Magnificent Prayer #347
Magnificent Prayer #347
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
3 John 2
The secret of praying is praying in secret. Books on prayer are good, but not enough. As books on cooking are good but hopeless unless there is food to work on, so with prayer. One can read a library of prayer books and not be one whit more powerful in prayer. We must learn to pray, and we must pray to learn to pray.
While sitting in a chair reading the finest book in the world on physical health, one may waste away. So one may read about prayer, marvel at the endurance of Moses, or stagger at the weeping, groaning Jeremiah, and yet not be able to stammer the ABC’s of intercessory prayer. As the bullet unspent bags no game, so the prayer-heart unburdened gathers no spoil.
LEONARD RAVENHILL
Pray About It: It would be a great tragedy if this book turned into just an interesting collection of sayings about prayer. By now, if you’ve been blessed by this book, your prayer life should be stronger. You should have seen some wonderful answers. And you should be enjoying sweeter friendship with God than before.
And as the year draws close to its end, my prayer for you is that next year might find your prayer life even richer and more rewarding as you continue to labor for God through prayer.
When we read anything and understand it somewhat, we think that this is enough. No: we must give time, that it may make an impression and wield its own influence upon us. Read every portion the first time with consideration, to understand the good that is in it, and then see if you receive benefit from the thoughts that are there expressed.
Read it the second time to see if it is really in accordance with God’s word…ponder them in order to come under the full force of what God has said on the point…
Read it then the third time to find out the corresponding places, not in the Bible, but in your own life, in order to know if your life has been in harmony with the New Life, and to direct your life for the future entirely according to God’s word.
ANDREW MURRAY
From the book
