Prayer keeps the heart open to God — but shut to sin.
Prayer is the key which unlocks God's
treasures of mercy.
When prayer leads the van, deliverance brings up the
rear.
Though our sins go up to Heaven as the smoke of a
furnace — yet Christ's prayers go up as incense.
Prayer ushers in mercy, and prayer sanctifies mercy.
Those who would hold fellowship with God, must be
much in prayer, and mighty in prayer. The incense heated with fire was a
type of prayer, to teach us that Christians should have their hearts
inflamed by prayer: cold hearts yield no fragrance.
Prayer is the arrow, and faith is the bow, by which
our requests go up to Heaven. A faithless prayer is a fruitless prayer:
"The father of the child cried out and said, with tears, Lord, I
believe." When his tear dropped to the earth, his faith reached Heaven.
It is a saying of one of the ancients, "The saints
carry the keys of Heaven at their belt." Prayer opens the door, and
takes the blessings from God's hand!
God loves a modest boldness in prayer; such shall not
be unanswered.
Prayer is a glorious ordinance; it is the soul
trading with Heaven. God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to
him by prayer.
Prayer without fervency is no prayer. Lifeless prayer
is no more prayer than the picture of a man is a man.
The tree of the promise will not drop its fruit,
unless shaken by the hand of prayer.
That prayer is most likely to pierce Heaven, which
first pierces one's own heart.
When men cast off prayer, it is a sign they have cast
off God; it is the brand of an apostate: "you restrain prayer before
God."
Believers have the Spirit of God breathing in them,
and God cannot but hear the cries of his own Spirit: "The Lord hearkened
and heard."
Mental prayer is heard, "Hannah spoke in her heart."
When the heart is so full of grief that it can only groan in prayer —
yet God writes that down: "My groaning is not hidden from you."
Prayer is the bulwark of the land. God's vials of
indignation are not poured out, while the sluices of prayer are open.
A godly man will as soon live without food, as
without prayer.
"Every creature of God is sanctified by prayer." The
bird never takes a drop from the stream, without lifting up its eye
toward Heaven.
The Christian holds fellowship with Heaven; he is
conversant with closet holiness; while the hypocrite is a saint in the
church — but an atheist in the closet.
Prayer delights God's ear; it melts his heart; it
opens his hand. Plead with him earnestly, and either he will remove the
affliction, or remove your impatience.
Men can never pray fervently who do not pray
feelingly, like Samson, when he said, "I shall die for thirst!" Daniel,
in the den, prayed fervently and feelingly, and God shut the lions'
mouths, and opened the lions' den: "The fervent prayer of a righteous
man avails much."
Prayer is the key of Heaven, and faith is the hand
that turns it!
"We cry, Abba, Father!"
"We cry" — there is the fervency.
"Abba, Father!" — there is the faith.
"We cry" — there is the fervency.
"Abba, Father!" — there is the faith.
Fervency in prayer is as fire to the
incense — it makes it ascend to Heaven as a sweet perfume. To induce
believers to pray in faith, let them remember the bountifulness
of God. He often exceeds the prayers of his people. Hannah asked a son —
God gave her not only a son — but a prophet. Solomon asked wisdom — God
gave him not only wisdom — but riches and honor beside. Jacob asked that
God would give him food and clothing — but the Lord increased his riches
to two bands. The woman of Canaan asked but the life of her child — but
Christ not only gave her that — but the life of her soul also.