Favorite Quotes About Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer. 

There are 136,000 books on prayer for sale on Amazon.  There are 136 million web pages about prayer on Google, including 4 million videos, and 6 million news articles.  Apparently prayer is a popular subject.  But how many Christians actually pray -- I mean really pray, the Jesus taught us to pray?  My guess is not many.

Today I want to give you a little inspiration to keep praying and don't give up (Lk 18:1).  Here are some of my favorite quotes about prayer. 

"Our prayer life ought to be like an iceberg.  Only 1/9 of the iceberg is visible above water.  The other 8/9 are below water.  The bulk of your prayer life should be in private."  Author Unknown

“Wicked men who are a burden to God have no right to cast their burden upon him.”  Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments

"There is a direct correlation between not knowing Jesus well and not asking much from Him.  A prayerless Christian is like a bus driver trying alone to push his bus out of a rut because he doesn't know Clark Kent is on board.  If you knew, you would ask.  A prayerless Christian is like having your room wallpapered with Saks Fifth Avenue gift certificates but always shopping at Goodwill because you can't read."  John Piper, Desiring God.

"He (Jesus) sets the example for us, as a perfect human being, by rising early in the morning to pray (Mk 1:35) and seeking times alone to pray (Mt 14:23) and sometimes spending the whole night in prayer (Lk 6:12) and, in the end, preparing for his suffering by prayer (Lk 22:41-42)."  John Piper, What Jesus Demands

Prayer is a conversation, not a ceremony.  Prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue.  Prayer is a relationship, not a ritual.  Rick Warren

"A baby doesn’t know the difference between "No" and "Not yet."  A mature person knows the different between delays and denials."  Rick Warren

“What is prayer?  It is an offering up of our desires to God for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ.”  Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments

"The tree of mercy will not drop its fruit unless it be shaken by the hand of prayer."  Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments

"If when God speaks to us in his word, we are deaf, when we speak to him in prayer, he will be dumb."  Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments

“Wicked men who are a burden to God have no right to cast their burden upon him.”  Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments

"You can do more than pray, after you’ve prayed, but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed."  Author Unknown

"Without the death of Jesus, our sins would not be forgiven (Mt 26:28) and the wrath of God would still be against us (Jn 3:36).  In that condition we could expect no answers to prayer from God.  Therefore, Jesus is the ground of all our prayers.  This is why he taught us to pray in his name. (Jn 14:13; 16:23-24).  Ending our prayers 'in Jesus' name, Amen' is not a mere tradition; it is an affirmation of faith in Jesus as the only hope of access to God."  John Piper, What Jesus Demands