c2p-cmd/Good-Quotes-Authors huggingface dataset:
Sergeant Pietro Oliva was a good Catholic. He liked to go into a church and cross himself, genuflect to the alter, and then settle down to a little prayer and contemplation, savouring the coolness, the heavy odours, the darkness, and the sensation of being soaked in the atmosphere of centuries’ worth of devotion that hung in the tenebrous and golden air of churches.
— Louis de Bernières, Birds Without Wings
Prayer is communion with God. It’s fellowship, relationship, and intimacy with Him.
— Andrew Wommack, A Better Way to Pray
Against all odds, when the 'no' out-weighs the 'yes' faith become the only bridge to your answer
— Ikechukwu Izuakor, Great Reflections on Success
Your perspective changes when you put God first by praising Him.
— Andrew Wommack, A Better Way to Pray
The more we thank God, the less we ask of him.
— Ron Brackin
If you knew particularly what to do, it were not a spiritual exercise.
— Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford
The seed of God’s Word must be planted in a person’s heart before they can be born again.
— Andrew Wommack, A Better Way to Pray
...'Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you; for everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking, it will be opened.'– Matthew 7:7, 8
— Jehovah, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
Perhaps you have noticed that even in the slightest breeze you can hear the voice of the cottonwood tree; this we understand is its prayer to the Great Spirit, for not only men, but all things and all beings pray to Him continually in different ways.
— Black Elk, Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux
Prayer becomes religious when you try use it for something God never intended.
— Andrew Wommack, A Better Way to Pray
Prayer is communication. You talk, God listens. You listen when God talks.
— Omoakhuana Anthonia
Eternal life is knowing God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ!
— Andrew Wommack, A Better Way to Pray
Prayer is receiving by faith what God has already done!
— Andrew Wommack, A Better Way to Pray
...I had always believed prayer ought to be conducted on our feet rather than on our knees, since God seems in all other departments of life to require us to stand upright and account for ourselves.
— Charles Frazier, Thirteen Moons
Prayer is one action where I lay aside my abilities to immerse myself wholly in God’s capabilities. And the liberation found in such an action is less about being engaged with God and more about being freed from myself.
— Craig D. Lounsbrough
A prayer/meditation a day, keeps the Doctor away.
— Abhijit Naskar
I observe something.When the angel of the Lord appeared to Cornelius, he also appeared to Peter. The two parties involved.Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”Then the angel appeared to Peter... While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”Again, when the angel of the Lord appeared to Saul on his way to Damascus, he also appeared to AnaniasAs the angel of the Lord appeared to Saul, “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”Then the angel of the Lord also appeared to Ananias and told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”When the angel of the Lord appeared to Mary, the mother of Jesus, he also appeared to Joseph.And the angel said to her "Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus." and the angel also told her about her cousin, saying "behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren"The angel then appeared to Joseph saying "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."Again, after the angel had told Mary about her cousin, the angel appeared to Zechariah, the husband of Mary's cousin saying:"Fear not, Zachariah: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John."Indeed God is not an author of confusion
— OMOSOHWOFA CASEY
If we defy the odds and ask, GOD will defy the odds and answer.
— TemitOpe Ibrahim
They pray.To whom?To God.To pray to God, - what is the meaning of these words?Is there an infinite beyond us? Is that infinite there, inherent, permanent; necessarily substantial, since it is infinite; and because, if it lacked matter it would be bounded; necessarily intelligent, since it is infinite, and because, if it lacked intelligence, it would end there? Does this infinite awaken in us the idea of essence, while we can attribute to ourselves only the idea of existence? In other terms, is it not the absolute, of which we are only the relative?At the same time that there is an infinite without us, is there not an infinite within us? Are not these two infinites (what an alarming plural!) superposed, the one upon the other? Is not this second infinite, so to speak, subjacent to the first? Is it not the latter's mirror, reflection, echo, an abyss which is concentric with another abyss? Is this second infinity intelligent also? Does it think? Does it love? Does it will? If these two infinities are intelligent, each of them has a will principle, and there is an "I" in the upper infinity as there is an "I" in the lower infinity. The "I" below is the soul; the "I" on high is God.To place the infinity here below in contact, by the medium of thought, with the infinity on high, is called praying. Let us take nothing from the human mind; to suppress is bad. We must reform and transform. Certain faculties in man are directed towards the Unknown; thought, revery, prayer. The Unknown is an ocean. What is conscience? It is the compass of the Unknown. Thought, revery, prayer, - these are great and mysterious radiations. Let us respect them. Whither go these majestic irradiations of the soul? Into the shadow; that is to say, to the light.
— Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
Prayer is knowing that what I ask for is always far bigger than what I could ever articulate, but it is never too big for God to understand nor is it ever too vast for Him to deliver.
— Craig D. Lounsbrough
If we dare to ask, GOD will dare to answer.
— TemitOpe Ibrahim
The simplest definition of prayer is communicating with God. That's it. Did you miss it? Let me say it again. Prayer is simply communicating with God. That one uncomplicated thought began to revolutionize my whole prayer life. What is communication? It's transferring a thought, feeling, emotion, or idea to another person. So prayer is giving God my thoughts, feelings, emotions, and ideas, by whatever means works. It doesn't have to be formal. It doesn't have to be long and dry. It's simply communicating.
— Craig Groeschel, Dare to Drop the Pose: Ten Things Christians Think but Are Afraid to Say
How can you be so accepting? How is it that you are not screaming with frustration?""I've been spending more time in prayer. I am learning that obedience to God means that you do not put your eyes on your longings, but instead, you simply place one foot ahead of the other into the space that the Lord opens. Tired, wounded, overwhelmed. It does not matter. You merely keep moving where God directs and stop focusing on what you wish you had. It's teaching me patience.
— Tessa Afshar, Land of Silence
Have You Prayed” When the windturns and asks, in my father’s voice,Have you prayed?I know three things. One:I’m never finished answering to the dead.Two: A man is four winds and three fires.And the four winds are his father’s voice,his mother’s voice . . .Or maybe he’s seven winds and ten fires.And the fires are seeing, hearing, touching,dreaming, thinking . . .Or is he the breath of God?When the wind turns travelerand asks, in my father’s voice, Have you prayed?I remember three things.One: A father’s loveis milk and sugar,two-thirds worry, two-thirds grief, and what’s left overis trimmed and leavened to make the breadthe dead and the living share.And patience? That’s to endurethe terrible leavening and kneading.And wisdom? That’s my father’s face in sleep.When the windasks, Have you prayed?I know it’s only mereminding myselfa flower is one station betweenearth’s wish and earth’s rapture, and bloodwas fire, salt, and breath long beforeit quickened any wand or branch, any limbthat woke speaking. It’s just mein the gowns of the wind,or my father through me, asking,Have you found your refuge yet?asking, Are you happy?Strange. A troubled father. A happy son.The wind with a voice. And me talking to no one.
— Li-Young Lee, Behind My Eyes [With CD]
My prayer is to seek, find and serve God.
— Gift Gugu Mona
Acceptance," she told the young woman. "God is watching over him." The small room was quiet, and Emily felt her muscles relax as she prayed.
— Shannon Claire Morelli, Heaven Awaits
Where were you when I undressed and told the tales of my day?Where were youwhenI was silent with God in prandial pray?Where were youwhen I recited love poems as I lay?Where were you?
— Kamand Kojouri
Conversation with God leads to an encounter with God. Prayer turns theology into experience.
— Timothy J. Keller
Another version of the “Prosperity Gospel” or “Name It and Claim It” teaching has to do with finding a verse in the Bible and then “claiming” that verse. Proponents of this thinking believe that God must fulfill his promise to us in whatever verse we are “claiming” because what God says in his Word, the Bible, is true, and we can trust it to be true. So someone might pray: God, your Word says in Isaiah that by your stripes we are healed and I know you are not a liar and that your Word is true and I claim that Scripture in Jesus’s name and therefore I will be healed of this stomachache! We need to have faith in what the Bible says, but we have to be careful that we aren’t trying to force God to do what we want. That is arrogance rather than humility. God loves us, but we cannot demand things of him as though our faith is in charge rather than God.If someone believes it is our faith that heals us and forgets that it is God who does it, we should ask that person how much faith Lazarus had. Remember, he was decomposing in a tomb when Jesus raised him from death. His faith obviously didn’t matter. It was all God. It is God and God’s grace that heals, not our prayers and not our “faith.” Though we are exhorted by God to pray to him, we cannot compel him to do what we wish.
— Eric Metaxas, Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life
In the same way you BELIEVED and RECEIVED salvation, so it is with your healing!
— Andrew Wommack, A Better Way to Pray
Praying to God involves both us and God. God wants us to participate in what he is doing, and for sure one of the main ways we participate in what he is doing is by prayer. We can also participate in what he is doing by feeding the hungry and helping the poor and caring for the sick and giving of our resources to those who have little. God wants us to partner with him. So there is a paradox at work, and a mystery. On the one hand, the Bible says that apart from God we can do nothing. And yet, on the other hand, God invites us to do some things with him. This is at the heart of the mystery of prayer. God wants us to use our faith and to pray. But we can focus so much on the importance of our faith and our prayers that we forget about God and think it is our faith and our prayers that perform the miracle, rather than the God to whom we pray and in whom we have faith as we pray.
— Eric Metaxas, Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life
Prayer was not a sacred or holy thing. It was not spoken plainly, in Twi or English. It need not be performed on the knees or with folded palms. For Akua, prayer was a frenzied chant, a language for those desires of the heart that even the mind did not recognize were there.
— Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing
Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.Build me a son whose heart will be clean, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain.
— Douglas MacArthur
When we try to express communion with God in words, we rapidly reach the end of our capacities. But in the depths of our being Christ is praying for more than we imagine. Compared to the immensity of that hidden prayer of Christ in us, our explicit praying dwindles to almost nothing. That is why silence is so essential in discovery the heart of prayer.Although God never stops trying to communicate with us, God never stops trying to communicate with us, God never wants to impose anything on us. Often God's voice comes in a whisper, in a breath of silence. Remaining in silence in God's presence, open to the Spirit, is already prayer.It is not a matter of trying to obtain inner silence at all costs by following some method that creates a kind of emptiness within. The important thing is a childlike attitude of trust by which we allow Christ to pray within us silently, and then one day, we will discover that the depths of our being ar inhabited by a Presence.
— Taizé, Songs and Prayers from Taize: Accompaniment Edition for Cantor & Instruments
Even though prayers are not offered only to get a desired result, there is little doubt that most miracles are the result of prayer. God wants us to pray to him and ask him for things, just as any loving father and mother want their children to come to them with whatever is on their minds. But if our focus is solely on getting the outcome we want, the prayer will fail, precisely because our belief is placed in the wrong place. It’s a great irony. If all we care about is the result, then we are effectively making that result our God, rather than God himself. So if we are praying to our “God”—the God of results—rather than to God himself, then we are praying to a “God” who is not God, and who is therefore powerless to help us.
— Eric Metaxas, Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life
When people confide their deep hurt to you these days, you are at a loss for what to say. A long time ago, you used to say, "I'll be praying for you," and you always meant to do that, to take those heavy burdens off their shoulders and hoist them up to the Lord. But the truth is, you usually forgot. Usually, this was the thing you said to end the conversation, a nice way to say, "I'm sorry. I can no longer handle the depth of your pain. I don't want to talk about this anymore.
— Addie Zierman, When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over
God is always present. The question is, how present are we?
— Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Davening: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Prayer
I prayed for someone to love me as much as I love you. Eventually I came to see that that "someone" was me.
— Kate McGahan
You are not here to verify,instruct yourself, or inform curiosityor carry report. You are here to kneelwhere prayer has been valid. And prayer is more than an order of words, the conscious occupation of the praying mind, or the sound of the voice praying.
— T. S. Eliot
At the end of the day what makes a difference was our time with Him at the beginning of the day!
— Ibrahim Emile
Does god need our prayers? No. God doesn't need anything. A god in need is not a god indeed. So why do we pray? We pray out of a sense of gratitude. Prayer is a thank you. We feel better when we have offered our gratitude to the creator. Prayer is for our emotional and spiritual edification
— Bangambiki Habyarimana, Pearls Of Eternity
The praise and glorification of God doesn't exclusively spring from deep and untroubled understanding
—  it is in spite of – and even because of – deep and troubled circumstance.
Knock. Pound on heaven’s door if you have to, but don’t give up. God hears all sincere prayers.
— Toni Sorenson, Aligned By Christ
Lord, open my ears to receive good counsel, allow my head to accept it and enable my person to carry it out.
— TemitOpe Ibrahim
I think that the dying pray at the last not "please," but "thank you," as a guest thanks his host at the door. Falling from airplanes the people are crying thank you, thank you, all the way down the air; and the cold carriages draw up for them on the rocks.
— Annie Dillard, The Abundance: Narrative Essays Old and New
Prayer is a salve for every sore, even the sorest, a remedy for every malady, even the most grievous.
— Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible
If we are talking about a loving God, we are talking about a God who asks us to trust him, whether we get what we ask for or don’t. But he will never force us to trust him. That is entirely up to us. We have free will and we can accept his love or reject it, or claim it doesn’t exist at all. We can trust him or distrust him as we like. But if he really and truly is the God of the Bible, who loves me with an unchanging and self-sacrificial love (agape), then I really and truly can trust him in all circumstances, which is tremendously freeing. In fact, I can go one step further than trusting him. To use a biblical phrase, I can rejoice in him. But is only possible if we really do know that God has our best interests at heart at all times. Of course, we have to decide on our own whether we believe that. But if we come to see that, that is true and do allow ourselves to believe it, we are precisely where he created us to be: in his loving hands.
— Eric Metaxas, Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life
She prayed to God to give him at least a moment so that he would not go without knowing how much she had loved him despite all their doubts, and she felt an irresistible longing to begin life with him over again so that they could say what they had left unsaid and do everything right that they had done badly in the past. But she had to give in to the intransigence of death.
— Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera
Martin Luther spent two hours a day in prayer. John Wesley spent two hours a day in prayer. According to a recent poll taken on both sides of the Atlantic, the average church leader, pastor, priest, evangelist, teacher today spends four minutes a day in prayer and you wonder why the church is powerless.
— R.T. Kendall, Holy Fire: A Balanced, Biblical Look at the Holy Spirit's Work in Our Lives
She thought she should take a moment to pray. But, as she was holding a loaded rifle, conventional prayer did not seem entirely suitable. Sister Peg hoped that God would help her, but it was her belief that He much preferred for people to attend to themselves. Life was a test; it was up to you to pass it or not. She raised the gun to her clavicle and angled one eye down the length of the barrel.
— Justin Cronin, The City of Mirrors
Learn to listen to subtle cues from your spirit instead of the barrage coming from your brain.
— David Brazzeal, Pray Like a Gourmet: Creative Ways to Feed Your Soul
Stop praying. Get off your knees and do something. There's only one particular need that can be effectively addressed while in the kneeling position. If yours pertains to anything else, then please, seek help elsewhere. 'God helps those who help themselves' is just the Church's way of telling you that it's all a sham. You're really on your own.
— Quentin R. Bufogle, Horse Latitudes
God can pick sense out of a confused prayer.
— Richard Sibbes
I am still searching for a popular prayer which doesn’t seek materialistic or other benefits from God and is a simple prayer which simply expresses gratitude in Him and believes what He does will be for our best…
— Neelam Saxena Chandra
And our tears are an expression of that which we cannot express. Tears are perfect prayer.
— Ronald Chapman, What A Wonderful World: Seeing Through New Eyes
Water was how the desert would bring everyone together. The antelope's daily prayer, weighing the mortal need of water with the mortal danger of obtaining it.
— Mike Bond, The Last Savanna
The simple choice to pray usually happens to the exclusion of something else in our lives. Often that something else is frivolous, but at times prayer must come at the expense of important things, such as our own work, our sleep or our time with loved ones.
— Jason Mandryk, Operation World: When We Pray God Works: 21st Century Edition
Each and every prayer is a tiny piece of a great cosmic puzzle, which when fitted together will allow for the completion of the grand picture of the Almighty Lord's plan for humanity and the universe.
— Jason Mandryk, Operation World: When We Pray God Works: 21st Century Edition
Charity is the best form of prayer. Do whatever little you can to help the not so fortunate. You may donate a small portion of your income, you may take out time to teach the underprivileged children, sponsor a meal for the hungry or just spend some time with an old lady who has no one. I am sure that you will move one level high on the spiritual plane. Like prayers, doing charity once is not enough. You have to do it continuously, as much as possible.
— Neelam Saxena Chandra
I should interweave my theology with prayer. I should frequently interrupt my talking about God by talking to God. Not far behind the theological sentence, "God is generous," should come the prayerful sentence, "Thank you, God." On the heels of, "God is glorious," should come, "I adore your glory." What I have come to see is that this is the way it must be if we are feeling God's reality in our hearts as well as describing it with our heads.
— John Piper
Intimacy with God is not experienced through monolog prayers but through reflective listening as well as earnest petitioning.
— Gary Rohrmayer
Remember how it is written of Job, “The Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends.” While he prayed for himself, he remained a captive; but when he prayed for those unfriendly friends of his, then the Lord smiled upon him, and loosed his captivity
— Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Practice brings better results than prayer.
— Amit Kalantri
My prayer is that God would continue to love me enough to refuse to answer the prayers I'm praying that I shouldn't be praying.
— Craig D. Lounsbrough
One should not pray if that prayer is vanity.
— Idries Shah, Seeker After Truth
Cha-Cha favored short, earnest prayer, and he often wondered what took others so long., It had something to do with excess supplication, he suspected. He never presented a long list of specific requests to God, had always felt uncomfortable with the presumptuousness of "Ask and you shall receive." This might have been a result of pride, or his own middling ambition, but mostly Cha-Cha's prayers were a series of thank-yous and I'm sorrys.
— Angela Flournoy, The Turner House
In my prayer journey I’ve been motived by many lesser aspirations like guilt, approval before others and even a ego-driven desire for church growth. Of course, a passion for revival can even trigger more prayers. Yet, in the long run, we must remember that there is a difference between seeking revival from God vs. seeking God for revival.
— Daniel Henderson, Old Paths, New Power: Awakening Your Church Through Prayer and the Ministry of the Word
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
— Melanie Dickerson, The Golden Braid
He sat for a long time and thought to himself that he wished he knew how to pray, yet he knew, untaught, how by abandonment of himself to let the quietness take hold of him.
— Elizabeth Goudge, The Dean's Watch
I prayed to Woden for forgiveness, but I think he felt no ill will for me. We are but men. He has done worse.
— Alaric Longward, The Oath Breaker
Safe in the sovereignty of the Godhead, we can count on the fact that WE, rather than just our friends, enemies, or circumstances, will be transformed.
— Brian Eshleman
[R]eal prayer is not an excuse for laziness but, in fact, is one of the most arduous engagements I know of in ministry. Prayer is not a replacement for hard work but, in most cases, empowerment for even more fruitful work.
— Daniel Henderson, Old Paths, New Power: Awakening Your Church Through Prayer and the Ministry of the Word
I went back into my bedroom and knelt at my bed the way I did when I was a kid. I folded my hands and pressed the top knuckle joints of my thumbs hard into my forehead. Dear God. I don’t know what I want or who I am. Apparently you do. Um…that’s great. Never mind. You have a terrible reputation here. You should know that. Oh, but I guess you do know that. Save me now. Or when it’s convenient. We could run away together. This is stupid. What am I doing? I guess this is a prayer. I feel like an idiot, but I guess you knew that already, too. My sister said that god is music. Goodbye, Amen. I lay in my bed and waited for that thick, sweet feeling to wash over me, for that unreal semi-conscious state where the story begins and takes on a life of its own and all you have to do is close your eyes and give in and let go and give in and let go and go and go and go.
— Miriam Toews
The prayer level of a church never rises any higher than the personal example and passion of the leaders. The quantity and quality of prayer in leadership meetings is the essential indicator of the amount of prayer that will eventually arise among the congregation.
— Daniel Henderson, Old Paths, New Power: Awakening Your Church Through Prayer and the Ministry of the Word
Building a prayer culture takes time. . . and relentless pressure over time. I often say that it is much more a crock pot than a microwave.
— Daniel Henderson, Old Paths, New Power: Awakening Your Church Through Prayer and the Ministry of the Word
He would have given anything for a tension-breaker-maybe, if he prayed hard enough, the school would catch on fire or something.
— Christian M. Frank, Trespasses Against Us
Sometimes, just be. Do not think or worry, do not get angry under stress. Just pray and keep your faith in the Lord. Keep patience and see how well things will work out for you!
— Sanchita Pandey, Voyage to Happiness!
Surrender to God... When you surrender, God steps in for you and takes charge...By surrendering, automatically, the onus of your happiness and well being shifts on God.
— Sanchita Pandey, Voyage to Happiness!
Great faith surfaces in great problems - have faith
— Ikechukwu Joseph, Through Faith: Living an Overcoming Life
I have confidence that my prayers are answered because I sought God's will before I asked.
— Davin Whitehurst
Scatter as a prayerescaping my lips...as orchidsblooming in clouds.
— Sanober  Khan, A Thousand Flamingos
God will shout during your storms, whisper during your sunshine and sing during the rarest rainbows you will encounter.
— Shannon L. Alder
Just as teenagers can live in the same house as their parents, yet choose not to live “close” to them in partnership, so we can choose to be children of God, yet live very distant from God in our hearts. On the other hand, we can choose to have the closest partnership with Him, in which we know what He thinks, believes, and acts and what is important to Him. In this place of intimacy, we also discover just how close He wants to be with us.
— Theresa Dedmon
Surprise is a major factor in distinguishing an answer to prayer from a projection of my own mental processes. When I can’t believe I made up the answer myself, I have to look around to see where it came from.
— Pat Schneider, How the Light Gets in: Writing as a Spiritual Practice
God’s power is the grace of prayer.
— Lailah Gifty Akita
Don't ever let the blessings from your hand take my gaze off the beauty of your face or my pursuit of the beating of your heart.
— B.J.  Richardson
It (prayer) dispels frivolity and drives away all skin-deep forms of worship, and makes worship a serious and deep-seated service, impregnating body, soul, and spirit with its heavenly infusion.
— E. M. Bounds, The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer
An Atheopagan Prayer by Mark GreenPraise to the wide spinning world Unfolding each of all the destined tales compressed In the moment of your catastrophic birthWide to the fluid expanse, blowing outward Kindling in stars and galaxies, in bright poolsOf Christmas-colored gas; cohering in marbles hot And cold, ringed, round, gray and red and gold and dun And blue Pure blue, the eye of a child, spinning in a veil of air,Warm island, home to us, kind beyond measure: the stones And trees, the round river flowing sky to deepest chasm, salt And sweet. Praise to Time, enormous and precious, And we with so little, seeing our world go as it will Ruing, cheering, the treasured fading, precious arriving, Fear and wonder, Fear and wonder always. Praise O black expanse of mostly nothing Though you do not hear, you have no ear nor mind to hear Praise O inevitable, O mysterious, praise Praise and thanks be a wave Expanding from this tiny temporary mouth this tiny dot Of world a bubbleGoing out forever meeting everything as it goes All the great and infinitesimal Gracious and terrible All the works of blessed Being.May it be so.May it be so.May our hearts sing to say it is so.
— John Halstead, Godless Paganism: Voices of Non-Theistic Pagans
Worldly religion is that which replaces Faith with mere wishful thinking. One must not make the common mistake of putting his faith in all the things he thinks God ought to bless him with; he should instead keep his faith planted in God Himself. Present to Him his needs and wants like a child to his Father, but have faith only in His wisdom and goodness like a servant to his King. God must always be one's Everything before He is one's token to everything.
— Criss Jami
[O]ur applications are quicker about our sufferings, than our sins(77)[.]
— Richard Baxter, The Saints' Everlasting Rest
If every work of the day had thus its appointed time, we should be better skilled, both in redeeming time and performing duty (556).
— Richard Baxter, The Saints' Everlasting Rest
[M]editation is the life of of most other duties
—  and the view of heaven is the life of meditation (559).
Meditation puts reason in its authority and preeminence. It helpeth to deliver it form its captivity to the sense, and setteth it again upon the throne of the soul. When reason is silent, it is usually subject; for when it is asleep the senses domineer. . . . Reason is at the strongest when it is most in action. Now, meditation produceth reason into act (573).
— Richard Baxter, The Saints' Everlasting Rest
We are a band of brothers. United in love for our common Savior, joined in his common cause of prayer for both friends and enemies, we find our affections kindled and our hearts warmed toward one another.
— Megan Hill, Praying Together: The Priority and Privilege of Prayer: In Our Homes, Communities, and Churches
Prayer is asking
—  Meditation is listening.
Prayer changes things, but it ultimately changes the one who prays.
— Suzanne Eller, Come with Me: Discovering the Beauty of Following Where He Leads
One day in your prayers, maybe once a month or week, lie back and thank God for the things not given to you.
— Rajwant Singh Bachhal
I AM A GIRL WHO DARE,A CITIZEN WHO IS AWARE,DAUGHTER WHO PRAYER,SISTER WHO CARE,A FRIEND WHO SHARE,MIXTURE LIKE AIR,A DIAMOND SO RARE.
— merlin8thomas
You can regain your inner peace with a daily prayer.
— Lailah Gifty Akita
There is comfort in keeping what is sacred inside us not as a secret, but as a prayer.
— Terry Tempest Williams, When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice
Prayer is a sacred act for all seasons.
— Lailah Gifty Akita
Prayer usually means praise, or surrender, acknowledging that you have run out of bullets.
— Anne Lamott, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith
When we seek God for answers, we must persevere in prayer, letting it build up day after day until the force of it becomes a mighty tide pushing over all obstacles.
— Jim Cymbala, Fresh Faith: What Happens When Real Faith Ignites God's People
When we pray for guidance in a group, we create a positive force field and align our personal energies towards a single direction.
— Catherine Carrigan, Unlimited Intuition NOW
May Saviour set us free from every evil spirit.
— Lailah Gifty Akita
Oh precious Lord!Oh precious Lord!Thou know them allThe thought of my mindAnd the desires of my heartThou know them allOh precious Lord! Oh precious Lord!Thou know them allOh precious Lord!Oh precious Lord!Thou know them allDarkness I seeThe joy I want but I can't seeThou know them allOh precious Lord! Oh precious LordThou know them allOh precious Lord!Oh precious Lord!Thou know them allDesires that blindfoldThe end untoldThou know them allOh precious Lord! Oh precious Lord!Thou know them all
— Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
Satan wants us to focus on the problem, not the Provider. He constantly points to what seems to be rather than to what God has promised to do. If we stop spending time with the Lord in prayer, the concerns of the physical world snatch our attention and dominate us, while the spiritual senses deaden and the promises fade.I am absolutely convinced that the number one reason that Christians today don't pray more is because we do not grasp the connection between prayer and the promises of God. We are trying as individuals and churches to pray 'because we're supposed to' without a living faith in the promises of God concerning prayer. No faith life of any significance can be maintained by this 'ought-to' approach. There must be faith in God at the bottom....When real faith in God arises, a certainty comes that when we call, he will answer...that when we ask, we will receive...that when we knock, the door will be opened...
— Jim Cymbala, Fresh Faith: What Happens When Real Faith Ignites God's People
…while God does listen, knowing what He knows about us, and how well we take disappointment, often he'll find a way to save us all the heartache and trouble we unwittingly plead and beseech and continually pester him for; ever a loving, wise Father, he will just simply answer, “no,” by default, by not answering “yes.
— Connie Kerbs, Paths of Fear: An Anthology of Overcoming Through Courage, Inspiration, and the Miracle of Love
And indeed we must seek the true rule of prayer in the word of God, that we may not rashly break through to Him, but may approach him in the manner in which he has revealed himself to us. This appears more clearly from the adjoining context, where Jacob, recalling the command and promise of God to memory, is supported as by two pillars. Certainly the legitimate method of praying is, that the faithful should answer to God who calls them; and thus there is such a mutual agreement between his word and their vows, that no sweeter and more harmonious symphony can be imagined. “O Lord,” he says, “I return at thy command: thou also didst promise protection to me returning; it is therefore right that thou shouldest become the guide of my journey.” This is a holy boldness, when, having discharged our duty according to God’s calling, we familiarly ask of him whatsoever he has promised; since he, by binding himself gratuitously to us, becomes in a sense voluntarily our debtor. But whoever, relying on no command or promise of God, offers his prayers, does nothing but cast vain and empty words into the air.
— John Calvin, Commentaries, 23 Vols
The Saviour of the light liberates soul into the light.
— Lailah Gifty Akita
I sat in a boxWith walls on each side.Not too tall.Not too wide.To think.To ponder.To pray.To hide.I sat in a box and cried.
— Richelle E. Goodrich, Slaying Dragons
It is through prayer that we destroy the kingdom of Darkness and enforce the judgment written that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail - Prayer Moves God, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams
— Archbishop Duncan-Williams, Prayer Moves God
A fair vision had welcomed him in this land of disease.
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers
The Amen is only as good as the attitude. If you are trying to finish up quickly so you can check your cell phone messages, you are missing the chance to spend quiet moments with the giver of life and the eternal, which means you may reap continued feelings of life racing along without you. So as Samuel Beckett admonished us to fail again, and fail better, we try to pray again, and pray better, for slightly longer and with slightly more honesty, breathing more, deeper, and with more attention.
— Anne Lamott, Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers
Scientific prayer makes God a celestial lab rat, leading to bad science and worse religion.
— Michael Shermer
You will find it a stronghold in the day of trial to plead your adoption. You have no rights as a subject, you have forfeited them by your treason; but nothing can forfeit a child's right to a father's protection.
— Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Based on the English Standard Version
In the words of Jewish liturgical scholar Lawrence Hoffman, 'Jews do offer freely composed prayers... But overall, it is the fixed order and content of Jewish prayer that gives it its distinctiveness and that demands the personal commitment to prayer as a discipline.
— Lauren F. Winner, Mudhouse Sabbath
Do you mind telling me what you pray?""I pray for the wisdom to find meaning in the . . . her death."And have you?""No, Mrs. Aislabie, I find no meaning. But perhaps that's because I'm too small to see a plan so large I rarely get anything but a brief glimpse of it.
— Katharine McMahon, The Alchemist's Daughter
Do you mind telling me what you pray?""I pray for the wisdom to find meaning in the . . . her death.""And have you?""No, Mrs. Aislabie, I find no meaning. But perhaps that's because I'm too small to see a plan so large I rarely get anything but a brief glimpse of it.
— Katharine McMahon, The Alchemist's Daughter
Her mother said, Every morning I go up on the roof at six o'clock and pray for twenty minutes. It keeps me from coming apart. Her mother said, Coming apart, coming apart--it's just a crazy thing I feel.
— Dylan  Landis, Rainey Royal
Prayer can guarantee anyone's success but never someone's failure
— Faisal Khosa
But if roteness is a danger, it is also the way liturgy works. When you don't have to think all the time about what words you are going to say next, you are free to fully enter into the act of praying; you are free to participate in the life of God.
— Lauren F. Winner, Mudhouse Sabbath
Sure, sometimes it is great when, in prayer, we can express to God just what we feel; but better still when, in the act of praying, our feelings change. Liturgy is not, in the end, open to our emotional whims. it re-points the person praying, taking him somewhere else.
— Lauren F. Winner, Mudhouse Sabbath
When we pray, we pray according God's word which helps us to grow in faith.
— Euginia Herlihy
God cherish and value our prayer more profoundly in our days of abundance instead of distress.
— Aditya Ajmera
Luther could say, 'It is not a bad, but a very good sign if the opposite of what we pray for appears to happen. Just as it is not a good sign if our prayers eventuate in the fulfillment of all we ask for. If everything were to go the way I want it, I would end up in that kind of false security which is really an instrument of the divine judgment.
— Alan F. Johnson, Romans: Bible Commentary
Here in this place all souls resonate within a holy vibration.
— Earthschool Harmony, Back To Grace: Spiritual poetry and reflections
Faith is the angelic messenger between the soul and the Lord Jesus in glory.
— Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Based on the English Standard Version
Those left behind prayed constantly for peace but prayers came back with Return to Sender stamped all over them. Only the roll call of the dead grew.
— Sarah Winman, A Year of Marvellous Ways
Lord bless this land, and all who inhabit it. Bless the earth. 'Tis borrowed from you after all. Let the work be fit worship to You. Grant us safety as we work. Grant us favor against any untoward spirits. Jealousy. Greed. Bigotry." Chance paused. "Even such as shadows my own heart. Forgive my tresspasses as I forgive.
— Michele McKnight Baker, Soldier's Heart
Desire, if it is to be trusted, is to be inspired by a holy vocabulary.
— Jen Pollock Michel, Teach Us to Want: Longing, Ambition & the Life of Faith
Come to think of it. People who believe in a mythical God SAY A prayer. people who believe in a God in heaven PRAY to God. Those who know God is living inside of them pray in fellowship. It's a life they live in comminion with God 24/7NOT morning prayer. After prayer. Evening prayereating prayer. Driving prayer. The Pharisees did better than that and they crucified Him who knew no sin.
— Mary Tornyenyor
If it pleases Him to bid our patience exercise itself, shall He not do as He wills with His own!
— Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Based on the English Standard Version
Prayer is sacred act for all seasons.
— Lailah Gifty Akita
Just because the ones we love die (or fall out of our lives or disappear from the spinning of our spheres) does not mean we love them any less or erase them from the deeply etched lines of the maps we have traveled.We find ways to keep them alive in spirit, with the brutal knowing that they are gone in body.We can remember; we can feel & this can all be grief & it can all be love, too.
— Bryonie Wise
He heard her low accord,Half prayer and half ditty,And He felt a subtle quiver,That was not heavenly love,Or pity.This is not writIn any book.
— Wallace Stevens, The Collected Poems
It's a fine day for a prayer. But then, most days are.''That's what you were doing? Praying?' At his nod, I asked, 'For what do you petition the gods?'He raised his brows. 'Petition?''Isn't that what prayer is? Begging the gods to give you what you want?'He laughed, his voice deep as a booming wind, but kinder. 'I suppose that is how some men pray. Not I. Not anymore.''What do you mean?''Oh, I think that children pray so, to find a lost doll or that Father will bring home a good haul of fish, or that no one will discover a forgotten chore. Children think they know what is best for themselves, and do not fear to ask the divine for it. But I have been a man for many years, and I should be shamed if I did not know better by now.'I eased my back into a more comfortable position against the railing. I suppose if you are used to the swaying of a ship, it might be restful. My muscles constantly fought against it, and I was beginning to ache in every limb. 'So. How does a man pray, then?'He looked on me with amusement, then levered himself down to sit beside me. 'Don't you know? How do you pray, then?''I don't.' And then I rethought, and laughed aloud. 'Unless I'm terrified. Then I suppose I pray as a child does. 'Get me out of this, and I'll never be so stupid again. Just let me live.'He laughed with me. 'Well, it looks as if, so far, your prayers have been granted. And have you kept your promise to the divine?'I shook my head, smiling ruefully. 'I'm afraid not. I just find a new direction to be foolish in.''Exactly. So do we all. Hence, I've learned I am not wise enough to ask the divine for anything.''So. How do you pray then, if you are not asking for something?''Ah. Well, prayer for me is more listening than asking. And, after all these years, I find I have but one prayer left. It has taken me a lifetime to find my prayer, and I think it is the same one that all men find, if they but ponder on it longer enough.
— Robin Hobb, Fool's Fate
Will you not this day make it your prayer? "Lord, help me to glorify Thee; I am poor, help me to glorify Thee by contentment; I am sick, help me to give Thee honour by patience; I have talents, help me to extol Thee by spending them for Thee; I have time, Lord, help me to redeem it, that I may serve Thee; I have a heart to feel, Lord, let that heart feel no love but Thine, and glow with no flame but affection for Thee; I have a head to think, Lord, help me to think of Thee and for Thee; Thou hast put me in this world for something, Lord, show me what that is, and help me to work out my life-purpose.
— Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Based on the English Standard Version
When evil altars are invoked, great destinies are altered
— Steven Chuks Nwaokeke
The Christian knows no change with regard to God. He may be rich to-day and poor to-morrow; he may be sickly to-day and well to-morrow; he may be in happiness to-day, to-morrow he may be distressed-but there is no change with regard to his relationship to God. If He loved me yesterday, He loves me to-day.
— Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Based on the English Standard Version
Prayer is a spiritual device that links humankind direct to the Father.
— Euginia Herlihy
And then there is this jewel with its many facets of wisdom. It’s not difficult to imagine the breadth and depth of this sentiment – at least where astuteness and faith are an inseparable dynamic duo running rampant: “…while God does listen, knowing what He knows about us, and how well we take disappointment, often He will find a way to save us all the heartache and trouble we unwittingly plead and beseech and continually pester him for; ever a loving, wise Father, He will just simply answer, 'no,' by default; by not answering, 'yes,' no matter how passionately we fail to understand the importance of His not acquiescing to our every whim.
— Connie Kerbs, Paths of Fear: An Anthology of Overcoming Through Courage, Inspiration, and the Miracle of Love
Worldlings pray to the Lord in times of need, when it serves their turn. They cry to Him in trouble, but forsake Him in prosperity.
— Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Based on the English Standard Version
And then there is this jewel with its many facets of wisdom. It’s not difficult to imagine the breadth and depth of this sentiment – at least where astuteness and faith are an inseparable dynamic duo running rampant: “…while God does listen, knowing what He knows about us, and how well we take disappointment, often He will find a way to save us all the heartache and trouble we unwittingly plead and beseech and continually pester him for; ever a loving, wise Father, He will just simply answer, “no,” by default; by not answering, “yes.
— Connie Kerbs, Paths of Fear: An Anthology of Overcoming Through Courage, Inspiration, and the Miracle of Love
Now is as good a time as any to send up a prayer.
— Elsie Hillman-Gordon, Love Is Everything
Prayer opens the window of heaven.
— Lailah Gifty Akita
When we go for the battle, the burning flames of fire, light will consume the darkness.
— Lailah Gifty Akita
The Lord delivers those who delight in Him.
— Lailah Gifty Akita
Call on the Saviour. He will answer you.
— Lailah Gifty Akita
O Lord equipped the sacred souls to do thy work.
— Lailah Gifty Akita
May the Lord heal every sick soul.
— Lailah Gifty Akita