalistic lobbying. Let’s rediscover the power of the condensed prayer— the prayer packed with faith, weighted with purpose, and dense with earnest desire.

Let’s end the filibuster.

SANDY MAYLE is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to Prayer Connect. She lives in Erie, PA.

Crafting a Non-Filibuster Prayer

Direct and specific prayers pack power. Here is a quick guide to forming a concise prayer:

1. Ask: What exactly is God leading me to ask for now?

2. Consider: According to 1 John 5:14, how can I weight this petition:

with confidence: “This is the confidence we have”
with intent: “if we ask anything”
with self-abandon: “according to his will”
with faith: “he hears us.”

3. Take action: Compact your prayer into one concise paragraph, then into one sentence—even try trimming it to just a few words. Offer it up to God regularly, earnestly, and intentionally.

No filibustering!