There are so many good ones from Yancey’s book “Prayer Does It Make Any Difference” that it is hard to choose, plus I have to type them out so I like the short ones best. Yancey writes about prayer as a journalist mostly interviewing people and researching what the Bible says about the subject. I appreciate that he is not a theologian or an academic and has a way with words that hit the mark for ordinary believers.
The real value of persistent prayer is not so much that we get what we want as that we become the person we should be. Page 153
I have sometimes found that I get an answer to my persistent request after I have learned to do without it. The answer then comes as a surprise, an unexpected gift of grace. I seek the gift, find instead the Giver, and eventually come away with the gift I no longer need.” Page 154
Like a lingering scent, prayer carries over into the rest of the day. Page 162
The only fatal mistake is to stop praying and not begin again. Page 163
As with physical exercise, much of the benefit of prayer comes as a result of consistency, the simple act of showing up. Page 165
The Bible includes around 650 prayers, some short and some long, reflecting many different circumstances and moods. Page 171
I find it liberating that God welcomes, even encourages, me to face into my dark side in my prayers. I can trust God with my secrets. Page 174
People on sinking ships do not complain of distractions during their prayer. Page 188
Paul holds out the strong promise that in prayer we have the perfect translator, so that even our wordlessness finds its way to the source of all grace. Page 193
I have yet to find a single witness, though, who does not tell of going through a dry period. Page 201
Group prayer offers a place for those in the desert as well as those on the mountaintops, for some who simply say “Please Pray for me” as well as those who gladly do it. Page 206
What is faith, after all, but believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse? Page 210
I do not doubt that God answers prayer. Rather, I struggle with the inconsistency of those apparent answers. Page 220
By answering every possible prayer, God would in effect abdicate, turning the world over to us. Page 228
Between the two questions “Does God answer prayer?” and “Will God grant my specific prayer for this sick child or this particular injustice?” lies a great pool of mystery. Page 230
I may do one additional post in the future on this book to cover the last section but that is enough for now. May I request that anyone reading this post today say a prayer for the people in Haiti. There is a tropical storm approaching them with near hurricane force winds and as you know one and a half million people still live in tents since the earthquake. They have also had a cholera outbreak recently. Pray for God’s protection and help for the people of Haiti and any other islands in the path of the storm. Thanks.
Lou
It seems prayers (for Haiti) have been answered. Even though the people of Haiti continue to suffer, the storm could have been much worse. My fear is that people around the world seem to have lost interest in the plight of these poor souls.
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