MOTIVATIONAL PRAYER QUOTES

Our whole usefulness in life depends on our ability to pray. Luther spent his best three hours in prayer. Today many do not know how to pray, some have even neglected this mighty tool. Let us look at some powerful quotes on prayer.

"What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use — men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men — men of prayer."

"The preaching man is to be the praying man. Prayer is the preacher’s mightiest weapon. An almighty force in itself, it gives life and force to all."

"The real sermon is made in the closet. The man — God’s man — is made in the closet. His life and his profoundest convictions were born in his secret communion with God. The burdened and tearful agony of his spirit, his weightiest and sweetest messages were got when alone with God. Prayer makes the man; prayer makes the preacher; prayer makes the pastor."

"The pulpit of this day is weak in praying. The pride of learning is against

the dependent humility of prayer. Prayer is with the pulpit too often only

official — a performance for the routine of service. Prayer is not to the

modern pulpit the mighty force it was in Paul’s life or Paul’s ministry.

Every preacher who does not make prayer a mighty factor in his own life

and ministry is weak as a factor in God’s work and is powerless to project

God’s cause in this world." 

E.M. BOUNDS

Prayer — secret, fervent, believing prayer — lies at the root of all personal godliness. A competent knowledge of the language where a missionary lives, a mild and winning temper, a heart given up to God in closet religion — these, are the attainments which, more than all knowledge, or all other gifts, will lift us to become the instruments of God in the great work of human redemption.

— CAREY’S BROTHERHOOD, SERAMPORE.

Prayer freshens the heart of the preacher, keeps it in tune with God and in

sympathy with the people, lifts his ministry out of the chilly air of a

profession, fructifies routine and moves every wheel with the facility and

power of a divine unction.

E. M. BOUNDS

The praying which makes a prayerful ministry is not a little praying put in

as we put flavor to give it a pleasant smack, but the praying must be in the

body, and form the blood and bones. Prayer is no petty duty, put into a

corner; no piecemeal performance made out of the fragments of time which

have been snatched from business and other engagements of life; but it

means that the best of our time, the heart of our time and strength must be

given.

E. M. BOUNDS

The praying which gives color and bent to character is no pleasant, hurried pastime. It must enter as strongly into the heart and life as Christ’s “strong crying and tears” did; must draw out the soul into an agony of desire as Paul’s did; must be an inwrought fire and force like the “effectual, fervent prayer” of James; must be of that quality which, when put into the golden censer and incensed before God, works mighty spiritual throes and revolutions.

E. M. BOUNDS

Prayer is not a little habit pinned on to us while we were tied to our

mother’s apron strings; neither is it a little decent quarter of a minute’s

grace said over an hour’s dinner, but it is a most serious work of our most

serious years. It engages more of time and appetite than our longest

dinings or richest feasts.

In the school of prayer only can the heart learn to preach. No learning can make up for the failure to pray. No earnestness, no diligence, no study, no gifts will supply its lack.

Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is

greater still. He will never talk well and with real success to men for God

who has not learned well how to talk to God for men.

E. M. BOUNDS