Thoughts for Life: #6 Prayer Learned by Praying

Samuel Chadwick: There is no way
to learn to pray but by praying. No reasoned philosophy of prayer ever taught a soul to pray. The subject is beset with problems, but there are no problems of prayer to the man who prays!

They are all met in the fact of answered prayer and the joy of fellowship with God. We know not what we should pray for as we ought, and if prayer waits for understanding it will never begin.
We live by faith. We walk by faith. (Google image, Man in blue shirt praying)

Edison wrote in 1921:
"We don't know the millionth part of one percent about anything. We don't know what water is. We don't know what light is. We don't know what gravitation is. We don't know what enables us to keep on our feet when we stand up.
We don't know what heat is. We don't know anything about magnetism. We have a lot of hypotheses about these things, but that is all. But we do not let our ignorance about all these things deprive us of their use."

We discover by using. We learn by practice. Though a man should have all knowledge about prayer, and though he understand all mysteries about prayer unless he prays he will never learn to pray.

There have been souls that were mighty in prayer, and they learned to pray. There was a period in their lives when they were as others in the matter of prayer, but they became mighty with God and prevailed. In every instance there was a crisis of grace, but it was in the discipline of grace that they discovered the secret of power.

They were known as men of God because they were men of prayer. Some of them were renamed, like Jacob and Simon and Saul. They were called "Praying John," "Praying Mary," Praying Bramwell," and "Praying Hyde."

Our Methodist Fathers were mighty in prayer. They saved England by prayer. They shook the gates of hell by prayer. They opened the windows of heaven by prayer. How did they learn to pray? They leaned to pray by being much in prayer. They did not talk about prayer; they prayed. They did not argue about prayer; they prayed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

THE PATH OF PRAYER

By Samuel Chadwick

Used by the permission of

www.cliffcollege.ac.uk
(Emphasis by Jean)

Let's pray-

Father, as there is no way to learn to pray but by actually praying, may we be willing to pray, asking for Your help to be effective.
As we do, may we see answers and enjoy fellowship with You as we live by our faith in that You do hear us.
We know that as we learn to pray by praying, we'll begin to understand the mystery of praying.
There will be some crisis of grace, as we prevail in disciplining ourselves, for we will discover the secret of Your power working within us.
May we be successful in shaking the gates of hell by our prayers.
We will be determined to learn to pray by praying; not just talking about it!

In the precious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Today's Bible verses-

Prov. 18:4, 10 (NKJV) "The words of a man's mouth
are deep waters; The wellspring of wisdom is a
flowing brook. (v. 10) The Name of the LORD is a
strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe."

Ps. 119:169-172 (NKJV) "Let my cry come before
You, O LORD; Give me understanding according
to Your word. (v. 170) Let my supplication come
before You; Deliver me according to Your word.
(v. 171) My lips shall utter praise, For You teach
me Your statutes. (v. 172) My tongue shall speak
of Your word, For all Your commandments are
righteousness."

Today's quotes-

~ Max Lucado- "Satan’s best tools of destruction are not from outside the church; they are within the church. A church will never die from the immorality in Hollywood or the corruption in Washington. But it will die from corrosion within—from those who bear the name of Jesus but have never met him and from those who have religion but no relationship."

~ H. A. Ironside- God is not looking for brilliant men, is not depending upon eloquent men, is not shut up to the use of talented men in sending His Gospel out in the light of the Cross of Christ. When He wants anything done, He takes up men who have come to the end of themselves, whose confidence is not in themselves, but in God."

[Taken from Herald of His Coming newspaper, Vol 78, No 1 (925), p. 2. Used by permission.]

Today's popular post-

#72 The Spirit Empowers You to Pray

Dr. Wesley L. Duewel: "The Spirit empowers you to pray. Do you feel you have so little prayer power? Of course, you do. None of us has prayer power in ourselves.

The role of the Holy Spirit is to empower."

Today's sermon spotlight-

JANUARY 20, 2019

The Fountain of Living Water

Speaker: Daniel Paladin . Series: Misc Topic: CFC Potsdam

Upcoming posts-

Holiness or Wholly-ness
26th- Saturday's post by Lee Forbes

#7 Trained in Prayer
29th- Tuesday's post by Samuel Chadwick

#8 Praying in Secret
31st- Thursday's post by Samuel Chadwick

My Rainbow in the Cloud
Feb. 2nd- Saturday's post by Oswald Chambers