12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
1 Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
14 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. 7 Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.
5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. 6 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
2 “This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it--the LORD is his name: 3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’”
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
“Prayer is our chief duty and brings heaven down to man. There is no duty that has so many promises attached to it, gives more honor to God, or which receives more honor from God. It is a guard to secure the fort of the heart, a porter to keep the door of the lips, and a shield to protect the hands. It perfumes every relation and profits every condition. No one can deprive you of this privilege.” George Swinnock
“The reason why we obtain no more in prayer is because we expect no more.” Richard Alleine
“A prayer in a moment can fly to the highest heavens. It is a sweet savor to God, a terror to the devil, and a shelter to a Christian.” George Swinnock
“God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. They outlive the lives of those who uttered them.” E.M. Bounds
“Prayer is that mightiest of all weapons that created natures can wield.” Martin Luther
“In believing prayer, we learn to connect our present troubles to the good and perfect will of God. We refuse to believe that chance rules our lives. We withstand the temptation to imagine that God is capricious or malicious. We know he has a higher purpose and that he is not dealing with us as our sins deserve. As we bring our troubles to Jesus in prayer—asking his will to be done—we approve the will of our Father in heaven. We see our sufferings in the greater reality of his good, acceptable, and perfect will. In prayer we “turn crisis to Christ.” Our heart becomes tuned to his heart and we sing the song of grace.” John F. Smed
“Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons; but they are helpless against our prayers.” J. Sidlow Baxter
“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” Samuel Chadwick
“Philippians 4:6 instructs us to pray about everything. If Paul had wanted us to limit our praying to everything big, he certainly would have told us. God is as interested in your small, seemingly insignificant requests as he is your kingdom-level, life changing needs. God’s interest in your prayers isn’t dependent upon their relative kingdom weightiness. Its’ based on his love for and interest in you. Praying for the little things teaches you to depend on God. Since prayer is communication and dialogue with God, praying for little things teaches you to enjoy his presence. Seeking God in the little things increases your gratitude and offers perspective. You should pray for little things, because they often turn into big things.” Anonymous
“The chief purpose of prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer.” R.A. Torrey
“Just as a Momma rushes to the side of her wailing child, the Lord ever harkens His ear to His lamenting ‘sheep’. He is a ‘with us’ God, staying by our side as we walk through our valleys of Baca (tears) and never leaves us nor forsakes us. He will either change our circumstances or change us in our circumstances – either way the blessings He bestows as we call out to Him are totally other worldly. He is the Ultimate Healer of the broken and contrite heart.” BHY
“Pleading the promises of God is the whole secret of prayer.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer.” F. B. Meyer
“How shall we get a good conscience? Take heed of every sin, and do not count any small. Renew repentance every day, being serious and frequent in heart examinations. Live as under God’s eye. All things are bare before Him. Be much in secret prayer. Consider every action as a part of your life purpose. Enjoy Christ more and entertain good thoughts of God. Whatever you do, do it out of love for God.” Samuel Annesley
“Come, let us offer Him the great, universal sacrifice of our love, and pour out before Him our richest hymns and prayers.” Ephrem the Syrian
“You know the value of prayer; it is precious beyond all price. Never, never neglect it.” Thomas Buxton
“Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan.” John Bunyan
“The kind of prayer that changes hearts and transforms neighborhoods and rebuilds communities and revives nations is intense, fervent, and all business. It’s that kind of dedicated ministry through which the real work of God gets done.” David Jeremiah
“We can be world changers by bending the knees. God changes things through prayer not the least of which is our own hearts. As Chesterton aptly stated: ‘Dear Sir: Regarding your article ‘What’s Wrong with the World?’ I am. Yours truly.’ Prayer is ever mighty in its working. It moves the hand of God. Be faithful in prayer.” BHY