Prayer functioning… Part 1

It seems that every follower of Christ struggles with prayer at some point… or all points… of life.  I know my little A.D.D. brain often has trouble focusing; I know that I’ve said, “I’ll be praying for you” and have shamefully forgotten to do so; I know that I’ve often times struggled with the purpose of prayer and have sought to find “effective methods” of praying…

In the last year or so, God has taught me much about the function of prayer… I’ve reflected on answered and unanswered prayers in my own life… I’ve spoken with many who have strong prayer lives as they intimately commune with God on a regular basis and see things happen in answer to their prayers!  I’ve read many books and articles from others who have struggled to be effective prayer warriors and from those who seem to have done it well!

These are just a few quotes I’ve found along the way… I’d love to hear your thoughts.

“The things, good Lord, that we pray for, give us the grace to labour for.” ~ Sir Thomas More

 ”The true relation in prayer is not when God hears what is prayed for, but when the person praying continues to pray until he is the one who hears, who hears what God wills.”  ~ Soren Kierkgaard

“If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore?  Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.”  ~ E. Stanley Jones

“God draws mightily near to the praying soul.  To see God, to know God, and to live for God - these form the objective of all true praying.”  ~ E. M. Bounds

“If I seek God more than anything else, I will eventually seek more of what God wants for me, and be content with that.”  ~ Philip Yancey