Quotes for the Journey: Prayer A prayer in its simplest definition is merely a wish turned Godward. Phillips Brooks

Every time you pray, if your prayer is sincere, there will be new feeling and new meaning in it which will give you fresh courage, and you will understand that prayer is an education.        -Fyodor Dostoyevsky     The purpose of daily prayer is the cultivation of a sense of the sacred.  Sacred energy renews us.  Lives with no more sense of spiritual meaning than that provided by shopping malls, ordinary television, and stagnant workplaces are barren lives indeed.  Spirituality enriches culture.  Prayer enables us to transform the world, because it transforms us.       -Marianne  Williamson     There are times in a person's life when, regardless of the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees in prayer.       -Victor Hugo     Have enough faith in the love of God to believe that a short heartfelt prayer is just as good as a long one.  Too long a session of prayer usually means that in your heart you really doubt the love of God, and think that a great deal of effort and toil will be necessary to move Him.  Pray quietly and sincerely for a reasonable time—and then leave the matter, expecting success.       -Emmet Fox     Most Christians expect little from God, ask little, and therefore receive little and are content with little.       -A.W. Pink      Lift up your hearts to Him, sometimes even at your meals, and when you are in company; the least little remembrance will always be acceptable to Him.  You need not cry very loud; He is nearer to us than we are aware.        -Brother Lawrence

This morning I stood on the river bank to pray.  I knew then that the ancient ones were wise to pray for peace and beauty and not for specific gifts except fertility which is continued life.  And I saw that if one has even a small degree of the ability to take into and unto him or herself the peace and beauty that God surrounds them with, it is not necessary to ask for more.       -Edith Warner

Through prayer we can carry in our heart all human pain and sorrow, all conflicts and agonies, all torture and war, all hunger, loneliness and misery, not because of some great psychological or emotional capacity, but because God's heart has become one with ours.       -Henri Nouwen

Where are we taught that prayer is something we can go to at any time, in any place?  Are we ever taught that in order to get results, we must pray with faith and persistence?  I will be among the first to admit that for many years my prayers were results-oriented.  There was something I wanted, and I thought prayer could get it for me when I could not get it for myself.  It took me quite some time to realize that prayer is actually an affirmation of what already exists.  Prayer is a demonstration of our willingness to receive what exists as an outgrowth of our faith in the truth that is good for us.  Prayer is an acknowledgement of our trust in the Divine to provide everything we need, when we need it.       -Iyanla Vanzant

Prayer is neither black magic nor is it a form of a demand note.  Prayer is a relationship.  The act of praying is more analogous to clearing away the underbrush which shuts out a view than it is to begging on the street.  There are many different kinds of prayer.  Yet all prayer has one basic purpose.  We pray not to get something, but to open up a two-way street between us and God, so that we and others may inwardly become something.       -John Heuss

Prayer is not the moment when God and humans are in relationship, for that is always.  Prayer is taking initiative to intentionally respond to God's presence.       -L. Robert Keck

Prayer is not an old woman's idle amusement.  Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action.       -Mohandas Gandhi

Prayer, the basic exercise of the spirit, must be actively practiced in our private lives.  The neglected soul of the human being must be made strong enough to assert itself once more.  For if the power of prayer is again released and used in the lives of common men and women; if the spirit declares its aims clearly and boldly, there is yet hope that our prayers for a better world will be answered.        -Alexis Carrel

If you are considering using prayer to help you find your way, I have some good news:  a guarantee that your prayers will be answered.  How can I guarantee something like that?  It’s easy.  When you pray, you are changed.  The moment you begin praying, you step into the mystery and become part of it, and you are, inevitably, changed.  So your prayers are answered because you are a different person after you pray.      When you embrace the mystery and open yourself to it, a new life is created, resistant to the old problems.  You will notice at times that the new life isn’t what you asked for.  But asking for specific items or for particular events to occur isn’t how I define prayer.  I cannot guarantee that the orders you place with God will always be filled.  Prayer is not a test of God, but a call for help to find your inner strength and talent.        -Bernie Siegel

Pray for my soul.  More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of.  Wherefore, let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day.   For what are people better than sheep or goats That nourish a blind life within the brain, If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friends? For so the whole round earth is every way Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. Alfred, Lord Tennyson

There is no hope but in prayer.       -Andrew Bonar

Prayer does not change God, but changes those who pray.        -Søren Kierkegaard

Personal prayer, it seems to me, is one of the simplest necessities of life, as basic to the individual as sunshine, food and water-- and at times, of course, more so.  By prayer I mean an effort to get in touch with the Infinite.  We know that our prayers are imperfect.  Of course they are.  We are imperfect human beings.  A thousand experiences have convinced me beyond room of doubt that prayer multiplies the strength of the individual and brings within the scope of his capabilities almost any conceivable objective.       -Dwight D. Eisenhower

They tell about a fifteen-year-old boy in an orphans' home who had an incurable stutter.  One Sunday the minister was detained and the boy volunteered to say the prayer in his stead.  He did it perfectly, too, without a single stutter.  Later he explained, "I don't stutter when I talk to God. He loves me."     -Bennett Cerf

The privilege of prayer to me is one of the most cherished possessions, because faith and experience alike convince me that God himself sees and answers, and His answers I never venture to criticize.  It is only my part to ask.  If it were otherwise, I would not dare to pray at all.         -Wilfred T. Grenfell

Pray till prayer makes you forget your own wish, and leave it or merge it in God's will.        -Frederick W. Robertson

Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything.  Unless in the first waking moment of the day you learn to fling the door wide back and let God in, you will work on a wrong level all day; but swing the door wide open and pray to your Father in secret, and every public thing will be stamped with the presence of God.        -Oswald Chambers

There is no prayer so blessed as the prayer which asks for nothing.       -O.J. Simon (1895)

God prefers bad verses recited with a pure heart to the finest verses chanted by the wicked.       -Voltaire

The value of persistent prayer is not that He will hear us . . .  but that we will finally hear Him.        -William  McGill

You must pray for yourself constantly.  How could it be otherwise?  We worship God by believing in Him, trusting Him, and loving Him wholeheartedly -- and we can attain to that only through prayer.  The sole object of our being here is that we may grow like Him-- and we can do that only through prayer.  The more we pray for ourselves the more power will our prayers have for any other purpose whatever; so praying for ourselves is the reverse of selfishness -- it is truly glorifying God.       -Emmet Fox

From "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" O sweeter than the marriage feast, 'Tis sweeter far to me, To walk together to the kirk With a goodly company! To walk together to the kirk, And all together pray, While each to his great Father bends, Old men, and babes, and loving friends And youths and maidens gay! Farewell, farewell! but this I tell To thee, thou Wedding Guest! He prayeth well, who loveth well Both man and bird and beast. He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small; for the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all. Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Sometimes I think that just not thinking of oneself is a form of prayer.       -Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

Prayer is the only real action in the full sense of the word, because prayer is the only thing that changes one's character.  A change in character, or a change in soul, is a real change.  When that kind of change takes place, you become a different person and, therefore, for the rest of your life you act in a different way from the way in which you have previously acted, and in which you would have continued to act had you not prayed. In other words, you become a different person.  The amount of difference may be only very slight for each time that you pray: nevertheless it is there, for you cannot pray without making yourself different in some degree.       -Emmet Fox

Mental prayer is nothing else. . . but being on terms of friendship with God, frequently conversing in secret with Him.       -Santa Teresa de Avila

Prayer is the most powerful form of energy one can generate.  The influence of prayer on the human mind and body is as demonstrable as that of the secreting glands.  Prayer is a force as real as terrestrial gravity.  It supplies us with a flow of sustaining power in our daily lives.       -Alexis Carrel

Prayer is essentially about making the heart strong  so that fear cannot penetrate there.      -Matthew Fox

Trouble and perplexity drive me to prayer, and prayer drives away perplexity and trouble.       -Philip Melanchthon

Prayer is love raised to its greatest power, and the prayer of intercession is the noblest and most Christian kind of prayer because in it love-- and imagination--reach their highest and widest range.       -Robert J. McCracken

Prayer for worldly goods is worse than fruitless, but prayer for strength of soul is that passion of the soul which catches the gift it seeks.       -George Meredith

I have not the courage to search through books for beautiful prayers. . . Unable either to say them all or choose between them, I do as a child would do who cannot read--I say just what I want to say to God, quite simply, and he never fails to understand.       -St. Therese of Lisieux

I do not pray for a lighter load, but for a stronger back.       -Phillips Brooks

God is not a cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button to get things done.       -Harry Emerson Fosdick

Prayer is not conquering God's reluctance, but taking hold of God's willingness.       -Phillips Brooks

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, Uttered or unexpressed, The motion of a hidden fire That trembles in the breast. Prayer is the burden of a sigh, The falling of a tear, The upward glancing of an eye When none but God is near. James Montgomery

Never was a faithful prayer lost.  Some prayers have a longer voyage than others, but then they return with their richer lading at last, so that the praying soul is a gainer by waiting for an answer.       -William Gurnall

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey. . . I asked for health, that I might do greater things I was given infirmity, that I might do better things. . . I asked for riches, that I might be happy I was given poverty, that I might be wise. . . I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God. . . I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life I was given life that I might enjoy all things. . . I got nothing that I asked for--but everything I had hoped for Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among all people, most richly blessed. Anonymous

Prayer covers the whole of our life.  There is no thought, feeling, yearning, or desire, however low, trifling, or vulgar we may deem it, which if it affects our real interest or happiness, we may not lay before God and be sure of sympathy.  His nature is such that our often coming does not tire him.  The whole burden of the whole life of humans may be rolled on to God and not weary him, though it has wearied us.       -Henry Ward Beecher

Pray a little each day in a childlike way for the Spirit of prayer.  If you feel that you know, as yet, very little concerning the deep things of prayer and what prayer really is, then pray for the Spirit of prayer.  There is nothing He would rather do than unveil to you the grace of prayer.       -O. Hallesby

Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray.  Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with Him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts.       -Andrew Murray

I never went to bed in my life and I never ate a meal in my life without saying a prayer.  I know my prayers have been answered thousands of times, and I know that I never said a prayer in my life without something good coming of it.       -Jack Dempsey

Our thanks to God should always precede our requests.       -Anon

I got up early one morning And rushed right into the day; I had so much to accomplish That I didn't have time to pray. Problems just tumbled about me, And heavier came each task; "Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered. He answered, "You didn't ask." I wanted to see joy and beauty, But the day toiled on gray and bleak; I wondered why God didn't show me. He said, "But you didn't seek." I tried to come into God's presence; I used all my keys in the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, "My child, you didn't knock." I woke up early this morning, And paused before entering the day; I had so much to accomplish That I had to take time to pray. Author unknown

A grandfather was walking through his yard when he heard his granddaughter repeating the alphabet in a tone of voice that sounded like a prayer.  He asked her what she was doing.  The little girl explained:  "I'm praying, but I can't think of exactly the right words, so I'm just saying all the letters, and God will put them together for me, because He knows what I'm thinking."       -Charles B. Vaughan

If you begin to live life looking for the God that is all around you, every moment becomes a prayer.       -Frank Bianco

You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.       -Khalil Gibran

I would love to have a more earnest prayer life!  In my life, prayer is the single most difficult discipline.  I love God and there’s something in me that would rather do things for God than talk to God.  I’m not by nature a mystical, devotional person.  I like to do things.  And so it’s a challenge for me to have a faithful prayer life, but I know God loves me and He’s not mad at me.  He just wishes I would slow down and turn things over to Him.  And that’s what I think you achieve through prayer.       -Max Lucado

My prayers seem to be more of an attitude than anything else.  I indulge in very little lip service, but ask the Great Creator silently, daily, and often many times a day, to permit me to speak to Him through the three great Kingdoms of the world which He has created – the animal, mineral, and vegetable Kingdoms--to understand their relations to each other, and our relations to them and to the Great God who made all of us. I ask Him daily and often momently to give me wisdom, understanding, and bodily strength to do His will; hence I am asking and receiving all the time.       -George Washington Carver

It’s a risky thing to pray and the danger is that our very prayers get between God and us.  The great thing in prayer is not to pray, but to go directly to God. . . . The fact is, though, that if you descend into the depths of your own spirit and arrive somewhere near the center of what you are, you are confronted with the inescapable truth that, at the very root of your existence, you are in constant and immediate contact with the infinite power of God.       -Thomas Merton

Wants and needs are closely connected.  And all our needs, even the ones we’re not completely aware of yet, will be met.  Be grateful that God knows more about what we need than we do.  Sometimes when we pray, we get what we want.  Sometimes we get what we need.  Accept both answers—the yes’s and the something else’s—with heartfelt gratitude.  Then look around and see what your lesson and gift is.       -Melody Beattie

If prayer is new to you, let me share some suggestions that have worked for me: * Acknowledge your higher power; speak directly and be humble. * Be grateful. * Be honest. * Don't judge yourself.  No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. * Don't wait.  There is no perfect time to pray. * Pray often.  Small prayers throughout the day will make you feel better. * Pray when you're happy, not just when you want something. Lucinda Bassett

One of my biggest problems with prayer has always been in the lack of response.  Through loneliness and depression and discouragement, I would pray over and over for a certain something--and never anything like getting rich or wishing harm to others--but I would see no results.  I felt trapped in a Catch-22:  if I prayed without faith, nothing would work, but if nothing worked, I couldn't build my faith. But I've come to realize that I was asking too much from God--I wanted Him to intercede in my life, to reach down and make things right.  I wasn't asking Him to work with me, to point me in the right direction and let me do what I needed to do.  My prayers were saying "Help! I can't do this;" not "I know I can do this, but I need guidance and support." I've found that the strength in prayer is not what it ends up doing for me, but what it makes me when I go through the process, when I focus on God and life and the beautiful possibilities of this world.  I no longer pray that God will do things for me; instead, I pray that God will help me to have the strength to accomplish what I need to accomplish. And all those prayers that weren't answered?  Well, as Garth Brooks sings in the song he co-wrote with Pat Alger and Larry B. Bastian:  "Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers / Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs / That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean that He don't care / Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." tom walsh

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