Subtitle: Overcoming Fruitless Living (Don’t Get Distracted by the Leaves)
Texts: Matthew 21:18–22; 1 Samuel 1

Prayer is more than a routine or a ritual—it is one of the clearest expressions of our faith. When we pray, we are responding to God’s Word with the cry of our soul. But prayer is not simply asking God for help in difficult times. Faith-filled prayer is bold, expectant, and rooted in God’s will revealed through His Word.

Jesus used the example of a fig tree to remind us that appearances can be deceiving. A tree with leaves but no fruit is a picture of fruitless living. He cursed that tree—not out of anger, but as a lesson for His disciples. The real issue wasn’t the leaves, it was the lack of fruit. Then Jesus pointed His disciples toward the power of prayer: “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22)

Fruitless Living vs. Faith-Filled Prayer

Fruitlessness can be discouraging. The tree looked alive but had nothing to meet the need. Many of us know the same feeling—busy, full of activity, yet lacking true spiritual fruit. Jesus’s response teaches us to move beyond appearances and lean into the power of prayer.

Prayer is the privilege of relationship. By faith through grace, we have access to the very throne of God. He is not intimidated when we ask for big things. In fact, asking big is an act of faith—and faith honors God, while God honors faith.

Biblical faith believes not only that God is able, but that He will accomplish His will as revealed through His Word. That kind of prayer sees mountains move.

The Path of Faith-Filled Prayer

What does this kind of prayer look like? Scripture gives us several markers:

• Renouncing known sin. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18). Leonard Ravenhill put it this way: “Soiled hearts that operate soiled hands cannot plunder the resources of God.”
• Dissatisfaction with the status quo. In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah was grieved by her barrenness. Disappointment can lead us either to despair or to desperate prayer.
• Passionate seeking of God’s face. Hannah poured out her soul before God, even making a vow that if He gave her a son, she would give him back to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:11). Men and women of faith refuse to settle for routine prayers.
• Diligent study of God’s Word. God’s Word produces faith. As we study it, we learn what to pray and align our desires with His.

When the soul is awakened by the Spirit, it begins to see, to hear, and to desire what glorifies God.

Hannah’s Example

Hannah’s story is a powerful picture of what prayer can be. Her desire for a child wasn’t just personal—it became intercessory. Out of her weeping, grieving, and brokenness came one of Israel’s greatest prophets, Samuel.

W.E. Biederwolf once noted: “If Hannah’s prayer for a son had been answered at the time she set for herself, the nation might never have known the mighty man of God that it found in Samuel.” God’s timing, though difficult, brought about something far greater than Hannah could have imagined.

Her prayer shows us the ingredients of intercession:

• Soul-weeping prayer
• Soul-feeding prayer
• Soul-hurting prayer
• Soul-grieving prayer
• Soul-committing prayer
• Soul-continued prayer
• Soul-emptying prayer

This was not a leafy, surface-level prayer. It was deep, fruitful, and powerful.

What Kind of Prayer Life Are You Cultivating?

It’s easy to settle for leafy prayers that look good on the outside but lack fruit. But God invites us to a faith-filled, fruitful prayer life.

So let me ask: Is your prayer life leafy but fruitless, or faith-filled and fruitful?

Let’s be a church that prays with a faith that reckons on God’s promises, that rests in His timing, and that risks in bold expectation. May we be known not just as a church with leaves, but as a people bearing the fruit of powerful prayer.