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Practice of Prayer

【Prayer】Martin Luther prayed: “Dear Lord, although I am sure of my position, I am unable to sustain it without thee. Help thou me or I am lost.”

【Prayer】Lord

I crawled across the barrenness

To you with my empty cup

Uncertain

In asking any small drop of refreshment.

If only I had known you better

I’d have come running with a bucket.—Nancy Spiegelberg

【Prayer】Chaplain Richard Halverson of the United States Senate told the story of a time when the subject of prayer in schools came up just before a Senator was to give a speech to several hundred men at a church’s annual men’s dinner. In response to the Senator’s question about how many of the church men believed in prayer in the public schools, nearly every man present raised his hand in the affirmative.

Then the Senator asked, “How many of you pray daily with your own children in your home?” This time, only a few hands were raised.

【Prayer】”Prayer pulls the rope down below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly; others give only an occasional jerk at the rope. But he who communicates with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously with all his might.”—C.H. Spurgeon

【Length of Prayer】A man who prays much in private will make short prayers in public!

【Quiet Time】Michael E. DeBakey, heart surgeon, once observed: “For me, the solitude of early morning is the most precious time of day. There is a quiet serenity that disappears a few hours later with the hustle and bustle of the multitude. Early morning hours symbolize for me a rebirth; the anxieties, frustrations, and woes of the preceding day seem to have been washed away during the night. God has granted another day of life, another chance to do something worthwhile for humanity.

【Prayer】The story is told of a young girl who said, “Lord, I am not going to pray for myself today; I am going to pray for others.” But at the end of her prayer she added, “And give my mother a handsome son-in-law!” We just can’t seem to end a prayer without asking for something for ourselves!