PRAYER, breathing God

Prayer causes our hearts to breathe to the pulse of God. It is a joyful reply to God’s invitation to know him directly. We find, through prayer, miraculous access to the altar of God; a pathway to direct and loving relationship.  

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”  Martin Luther

“God instituted prayer in order to lend to His creatures the dignity of causality.” But not only prayer; whenever we act at all He lends us that dignity. … This is how (no light matter) God makes something—indeed, makes gods—out of nothing.”
Pascal

“True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that – it is a spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.” Charles Spurgeon

“Let no one profess to trust in God, and yet lay up for future wants, otherwise the Lord will first send him to the hoard he has amassed before He can answer the prayer for more.”  George Muller

“Prayer is beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul. Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face with God.” 
Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.”
C.S. Lewis

“We must lay before him what is in us; not what ought to be in us.”
C.S. Lewis

“Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through his Word and his grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with him.” “To fail to pray, then, is not to merely break some religious rule—it is a failure to treat God as God.”
Tim Keller

Some Highlights of Resources on Prayer from BELOVED:

The Puritan Approach to Worship by J.I. Packer

Prayer in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ” by Dr. John F. Walvoord

Praying in The Spirit, by Dr. Michael A. Milton (what it is and why is it important)

The Hidden Life of Prayer, from David MacIntyre (the Inner Sanctuary)

Tim Keller on Practical Theology

Praying The Lord’s Prayer from Tim Keller

Revival and the Holy Spirit Martin Lloyd-Jones

The Power of Prayer from R.A. Torrey

A Breathing After God, by Richard Sibbes, Theologian (1577–1635)

Four Truths about Prayer, from John Piper

Praying in the Name of Jesus, by O. Hallesby, Ph.D (Prayer, the Spirit of Prayer, Presence of God)

The Secrets of Answered Prayer by John F. Walvoord

Four Steps of Prayer which are the following four elements in sequence:

This process referred to with the initials A.C.T.S. is the basis of many Christian Prayers.

1. Praise / Adoration
Our personal prayer times will be enriched as we contemplate the Character and Names and Attributes of our mighty and wonderful God in Praise and Adoration.
2. Confession
In Confession, we humble ourselves before him in order to be cleansed of sin and made worthy to enter his throne room as beloved children.
3. Thanksgiving
In Thanksgiving, we remember all that God has been doing in our lives and celebrate his Faithfulness.
4. Intercession / Supplication
In Supplication and Intercession, we are participating in the plans and purposes of God for the world, for our families and friends, for the lost, and for his kingdom.

Romans 8:26 “Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. “

When we pray, we need an Intercessor. We need the Holy Spirit of God.

The Spirit is our Helper (Luke:11:1) and when we don’t know how we should pray John 14:16 “the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Resources for Prayer Enrichment:

Ligonier.org The Works of R.C. Sproul

Blue Letter Bible

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