Prayer Quotes (comprehensive list)

EDIT: Note that this list was orginally compiled by Mark Calhoun, of Prayerlife Ministries. The Importance of PrayerThe supreme importance of prayer is tacitly admitted by most evangelical Christians. It is accepted as an article of faith. And yet there are few areas of the Christian life in which there are more regretful confessions of failure and disappointment.–J. Oswald SandersThe place and power of prayer in the Christian life is too little understood. As long as we view prayer simply as the means of maintaining our own Christian lives, we will not fully understand what it is really supposed to be. But when we learn to regard it as the highest part of the work entrusted to us—the root and strength of all other work—we will see that there is nothing we need to study and practice more than the art of praying.–Andrew MurrayThe worst sin is prayerlessness since this connotes indifference toward God.–P.T. ForsythA prayerless life means a life lived out of communion with God and all that is involved by this.—A.W. PinkGod wondered that there was no intercessor (Isaiah. 59:16) … Oh how great must be God’s wonder today! For how few there are among us who know what prevailing prayer really is! Every one of us would confess that we believe in prayer, yet how many of us truly believe in the power of prayer? … Surely there is nothing so absolutely astonishing as a practically prayerless Christian.–The Kneeling ChristianAn hour of solitude passed in sincere and earnest prayer, or the conflict with and conquest over a single passion or subtle bosom sin will teach us more of thought, will more effectually awaken the faculty and form the habit of reflection than a year’s study in the schools without them.—ColeridgeIf you do not pray, do not say that you are too busy to pray. Be honest and admit you do not love God enough to pray.–AnonymousA man or woman who does not spend much time in prayer cannot properly be called a follower of Jesus Christ. Praying is the most important part of the present ministry of our risen Lord.–R.A. TorreyThe habit of prayer separates great Christians from mediocre ones.–Dick EastmanOf all the traits of a life LIKE CHRIST there is none higher and more glorious than conformity to Him in the work that now engages Him without ceasing in the Father’s presence—His all-prevailing intercession. The more we abide in Him, and grow unto His likeness, will His priestly life work in us mightily, and our life become what His is, a life that ever pleads and prevails for men.–Andrew MurrayHe does the most for God who is the highest skilled in prayer.–E.M. BoundsWhy are so many Christians so often defeated? Because they pray so little. Why are many church-workers so often discouraged and disheartened? Because they pray so little. Whey do most men see so few brought ‘out of darkness to light’ by their ministry? Because they pray so little. Why are not our churches simply on fire for God? Because there is so little real prayer.–The Kneeling ChristianThe greatest thing anyone can do for God and for man is to pray. It is not the only thing. But it is the chief thing.–S.D. GordonIt is natural to man, from his earliest infancy, to cry for relief when in danger or distress, if he supposes that any one able to relieve him is within hearing of his cries. Every man then who feels his own dependence upon God, and his need of blessings which God only can bestow, will pray to Him. He will feel that prayer is not only his duty, but his highest privilege.–Edward PaysonAll the mighty men of God outside the Bible have been men of prayer. They have differed from one another in many things, but in this they have been alike.—R.A. TorreyThe story of prayer is the story of great achievements. Prayer is a wonderful power placed by Almighty God in the hands of His saints, which may be used to accomplish great purposes and to achieve unusual results. Prayer reaches to everything, takes in all things great and small which are promised by God to the children of men. The only limits to prayer are the promises of God and His ability to fulfill those promises.— E. M. BoundsAn utter transformation came into my experience when I learned not only to pray and return thanks, but to worship—asking nothing from God, seeking nothing from Him, simply being occupied with Him and satisfied with Him.– R.A. TorreyWhen you begin to pray, use such expressions of the attributes of God as will make you sensible of His greatness and power.–William Law I have known men who came to God for nothing else but just to come to Him, they so loved Him. They scorned to soil Him and themselves with any other errand than just purely to be alone with Him in His presence.–Thomas Goodwin Francis of Assisi would frequently spend an hour or two in prayer on the top of Mount Averno, where the only word that escaped his lips would be ‘God’ repeated at intervals. He began with adoration and often stopped there!–The Kneeling ChristianSuch worship of God, such adoration and praise and thanksgiving, not only put us into the spirit of prayer, but in some mysterious way they help God to work on our behalf.–The Kneeling ChristianWe are never fitter to pray than after praise.–Richard SibbesLet this, then, be our first lesson: the presence of God is the chief thing, in our devotions.–Andrew MurrayWe do not find it difficult to make our requests known unto God when we are fully aware of His presence.-Tony Marshall AndersonThink first of the motive principle that will make us love and faithfully keep the morning watch [prayer]. If we take it upon us simply as a duty, and a necessary part of our religious life, it will very soon become a burden. Or, if the chief thought be our own happiness and safety, that will not supply the power to make it truly attractive. There is only one thing will suffice—the desire for fellowship with God.–Andrew MurrayTo have more of God, to know Him better, to receive from Him the communication of His love and strength, to have our life filled with His, – it is for this He invites us to enter the inner chamber and shut the door.–Andrew Murray I want now to say a few words on what prayer is to be in the morning watch. First of all, see that you secure the presence of God. Do not be content with anything less than seeing the face of God, having the assurance that He is looking on you in love, and listening and working in you.–Andrew MurrayCome near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking.–A.W. Tozer, from The Pursuit of GodOur chief concern should always be to obtain power through prayer to achieve the greater works for Christ.—Tony Marshall (T.M.) Anderson

Priority of PrayerWe take for granted that prayer is preparation for work, whereas prayer is the work.–Oswald ChambersIf God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day.– E.M. BoundsPrayer is the only way to amend your life: and without prayer, it will never be mended.– Alexander WhyteIt is apparently true that the measure of our joy is always in proportion to the measure of our praying—Tony Marshall (T.M.) AndersonRejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;– Romans 12:12No prayer!—No faith!—No Christ in the heart. Little prayer!—Little faith!—Little Christ in the heart. Increasing prayer!—Increasing faith!—Increasing Christ in the heart!. Much prayer!—Much faith!—Much Christ in the heart! Praying always!—Faith always!—Christ always!– Alexander WhyteContinue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.– Colossians 4:2The work of praying is prerequisite to all other work in the Kingdom of God. It is by prayer that we couple the powers of heaven to our helplessness … and make the impossible possible.– O. HallesbyWe scarcely believe what the Bible reveals—that God’s chosen way of working is through intercessory prayer.– Oswald ChambersWe bank on service and do away with prayer. Consequently, by succeeding in the external we fail in the eternal, because in the eternal we succeed only by prevailing prayer.– Oswald ChambersBut tarry … until you are endued with power from on high.– Luke 24:49You can do more than pray after you have prayed. But you can not do more than pray until you have prayed.– S. D. GordonWe may be assured of this: the secret of all failure is our failure in secret prayer.– The Kneeling ChristianIf you cannot find time to pray, ask for forgiveness. Ask to be cleansed of the sin of having no time to pray … it could be that Satan is pushing you into too much work so that you cannot take time to pray.– Corrie Ten BoomWe use prayer as a last resort; Jesus wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there’s nothing else we can do; Jesus wants us to pray before we do anything at all. But most of us would rather spend our time doing something that will get immediate results. We don’t want to wait for God to bring about the results in His good time because His idea of ‘good time’ is seldom in sync with ours.–Oswald ChambersLet me burn out for God. After all, whatever God may appoint, prayer is the great thing. Oh that I may be a man of prayer.— Henry MartynIf we would do much for God, we must ask much of God: we must be men of prayer.– Edward Payson

What is Prayer?To Pray is to contact God and to be saturated with God, resulting in having faith in God for the exultation of God.-Witness LeeI believe that much of our failure in prayer is due to the fact that we have not looked into this question, “What is prayer?–The Kneeling ChristianPrayer is nothing more than turning our heart toward God and receiving in turn His love.–Madame GuyonThe Scripture describes prayer to be our drawing near to God, lifting up our souls to Him, pouring out our hearts before him.–Matthew HenryPrayer is getting into perfect communion with God.–Oswald ChambersPrayer is nothing else than a sense of God’s presence.–Brother LawrenceOur prayers are the means by which our souls, though empty, are filled by God to overflowing.–John BunyanPrayer is God's appointed way for obtaining things, and the great secret of all lack in our experience, in our life and in our work is neglect of prayer.—R.A. TorreyPrayer should be the breath of our breathing, the thought of our thinking, the soul of our feeling, and the life of our living, the sound of our hearing, the growth of our growing. Prayer in its magnitude is length without end, width without bounds, height without top, and depth without bottom. Illimitable in its breadth, exhaustless in height, fathomless in depths and infinite in extension.–Homer W. HodgeIt is good to be conscience that we are always in the presence of God. It is better to gaze upon Him in adoration. But it is best of all to commune with Him as a Friend, and that is prayer.–The Kneeling Christian Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to the Word of God, for the good of the Church, with submission in faith to the will of God.–John BunyanTrue prayers are born of present trials and present needs.– E.M. BoundsFor what is prayer in the last analysis? It is a conscious spreading out of my helplessness before God.—A.N. MartinPrayer is fellowship with the Unseen and Most Holy One. The powers of the eternal world have been placed at prayer’s disposal. It is the very essence of true religion and the channel of all blessings. It is the secret of power and life, not only for ourselves but for others, for the Church and for the world.– Andrew MurrayPrayer is the solemn and religious offering up of devout acknowledgments and desires to God, or a sincere representation of holy affections with a design to give unto God the glory due unto His name thereby, and to obtain from him promised favors, and both through the Mediator.–Matthew Henry A man may pray night and day and deceive himself, but no man can be assured of his sincerity who does not pray. Prayer is faith passing into act. A union of the will and intellect realizing into an intellectual act. It is the whole man that prays. Less than this is wishing or lip work, a sham or a mummery.— E.M. BoundsWhatever yearning there may be that moves you to prayer is from God. True prayer moves in a circle. It begins in the heart of God, sweeps down into a human heart …then goes back again to its starting point.–S.D. GordonPrayer is closing the eyes on things seen and opening them on things unseen.–William BiederwolfPrayer is much more than merely asking God for something, although that is a very valuable part of prayer if only because it reminds us of our utter dependence upon God. It is also communion with God, intercourse with God, talking with—not only too—God. … The highest result of prayer is not deliverance from evil or the securing of some coveted thing, but knowledge of God.– The Kneeling Christian

Why Pray?If a man has not received the indwelling Christ in answer to prayer, he has failed to obtain the grand objective of all praying.-Tony Marshall (T.M.) AndersonIt is to prayer that God has given the right to take hold of Him and His strength. It is on prayer that the promises wait for their fulfillment, the kingdom waits for its coming and the Glory of God waits for its full revelation.–Andrew MurrayPrayer activates the supernatural in our lives.–Danny LanierYou do not have a single problem that is not primarily a prayer problem.– Adrian RogersThe best way to fight against sin is to fight it on our knees.—Philip HenryIt is not too much to say that all real growth in the spiritual life–all victory over temptation, all confidence and peace in the presence of difficulties and dangers, all repose of spirit in times of great disappointment or loss, all habitual communion with God—depends upon the practice of secret prayer.– The Kneeling ChristianCertainly nothing is more beneficial to growth in grace than growth in the life of prayer. The more you prevail, the more you will learn the secrets of God’s grace and the power of His kingdom. The more you intercede, the more intimate will be your walk with Christ and the stronger you will become by the Spirit’s power.–Wesley DuewelPrayer is the appointed condition of receiving God’s aid.–E.M. BoundsThe prayer of the upright is His delight.–Proverbs 15: 8Prayer is the condition of the advance and success of the Gospel.–E.M. BoundsPrayer, in every care and anxiety and need of life, with thanksgiving, is the means God has appointed for obtaining freedom from all anxiety, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding.—R.A. TorreyAs we lift up our soul in prayer to the living God, we gain the beauty of holiness as surely as a flower becomes beautiful by living in the sunlight. Was not our Lord transfigured when He prayed? And the ‘very fashion’ of our countenance will change, and we shall have our Mount of Transfiguration when prayer has its rightful place in our lives. … Our value to God and to man is in exact proportion to the extent in which we reveal the glory of God to others.–The Kneeling ChristianBe sure you look to your secret duty; keep that up whatever you do. The soul cannot prosper in the neglect of it. Apostasy generally begins at the closet door. Be much in secret fellowship with God. It is secret trading that enriches the Christian.—E.M. BoundsPrayer is a mighty instrument for getting God’s will done on earth.–William LawIt is when we pray that the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Christ and reveals them unto us (John 16:15).– The Kneeling ChristianThe secret prayer chamber is a bloody battleground. Here violent and decisive battles are fought out. Here the fate of souls for time and eternity is determined in quietude and solitude.–O. HallesbyRise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.– Luke 22:46There is nothing that makes us love a man so much as praying for him.– William Law Answered prayer brings God near and assures men of His being.–E.M. Bounds

Purpose of PrayerAn utter transformation came into my experience when I learned not only to pray and return thanks, but to worship—asking nothing from God, seeking nothing from Him, simply being occupied with Him and satisfied with Him.– R.A. TorreyWhen you begin to pray, use such expressions of the attributes of God as will make you sensible of His greatness and power.– William Law I have known men who came to God for nothing else but just to come to Him, they so loved Him. They scorned to soil Him and themselves with any other errand than just purely to be alone with Him in His presence.– Thomas Goodwin Francis of Assisi would frequently spend an hour or two in prayer on the top of Mount Averno, where the only word that escaped his lips would be ‘God’ repeated at intervals. He began with adoration and often stopped there!–The Kneeling ChristianSuch worship of God, such adoration and praise and thanksgiving, not only put us into the spirit of prayer, but in some mysterious way they help God to work on our behalf.–The Kneeling ChristianWe are never fitter to pray than after praise.–Richard SibbesLet this, then, be our first lesson: the presence of God is the chief thing, in our devotions.–Andrew MurrayWe do not find it difficult to make our requests known unto God when we are fully aware of His presence.-Tony Marshall AndersonThink first of the motive principle that will make us love and faithfully keep the morning watch [prayer]. If we take it upon us simply as a duty, and a necessary part of our religious life, it will very soon become a burden. Or, if the chief thought be our own happiness and safety, that will not supply the power to make it truly attractive. There is only one thing will suffice—the desire for fellowship with God.–Andrew MurrayTo have more of God, to know Him better, to receive from Him the communication of His love and strength, to have our life filled with His, – it is for this He invites us to enter the inner chamber and shut the door.–Andrew Murray I want now to say a few words on what prayer is to be in the morning watch. First of all, see that you secure the presence of God. Do not be content with anything less than seeing the face of God, having the assurance that He is looking on you in love, and listening and working in you.–Andrew MurrayCome near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking.-A. W. Tozer, from The Pursuit of GodOur chief concern should always be to obtain power through prayer to achieve the greater works for Christ.—Tony Marshall (T.M.) Anderson

When to Pray?Pray when you feel like it. Pray when you don’t feel like it. Pray until you do feel like it.–D.L. MoodyPray alone. Let prayer be the key of the morning and the bolt at night. The best way to fight against sin is to fight it on our knees.—Philip HenryThink it not possible to pray too frequently; but at morning, at noon, and at eventide lift up thy soul unto God. Let not despondency stop the voice of thy supplication, for He who heareth the young ravens when they cry, will in due time listen to the trembling words of thy desire…Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord. Let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.’ Let groans, and sighs, and vows keep up perpetual assault at heaven’s doors.–C.H. SpurgeonDo not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him.-James Hudson TaylorIt is a good thing to let prayer be the first business of the morning and the last of the evening.–Martin LutherThen He spoke a parable to them that men ought always to pray and not lose heart–Luke 18:1Some, claiming Christ prayed in the early morning, contend that it is the finest time to pray. In my life, prayer flows more freely in late hours. It should be noted Jesus went to prayer at night as well as early in the morning. In the last analysis, there is never a time we cannot enter God’s great throne room. The point is not what time we pray, it is that of developing a constant habit in the matter.– Dick Eastman“Pray without ceasing.”– 1 Thessalonians 5:17In the original Greek, ceasing had a special meaning. Scholars say this rendering was used to describe a hacking cough. … The impulse of a hacking cough is always there and at any moment we may succumb to the overwhelming need to cough. This is what our prayer life must be. Habit must lodge so firmly in our minds no matter where we are, or with whom we come into contact, we never lose a burden for unceasing prayer.–Dick EastmanMuch time spent with God is the secret of all successful praying. God’s acquaintance is not made by “pop” calls.–E.M. BoundsI live in the spirit of prayer; I pray as I walk, when I lie down and when I rise and the answers are always coming.–George MüllerThe habit of breaking off our prayers before we have truly prayed is as common as it is unfortunate. Often the last 10 minutes may mean more to us than the first half hour, because we must spend a long time getting into the proper mood to pray effectively.–A. W. TozerIf when we come to prayer our hearts feel dull and unspiritual, we should not try to argue ourselves out of it. Rather, we should admit it frankly and pray our way through. Some Christians smile at the thought of ‘praying through,’ but something of the same idea is found in the writings of practically every great praying saint from Daniel to the present day. We cannot afford to stop praying till we have actually prayed.–A. W. TozerIf you cannot find time to pray, ask for forgiveness. Ask to be cleansed of the sin of having no time to pray … it could be that Satan is pushing you into too much work so that you cannot take time to pray.–Corrie Ten Boom

How to PrayBy prayer we learn to pray.–Richard SibbesTo offer a prayer without realizing the nearness of the Lord would be like speaking meaningless words into empty space. How could we know that our requests had been made known unto God unless He responded by assuring us that our petitions had been heard? I am persuaded that it is not possible to pray with confidence toward the Lord without being aware of His presence.—Tony Marshall (T.M.) Anderson I have had new Christians say to me, ‘I don’t know how to pray. I don’t have the right words.’ When our children were just learning to talk and had difficulty finding the right words, they still managed to make themselves understood by my wife and me, and the mistakes they made only endeared them to us.–Billy GrahamAnd whatever you ask in My name that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son.–John 14:13If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.–John 14:14Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.–John 16:24When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.–John BunyanThen you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you, and you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.–Jeremiah 29:12-13Your helplessness is your best prayer. It calls from your heart to the heart of God with greater effect than all your uttered pleas.–O. Hallesby When thou prayest let thy words be few, but thy thoughts and affections many, and above all let them be profound. The less thou speakest the better thou prayest. …External and bodily prayer is that buzzing of the lips, that outside babble that is gone through without any attention, and which strikes the ears of men; but prayer in spirit and in truth is the inward desire, the motions, the signs, which issue from the depths of the heart. The former is the prayer of hypocrites and of all who trust in themselves: the latter is the prayer of the children of God, who walk in His fear.–Martin Luther

Conditions to Answered PrayerIt is an indisputable fact of Christian experience that God answers prayer. The Bible says, ‘The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16). God answers prayer. This is not only a truth of the Bible: it is also an indisputable fact of Christian experience. But, although God does answer prayer, God does not answer every prayer. These are two balancing sides to the experience of prayer, and both are taught in the Bible and confirmed in Christian experience. Someone has well said, ‘There are more reasons given in the Bible why God does not answer prayer than why He does answer prayer.’ God answers prayer, but He does not answer every prayer. The lord God has clearly laid down in His Word certain conditions to answered prayer, and effective praying depends upon meeting these conditions. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us!– Abraham Lincoln Incline Thine ear, 0 Lord, and answer me; for I am afflicted and needy.-Psalm 86:1One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.–Proverbs 28:9Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will He hears him.–John 9:31The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears open to their cry.–1 Peter 3:12Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from you God. And you sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will no hear.—Isaiah 59:1-2 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear, but certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.–Psalm 66:18Disobedience is sin. Sin blocks our communication and causes us to lose the power available to us through prayer.–George SweetingSin is an awful thing, and one of the most awful things about it is the way it hinders prayer, the way it severs the connection between us and the source of all grace and power and blessing. Any one who would have power in prayer must be merciless in dealing with his own sins.–R.A. TorreyAnything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible Study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me, and I must as a Christian turn away from it.–J. Wilbur ChapmanAnd whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.–1 John 3:22Every kind of prayer, not intercessory prayer only, which is the highest kind of prayer, but all prayer, from the lowest kind to the highest, is impossible in a life of known and allowed sin. The blind man's retort upon the Pharisees is his retort upon us to this day—"Now we know that God heareth not sinners." No! No man's prayer is acceptable with God whose life is not well pleasing before God.–Alexander WhyteHusbands, likewise dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.—1 Peter 3:7He who prays will not obtain remission of his sins unless he forgives from his heart his brother who has offended him and asked his pardon.–OrigenLet him never cease from prayer, who has once begun to pray, even though his life is ever so bad. For prayer is the only way to amend one’s life and without prayer it will never be mended. Let him not be tempted of the devil, as I was, to give up prayer on account of one’s unworthiness. Let such a one rather believe that if he will only repent and pray, our Lord will still hear and answer.–St. Teresa of AvilaAdmit sin, and you banish prayer. But, on the other hand, entertain, and encourage, and practice prayer, and sin will sooner or later flee before it–Alexander WhyteFor two hours I struggled on, forsaken of God, and met neither God nor man, all one chilly afternoon. When at last, standing still and looking at Schiehallion [a mountain in Central Scotland] clothed in white from top to bottom, these words of David shot up into my heart: “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Ps. 51:7). In a moment I was with God, or rather God was with me. I walked home with my heart in flame of fire.–Alexander WhyteIf I know of some reason my conscience condemns me, I should deal with it adn do all in my power to put it right with God and other people. Until I do, I will endeavor in vain to pray the prayer of faith.-J. Oswald SandersOur God longs exeedingly to prove Himself the Faithful God and Mighty Helper of His people. He only waits for hearts that are completely turned from the world to Himself and are open to receive his gifts. The man who loses all will find all; he will dare to ask and then take it.-Andrew MurrayIf you abide in Me, and my Words abide in you, you shall ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.–John 15:7And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.–Matthew 6:5

Keys to Effective PrayerKnow this fundamental truth as you begin [praying]. When Jesus prays for God’s Kingdom to come, remember that He said, ‘the kingdom of God is within you.–Madame GuyonMeditating on God’s Word in prayer is desirable, but known by very few.–Madame GuyonPrayer is a thing of the heart, not of the schools. It is more about feeling than about words.–E.M. BoundsSincerity is one of the principle ingredients in prayer that influences God to hear and consider it.-John BunyanThere is only one requirement that you must follow at all times [in prayer]. This simple requirement is you must learn to pray from your heart and not your head.–Madame GuyonRemember, your prayers must always sincerely pour out your heart or soul to God. The Lord has rejected many prayers for their lack of sincerity.-John BunyanGod can do without the bended knee, but not without the broken heart.–Horatius BonarHelplessness is the decisive factor, not only in our prayer life, but in our whole relationship with God.–O. HallesbyYour helplessness is the most powerful plea which rises up to the tender father-heart of God. . . . Helplessness is the real secret and the impelling power of prayer.–O. HallesbyThey shall come with weeping and with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they shall not stumble.–Jeremiah 31:9Remember, your prayers must always sincerely pour out your heart or soul to God. The Lord has rejected many prayers for their lack of sincerity.-John BunyanWe do not find it difficult to make our requests known unto God when we are fully aware of His presence.—Tony Marshall Anderson I went accordingly to my room, and locked my door, and putting the Bible on a chair, I went down on my knees at the chair. There I remained for several hours in prayer and meditation over the Word of God; and I can tell you that I learned more in those three hours, which I spent in this way, than I had learned for many months previously. I thus obtained the teaching of the Divine Spirit, and I cannot tell you the blessedness that it was to my own soul. I was praying in the Spirit, and putting my trust in the power of the Spirit, as I had never done before.—George MüllerEven if Scripture did not exhort us to give thanks always and for all things, common courtesy would accord a prominent place to thanksgiving in our prayer lives, for we are constantly at the receiving end of God’s generosity.–J. Oswald SandersWhen I typed the prayers of the Bible into the computer, I discovered that the really effective prayer warriors gave God a reason He should answer their prayers.–T.W. HuntBelieving prayer from a wholly-cleansed heart never fails.–The Kneeling ChristianWe must not conceive of prayer as overcoming God’s reluctance, but as laying hold of His highest willingness.–Archbishop Trench Asking in prayer is at once the test of three things—simplicity, stupidity, and certainty of God.–Oswald ChambersEvery unanswered prayer is a clarion call to search the heart to see what is wrong there, for the promise is unmistakable in its clearness: ‘If ye shall ask anything in My name, that will I do’ (John 14:14).–The Kneeling ChristianPrayer is measured, not by time, but by intensity.—The Kneeling ChristianWhen you pray to God with a sensible thanksgiving for the mercies you have received from His hand, your prayer is a mighty prayer in the sight of God. Such a prayer prevails with Him unspeakably.–John BunyanExcept a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24). Oh, how these words pierced my soul! I said, "Lord Jesus, I don't know how to die." In desperation, I cried, "Teach me to die!-R. Mabel FrancisBlessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.- Matthew 5:3Draw near to God and He will draw near to you ... Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.- James 4:8a-10Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will b exalted.-Luke 18:10-14

The Word of God and PrayerI went accordingly to my room, and locked my door, and putting the Bible on a chair, I went down on my knees at the chair. There I remained for several hours in prayer and meditation over the Word of God; and I can tell you that I learned more in those three hours, which I spent in this way, than I had learned for many months previously. I thus obtained the teaching of the Divine Spirit, and I cannot tell you the blessedness which it was to my own soul. I was praying in the Spirit, and putting my trust in the power of the Spirit, as I had never done before.-George Müller The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord's blessing upon His precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the Word of God, searching as it were into every verse to get blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word, not for the sake of preaching on what I had meditated upon, but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul. The result I have found to be almost invariably this, that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication: so that, though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer, but rather to meditation, yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer.-George Müller Every promise of Scripture is a writing of God, which may be pleaded before Him with this reasonable request: "Do as Thou hast said." The Creator will not cheat His creature who depends upon His truth; and, far more, the Heavenly Father will not break His word to His own child. "Remember the word unto Thy servant, on which Thou hast caused me to hope," is most prevalent pleading. It is a double argument: It is Thy Word, wilt Thou not keep it? Why hast Thou spoken of it if Thou wilt not make it good? Thou hast caused me to hope in it; wilt Thou disappoint the hope which Thou hast Thyself begotten in me?-C.H. Spurgeon

Holy Spirit Helps!The cross and the Spirit are inseparable. The soul that understands that death to self is the gate to true life is ready to learn what and who the Holy Spirit is.-Andrew MurrayMany Christians equate talking about the Holy Spirit with the present-day Charismatic movement, and thus shy away. But in so doing they cut themselves off from communing with the living God, for it is only through the Holy Spirit that we encounter and experience God, in real time. The Holy Spirit is quite literally the divine umbilical cord that connects us to God. It is through Him that God's divine love, joy, peace, presence and power are downloaded to us. To clamp Him off is to spiritually starve and die; left to walk in the flesh. Don't go off-line with God.-Mark Calhoun Jesus says the Father will give the Holy Spirit to His children if we ask Him for the Holy Spirit. I have heard Christians say, 'I don't need to ask for the Holy Spirit.' I must tell you that is not scriptural. Jesus was speaking to His disciples and said, 'Your Father will give you the Holy Spirit if you ask for it.' (Luke 11:13). Elsewhere Jesus said He would go to the Father and ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples (John 14:16). My feeling is that if Jesus had to ask the Father, it will not do us any harm to ask as well.-Derek PrinceGod works all in all, and man receives all from God to work it out in trust and obedience. Where this relationship is not properly understood, man will use his own effort to take the place that God wants to fill. He thinks that if he can secure God's help in his efforts, he has found the path to holiness and growth. He does not understand that the Spirit must have absolute control, and he must exercise direct and unceasing dependence upon Him.-Andrew MurrayJohn answered, saying to all, 'I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.-Luke 3:16... And while He prayed the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him ...-Luke 3:21b-22aThen Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.-Luke 4:1Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee ...-Luke 4:14aAnd He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed me to ...-Luke 4:17-18aGod anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good ... for God was with Him.-Acts 10:38If you love Me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever --- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.-John 14:15-17Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.-John 16:7When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.-John 16:12-13So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'-John 20:21-22Behold I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.-Luke 24:49And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, 'which, He said, 'you have heard from Me; 'for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'-Acts 1:4-5But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.-Acts 1:8Then they returned to Jerusalem ... and when then had entered they went up into the upper room there they were staying ... These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.-Acts 1:12,13,14And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting ... and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit ..."-Acts 2:2,4Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.-Acts 2:38For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.-Acts 2:39For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.-Romans 14:17Because God from the beginning chose you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.-2 Thessalonians 2:13bAnd do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.-Ephesians 4:30And do not be drunk with wine in which is dissipation: but be filled with the Spirit.-Ephesians 5:18But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.-1 Corinthians 2:10God desires to advance His work among men by frequent outpourings of the Spirit upon His people as they need them and are prepared to receive them.-A. W. TozerGod will give [the Holy Spirit] to us if we just thirst for Him, and say, God helping me, I will not rest until endured with power from on high.-D. L. MoodyIn Him you also trusted, after you heard the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.-Ephesians 1:13-14And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!-Galatians 4:6For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.'-Romans 8:15The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.-2 Corinthians 13:14For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.-Ephesians 2:18And I will pray (ask) the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever --- the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.-John 14:16-17We need to be filled again and again with the Holy Spirit. I am sometimes asked, 'Have you received the second blessing?' Yes, and the third and the fourth and the fifth and hundreds beside, and I am looking for a new blessing today.-R.A. TorreyThe fullness of the Spirit is given to those who ask in faith (Luke 11:13; Acts 15:8-9). It is received by faith just as the new birth is received by faith. It was not just for the apostles or for the early church; rather, 'the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off -- for all whom the Lord our God will call (Acts 2:39).-Wesley DuewelGod will manifest Himself to all who are longing to be temples of the Holy Spirit, filled with His power, and ready for the service of the living God.-Andrew Murray For the purpose of emptying us, the Holy Spirit allows us to meet with difficulties that we cannot overcome by self. This teaches us to rely on Him. You see, God must hollow us out before He can fill us.-Watchman NeeA distinguished theological professor has said that the question ought to be put to every candidate for the ministry, 'Have you met God?' Yes, but we ought to go farther than this and be even more definite. To every candidate for the ministry we should put the question, 'Have you been baptized with the Holy Spirit?' And if not, we should say to him as Jesus said to the first preachers of the gospel, 'Sit down until you are endued with power from on high.'-D.L. MoodyYou do not need to be able to explain the theology of the Spirit-filled life. All you need is to hunger.-Wesley DuewelMany of us have grown up on the theology that accepts the Holy Spirit as a Person, and even as a divine Person, but for some reason it never did us any good. We are as empty as ever, we are as joyless as ever, we are as far from peace as ever, we are as weak as ever.-A.W. TozerThe Holy Spirit came to carry the evidence of Christianity from the books of apologetics into the human heart, and that is exactly what He does.-A.W. TozerWe must have the Spirit of God resting upon us, and then we will have something that gives the victory over the world, the flesh and the devil; something that gives the victory over our tempers, over our conceits and over every other evil. And when we can trample these sins under our feet, then people will come to us and say, 'How did you get it? I need this power; you have something that I haven't got; I want it.'D.L. MoodyWe need to be filled again and again with the Holy Spirit. I am sometimes asked, 'Have you received the second blessing?' Yes, and the third and the fourth and the fifth and hundreds beside, and I am looking for a new blessing today.-R.A. TorreyThe greatest, strongest, mightiest plea for the Church of God in the world is the existence of the Spirit of God in its midst, and the works of the Spirit of God are the true evidences of Christianity. They say miracles are withdrawn, but the Holy Spirit is the standing miracle of the Church of God today.-C.H. Spurgeon The period of realization came upon them when the Father fulfilled His promise and sent the Spirit. Peter used a phrase to describe it which is one of the fullest, finest phrases I now. He said, 'He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.' (Acts 2:33) The shedding forth was like a mighty down-coming of water. The expectations were more than met --- not fully met, but more than met. God always gives us an overplus. They got more than they expected.-A.W. TozerThe Holy Spirit does not flow through methods but through men. He does not come on machinery but on men. He does not anoint plans but men. It is not great talent nor great learning that God needs but men great in holiness, great in faith, great in love, great in fidelity, great for God. These men can mold a generation for God.–Ernest ReisingerIn brief, the teaching of the New Testament is that the outpouring at Pentecost was the historic beginning of an era which was to be characterized by a continuous outpouring of the Holy Spirit.-A.W. TozerGod desires to advance His work among men by frequent outpourings of the Spirit upon His people as they need them and are prepared to receive them.-A.W. TozerSome people have the idea that this is the only dispensation of the Holy Ghost; that He didn't work until Christ was glorified. But Simeon felt the Holy Ghost when he went into the temple. In 2 Peter 1:21 we read: "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." We find the same Spirit Genesis as is seen in Revelation. The same Spirit that guided the hand that wrote Exodus inspired also the epistles, and we find the same Spirit speaking from one end of the Bible to the other.-D. L. MoodyThe Holy Spirit in His gracious work in the soul declares His own presence. Through His agency we are born again, and through His indwelling we possess superhuman power.-D. L. MoodyA distinguished theological professor has said that the question ought to be put to every candidate for the ministry, 'Have you met God?' Yes, but we ought to go farther than this and be even more definite. To every candidate for the ministry we should put the question, 'Have you been baptized with the Holy Spirit?' And if not, we should say to him as Jesus said to the first preachers of the gospel, 'Sit down until you are endued with power from on high.-D. L. MoodyFor the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.-Romans 14:17Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a gaurantee.-2 Cor. 1:21-22If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give me to drink', you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.-John 4:10If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, 'out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive.-John 7:37b-39aIf you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!-Luke 11:13And when they had prayed the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.-Acts 4:31And do not be drunk with wine in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.-Ephesians 5:18"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit ..."-Acts 4:8Therefore brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.-Acts 6:3And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.-Acts 6:5And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people ... and they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.-Acts 6:8,10And we are His witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.-Acts 5:32'Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake the chariot.-Acts 8:29So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'-John 20:21-22Behold I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry ... until you are endued with power from on high.-Luke 24:49And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, 'which, He said, 'you have heard from Me; 'for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'-Acts 1:4-5But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.-Acts 1:8There are those who wonder whether the present day movement of the Spirit may not be placing too great an emphasis on this Third Person of the Trinity. We need not be troubled about that. For the Helper always sees to it that He acts as a spotlight, ever focused on Jesus, so that we are not aware of the spotlight itself, only of that One who stands bathed in the brilliant illumination.-Catherine MarshallThus an authentic hallmark of the believer baptized in the Spirit is that Jesus as a living Person becomes more real to him than ever before. That is the Spirit's glorious gift to you and me.-Cathrine MarshallThe Bible ... encourages us to expect "showers of blessing" and "floods upon the dry ground." It was impossible for the outpouring which came at Pentecost to affect persons who were not present [then] or congregations not yet in existence.-A.W. TozerRecall that John the Baptist introduced Jesus as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. It was his distinctive introduction to Israel. Second, the Holy Spirit was the source of power for the whole ministry and teaching of Jesus; Jesus depended totally on the Holy Spirit. Third, Jesus promised His disciples that when He Himself went back to heaven, He would send the Holy Spirit in His place as His personal representative to be their paraclete --- counselor, comforter, or helper --- "the one called in alongside to help them.-Derick Prince

The Gift of FaithThe gift of faith is not the saving faith every Christian has, but rather the special gift of mountain-moving faith … both the irresistible knowledge of God’s intervention at a certain point and the authority to effect this intervention through the power of the Holy Spirit.–Siegfried Grossmann, German Theologian The gift of faith is a Spirit-given ability to see something God wants done and to sustain unwavering confidence that God will do it regardless of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.–Leslie B. Flynn, Nineteen Gifts of the Holy Spirit I’ve experienced this “faith-beyond-faith” in my relationships. When I am most worried or concerned about a member of my family or a friend, I’ve learned to take that person to God in prayer. “Lord, give me a vision of what You are ready to do in this person’s life.” Often He gives me a picture of growth, change, or development, which seems humanly impossible. But then I feel the stirring of His Spirit within me, equipping me to believe it shall be so. And then I am given freedom to thank him that in his own way and timing it shall be so. The key is in asking God for the vision of what he desires to do. Then we can have a bold faith in asking for what we know he wants.-Lloyd J. Ogilvie

Prayer of FaithThe prayer of faith is the only power in the universe to which the Great Jehovah yields. Prayer is the sovereign remedy.—Robert HallFaith is not an abstract belief in the Word of God, nor a mere mental credence, nor a simple assent of the understanding and will; nor is it a passive acceptance of facts, however sacred or thorough. Faith is an operation of God, a Divine illumination, a holy energy implanted by the Word of God and the Spirit in the human soul–E.M. BoundsGod’s great storehouse is full of blessings. Only prayer can unlock that storehouse. Prayer is the key, and faith turns the key and opens the door and claims the blessing.–The Kneeling ChristianJesus Christ opens wide the doors of the treasure-house of God’s promises, and bids us go in and take with boldness the riches that are ours.–Corrie Ten BoomWhatever you will ask the Father in my name He will give you.–John 16:23No prayer!—No faith!—No Christ in the heart. Little prayer!—Little faith!—Little Christ in the heart. Increasing prayer!—Increasing faith!—Increasing Christ in the heart!. Much prayer!—Much faith!—Much Christ in the heart! Praying always!—Faith always!—Christ always!–Alexander WhyteDoubt and fear are the twin foes of faith–E.M. BoundsThe Father waits to hear every prayer of faith. He wants to give us whatever we ask for in Jesus’ name. God intends prayer to have an answer, and no one has yet full conceived what God will do for the child who believes that his prayer will be heard.–Andrew MurrayThere were children in our neighborhood for whom I provided all clothing, food and the necessities of life. They asked freely of me and their requests were usually granted. They were my children! …God has a particular responsibility to His children.–Billy GrahamSo Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive them.– Matthew 21:21-22Above all, let us hold on tightly to this blessed reality: The secret of prayer in spirit and truth is in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God, the revelation of His infinite Fatherliness in our hearts, and the faith in His infinite love of us as His children.–Andrew MurrayGod is more willing to bless than we to ask. If He gave His Son, shall He not freely give us all things?–James BeldenBut without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.–Hebrews 11:6Prayer is the prophecy of the blessing that is about to come.–C H. SpurgeonNow this is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.–1 John 5:14-15Jesus never mentioned unanswered prayer, He had the boundless certainty that prayer is always answered.–Oswald ChambersBelieving prayer from a wholly-cleansed heart never fails.–The Kneeling ChristianPromises are the golden fruit to be plucked by the hand of prayer.–E.M. BoundsThe faith which creates powerful praying is the faith which centers itself on a powerful Person. Faith in Christ's ability to do, and to do greatly, is the faith which prays greatly.–E.M. BoundsTherefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.–Mark 11:24Worry says, ‘the outcome depends on me.’ It is self-worship. Prayer says, ‘the outcome depends on God.’ It is God-worship.–Bill PattersonTo trust elsewhere (other than in God) is vanity; and the more implicit such misplaced trust becomes the more bitter will be the ensuing disappointment; but to trust in the living God is sanctified common sense which needs no excuse, its result shall be its best vindication-C.H. SpurgeonFaith is called upon, and that right often to wait in patience before God, and is prepared for God's seeming delays in answering prayer. Faith does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honored; it takes God at His Word, and lets Him take what time He chooses in fulfilling His purposes, and in carrying on His work. There is bound to be much delay and long days of waiting for true faith, but faith accepts the conditions—knows there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards such delays as times of testing, in the which, it is privileged to show its mettle, and the stern stuff of which it is made.–E.M. BoundsDelay is often the test and the strength of faith. How much patience is required when these times of testing come! Yet faith gathers strength by waiting and praying.–E.M. BoundsDoubt and fear are the twin foes of faith-E.M. BoundsFaith is increased by exercise, by being put into use. It is nourished by sore trials.–E.M. Bounds

Praying in the Holy SpiritBecause you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father!–Galatians 4:6So set is our flesh against praying at all that the Helper’s first task is to create in us even the basic desire to pray. He is the One who also spotlights for us the prayer-need or topic for prayer by creating a “concern” within us.–Catherine Marshall For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”-Romans 8:15Real prayer is indited by the Holy Spirit, yet it is also the cry of a human heart.–Arthur. W. PinkBut you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.–Jude 20The spiritual quality of prayer is determined not by its intensity but by its origin. In evaluating prayer we should inquire who is doing the praying—our determined hearts or the Holy Spirit? If the pray originates with the Holy Spirit, then the wrestling can be beautiful and wonderful; but if we are the victims of our own overheated desires, our praying can be as carnal as any other act.–A.W. TozerAnd I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes they will mourn of Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.–Zechariah 12:10It is the prayer that God the Holy Spirit inspires that God the Father answers.—R.A. TorreyPraying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit …—Ephesians 6:18 Then remember that true prayer and fellowship with God cannot be all from one side. We need to be still, to wait and hear what response God gives. This is the office of the Holy Spirit, to be the voice of God to us. In the hidden depths of the heart, He can give a secret but most certain assurance that we are heard, that we are well pleasing, that the Father engages to do for us what we have asked. What we need, to hear the Voice, to receive this assurance, is the quiet stillness that waits on God, the quiet faith that trusts in God, the quiet heart that bows in nothingness and humility before God, and allows Him to be all in all.–Andrew MurrayIn the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express–Romans 8:26The Spirit who searches the deep things of God, doth offer, prompt, and suggest to us in our prayers those very things that are in God’s heart to grant the things we desire of Him, so as to speak God’s very heart to Himself.–Thomas GodwinNow He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.–Romans 8:27Christ is making intercession on our behalf without us and independently of us. But the Holy Spirit is making intercession through us, pleading in our prayers with groanings that cannot be uttered. He never acts without us. He inspires us to pray, but the act of prayer is our own. He works in us to will and to do His good pleasure. But He does not will and do for us!–Christmas EvansFor through Him both have access by one Spirit to the Father.–Ephesians 2:18It is when God is waited on to take His part in our prayer that the confidence will come to us that we receive what we ask, that our surrender of ourselves in the sacrifice of obedience is accepted, and that therefore we can count upon the Holy Spirit to guide us into all the will of God, as He means us to know and do it.–Andrew Murray I wish Christian people oftener inquired of the Holy Ghost as to guidance in their daily life. Know ye not that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? You need not always be running to this friend and to that to get direction: wait upon the Lord in silence; sit still in quiet before the oracle of God. Use the judgment God has given you; but when that suffices not, resort to him whom Mr. Bunyan calls “the Lord High Secretary,” who lives within, who is infinitely wise, and who can guide you by making you to ‘hear a voice behind you saying, This is the way, walk ye in it.–C.H. SpurgeonIt is the Helper’s task to show us the blockages in the way of a given prayer-petition—any self-seeking, our desire to control, any resentments and unconfessed sin, etc. He is also the One who gives us His own prayer faith; also His fervor to replace our tepid love and caring … As we recognize our ignorance about praying aright and our helplessness, and actively seek the Spirit’s help, our prayer life becomes the anteroom to amazing adventures.— Catherine MarshallI went accordingly to my room, and locked my door, and putting the Bible on a chair, I went down on my knees at the chair. There I remained for several hours in prayer and meditation over the Word of God; and I can tell you that I learned more in those three hours, which I spent in this way, than I had learned for many months previously. I thus obtained the teaching of the Divine Spirit, and I cannot tell you the blessedness that it was to my own soul. I was praying in the Spirit, and putting my trust in the power of the Spirit, as I had never done before.—George MüllerPrayer is the God-given fuse by which we ignite the Holy Spirit’s presence in the lives of others.–Mark Calhoun

Praying According to the Will of GodThe same God who has decreed the end has also decreed that His end shall be reached through His appointed means, and one of these is prayer.-A.W. PinkWhen God deigns to bless His people He sets them a-praying for the blessing which He desires to give them.—Matthew Henry The God who has determined to grant a blessing, also gives a spirit of supplication which first seeks the blessing.-A.W. Pink

Persisting in PrayerGive Him no rest until He hear thee; like the importunate widow, be thou always at the heels of the great One; give not up because the past has proved apparently fruitless; remember Jericho stood firm for six days, but yet when they gave an exceeding great shout, it fell flat to the ground.–C.H. SpurgeonThen He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.–Luke 18:1And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, ‘Go up now, and look toward the sea.’ So he went up and looked, and said, ‘There is nothing.’ And seven times he said, ‘Go again.’ Then it came to pass …–1 Kings 18:42-44Yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary Me … And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though he bears long with them?–Luke 18:5, 7I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.–Luke 11:8So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.–Luke 11:10

Intercessory PrayerTherefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.–Hebrews 7:25The highest form of prayer is intercession.– Andrew MurrayIt is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession of us.–Romans 8:34Because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.–Isaiah 53:12Entertain and practice intercessory prayer, and you will, by degrees, and in process of time, sanctify yourself to an inwardness and to a spirituality, and to a complexity, and to a simplicity that hitherto you have had no experience of, no conception of, and indeed no ambition after.–Alexander WhyteBrethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.–Romans 10:1There is nothing that makes us love a man so much as praying for him.–William Law… But the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.–Romans 8:26-27As long as prayer is only a means of personal improvement and happiness, we cannot know its full power.–Andrew MurrayTherefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority.–1st Timothy 2:1-2Intercession paints the targets so God can zero in on areas of need with His glory! He sets His gun sights on these targets and strikes the mark with His lighting or displays of His brilliant presence.–Jim GollEpaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may be able to stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you …–Colossians 4:12-13And pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.-James 5:16bPerhaps believers in general have regarded intercession as just some form of rather intensified prayer. It is, so long as there is great emphasis on the word “intensified:” for there are three things to be seen in an intercessor which are not necessarily found in ordinary prayer: identification, agony and authority.–Norman GrubbHe saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor.–Isaiah 59:16In prayer, as in all things, our Lord set the example. He prayed for others.–Bill Patterson’So I sought for a man among them who would make up the wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads.’ Says the Lord God.–Ezekiel 22:30-31

Satanic Opposition to PrayerSatan has the wisdom of an archangel and the experience of half an eternity as the captain of all the hosts of hell. He is an expert in the acts and arts of deception and trickery. He has almost inexhaustible resources at his command to serve his purposes. Other than God Himself, a wiser and more powerful spirit than Satan does not live. A more malicious power than he could not exist. There is no greater worker than he. His endless energy and tireless perseverance are the only things in him worthy of imitation. These are the things that make him so powerful and so dreadful.—E.M. BoundsKnow that the ancient Enemy doth strive by all means to hinder thy desire to be good and to keep thee clear of all religious exercises,. Many evil thoughts does he suggest to thee, that so he may cause a weariness and horror in thee, and to call thee back from prayer and holy reading.—Thomas `a KempisHe who is ignorant of the wiles and artifices of the Enemy, only beats the air, and the Devil is not afraid of him.-Pastor BlumhartThe careless and half-hearted Christian knows nothing about the Devil or his devices. But those who serve God are the ones who demand Satan’s attention, provoke his anger, and call forth his strategies.-E.M. BoundsIf a church has a holy preacher, a man of great prayerfulness, of great grace, filled with the Spirit, Satan will use any method to retire him and put in a man who does not pray, but who is eloquent and popular.-E.M. BoundsBy concerning myself with a person who was possessed I became involved in such a fearful conflict with the powers of darkness that it is not possible for me to describe.—Pastor BlumhartSatan works by imitation. It is his policy to make something as close to the original as possible and, thereby, to break the force and value of the genuine. This is one of his favorite methods.-E.M. BoundsThose by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.—Luke 8:12The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil. He mocks at our wisdom. But he trembles when we pray.–Samuel ChadwickSatan has suffered so much from good praying that all his wily, shrewd, and ensnaring devices will be used to cripple its performance.–E.M. BoundsPrayer is warfare. Sometimes the battle is open conflict. Other times it’s cold war. But we must never lose a sense of the enemy. If Satan is not real to you, that’s a red flag that your prayer life is not what it should be.–Terry MuckThe devil enjoys hearing a prayer that is addressed to an audience.-UnknownIn whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.—2 Corinthians 4:4Oh, if our faith could ride out against the high and proud waves and winds when our sea seemeth all on fire! Oh, how oft do I let my grips go. I am put to swimming and half sinking. I find the Devil hath the advantage in this battle, for he fighteth in known ground for our corruption. However matters go, it is our happiness to win new grounds daily on Christ’s love and to add conquest to conquest until our Lord Jesus and we are so near each other that Satan cannot draw a straw or a thread between us.—Samuel RutherfordHe tempts us to lash out with evil tempers, to speak hasty words, and to be impatient. He tempts us to use carnal reasoning, which is his powerful ally in our minds. We must turn back to Christ. We need more of His Spirit-renewed commitment and thorough self-dedication. By sending prayers upward with uplifted eyes and hearts, we will be able to resist and conquer the great adversary of our souls.—E.M. BoundsSatan’s main target is the Church. But the gates of hell (Matthew 16:15-18) shall not prevail against it— UnknownNeither give place to the devil— Ephesians 4:27The devil’s easiest target is a sleepy Christian.—E. M. BoundsResist the devil and he will flee from you.— James 4:7Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaming lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.—1 Peter 5:8-9 The devil so often assures us that our prayers cannot claim an answer because of the "dryness" of our souls. Answers to prayer, however, do not depend upon our feelings, but upon the trustworthiness of the Promiser.–The Kneeling ChristianLoyalty to God is ruin to Satan.—E.M. BoundsBe strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.—Ephesians 6:10To whom you forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.—2 Corinthians 2:10-11I have written unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.—1 John 2: 14And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.-Ephesians 6: 9,10The soldiers in warfare against the devil must understand how to wear the armor of “all prayer.” The demand is for “all prayer” at all seasons, in the most intense form, with a deep sense of personal need for God. Prayer must deepen and intensify into supplication. The Holy Spirit will help us into this kind of mighty praying and clothe us with this irresistible power of prayer.—E.M. BoundsPrayer brings God into the situation with commanding force. “Ask me of things to come concerning My sons,” says God, “and concerning the work of my hands command ye Me” (Isaiah 45:11).—E.M. BoundsYet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’—Jude 9If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.—Matthew 12:34Of how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.—Matthew 12:29And He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.—Mark 3:14-15Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask , it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.—Matthew 18:18-20Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’ And He said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven. Behold I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.—Luke 10:17-20… Your Kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.—Luke 11: 2 … and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one—Luke 11: 4

Prayer & DiscouragementIt is characteristic of the God-intoxicated, the dreamers and mystics of the Kingdom, that their flight-range is greater than that of other men. Their ability to sweep upward to unbelievable heights of spiritual transport is equaled only by their sad power to descend, to sit in dazed dejection by the River Chebar or to startle the night watches with their lonely grief. A long list of names could be appended here to support this statement; and it would be a noble and saintly list indeed, for Moses’ name would be there, and Thomas Upham’s and Brother Lawrence’s, and St. Francis’, and Madam Guyon’s and a host of others. It might well read like a little Who’s Who in the Kingdom of God, if the whole truth were told of the gloom of the great, which overtakes them sometimes on their journey to the City of God.–A.W. Tozer

The Minister & PrayerBut we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word.–Acts 6:4There are three things that go to the making of a successful preacher: supplication, meditation, and tribulation.–Martin LutherI would rather train twenty men to pray, than a thousand to preach. A minister's highest mission ought to be to teach his people to pray.–MacGregor The most laboriously and carefully-prepared sermon is likely to fall unctionless upon the hearers unless it has been born out of travail of soul before God. Unless the sermon be the product of earnest prayer we must not expect it to awaken the spirit of prayer in those who hear it.–Arthur W. PinkPreaching is a rare gift; prayer is a rarer one. Preaching, like a sword, is a weapon to use at close quarters; those far off cannot be reached by it. Prayer, like a breechloader, has longer range, and under some circumstances is even more effective.— WenhamStudy universal holiness of life. Your whole usefulness depends on this, for your sermons last but an hour or two; your life preaches all the week. If Satan can only make a covetous minister a lover of praise, of pleasure, of good eating, he has ruined your ministry. Give yourself to prayer, and get your texts, your thoughts, your words from God. Luther spent his best three hours in prayer.—Robert Murray McCheyneMisemployment of time is injurious to the mind. In illness I have looked back with self-reproach on days spent in my study; I was wading through history and poetry and monthly journals, but I was in my study! Another man’s trifling is notorious to all observers, but what am I doing? Nothing, perhaps, that has reference to the spiritual good of my congregation. Be much in retirement and prayer. Study the honor and glory of your Master.—Richard CecilThe work of the ministry is to change unbelieving sinners into praying and believing saints. It was claimed for Augustus Caesar that he found Rome a city of wood, and left it a city of marble. The pastor who succeeds in changing his people from a prayerless to a prayerful people, has done a greater work than did Augustus in changing a city from wood to marble. And after all, this is the prime work of the preacher. Primarily, he is dealing with prayerless people -- with people of whom it is said, "God is not in all their thoughts." Such people he meets everywhere, and all the time. His main business is to turn them from being forgetful of God, from being devoid of faith, from being prayerless, so that they become people who habitually pray, who believe in God, remember Him and do His will. The preacher is not sent to merely induce men to join the Church, nor merely to get them to do better. It is to get them to pray, to trust God, and to keep God ever before their eyes, that they may not sin against Him.–E.M. BoundsPrayer is necessary to bring the preacher into a suitable frame to handle Divine things and to endue him with Divine power. …Prayer is the appointed means for receiving spiritual communications for the instruction of our people. We must be much with God before we can be fitted to go forth and speak in His name.–Arthur W. PinkHe does the most for God who is the highest skilled in prayer.–E.M. Bounds Oh, that the prayers of God’s people would always go up for God’s ministers, that they may speak with a divine power and influence which none shall be able to gainsay! We look too much for clever men; we seek out fluent and flowery speakers; we sigh for men cultured and trained in all the knowledge of the heathen; nay, but if we sought more for unction, for divine authority, and for that power which doth hedge about the man of God, how much wiser should we be! Oh, that all of us who profess to preach the gospel would learn to speak in entire dependence upon the direction of the Holy Spirit, not daring to utter our own words, but even trembling lest we should do so, and committing ourselves to that secret influence without which nothing will be powerful upon the conscience or converting to the heart. Know ye not the difference between the power that cometh of human oratory, and that which cometh by the divine energy which speaks so to the heart that men cannot resist it? We have forgotten this too much. It were better to speak six words in the power of the Holy Ghost than to preach seventy years of sermons without the Spirit.–C.H. SpurgeonExpository preaching -- the prayerful expounding of the Word of God is preaching that is preaching -- pulpit effort par excellence. For its successful accomplishment, however, a preacher needs must be a man of prayer. For every hour spent in his study-chair, he will have to spend two upon his knees. For every hour he devotes to wrestling with an obscure passage of Holy Writ, he must have two in the which to be found wrestling with God. Prayer and preaching: preaching and prayer! They cannot be separated. The ancient cry was: "To your tents, O Israel! " The modern cry should be: "To your knees, O preachers, to your knees!—E.M. Bounds