j w acker

Throughout the centuries men of God have often witnessed to the great need for fervency in the prayers of God’s people, and lamented the coldness and formality of what many call ‘prayer’. There is a great difference between ‘saying prayers’ and praying, as the following quotes will highlight. “Prayer without fervency is no prayer; it is speaking, not praying. Lifeless prayer is no more prayer than a picture of a man is a man.” Richard Watson “Incense can neither smell nor ascend without fire; no more can prayer unless it arises from spiritual warmth and fervency…cold, lifeless, and idle prayers are like birds without wings…mere lip prayers are lost prayers.” J W Acker “We need new mighty movements of the soul. We need to awaken and arouse our sleeping selves to take hold of God in mighty prayer. We need to marshal all our spiritual resources and sanctified energies to pray the prayer that prevails. Unless our prayer has fervent force, it has no power to overcome difficulties and win mighty victories.” Wesley L Duewel “Enflamed desires impassioned, unwearied insistence, delights heaven…heaven is too busy to listen to half-hearted prayers…Prayers must be red hot. It is the fervent prayer that is effective…It takes fire to make prayers go. Warmth of soul creates an atmosphere favourable to prayer…by flame prayer ascends to heaven. Yet fire is not fuss, not heat, noise…To be absorbed in God’s will, to be so greatly in earnest about doing it that our whole being takes fire, is the qualifying condition of the man who would engage in effectual prayer.” E M Bounds “The prayer that prevails with God is the prayer into which we put our whole soul, stretching out toward God in agonizing desire…If we put so little heart into our prayers, we cannot expect God to put much heart into answering them…When we learn to come to God with an intensity of desire that wrings the soul, then shall we know a power in prayer that most of us do not know now.” R A Torrey “No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. The pulpit can be a shop window to display one’s talents; the prayer closet allows no showing off. Poverty-stricken as the Church is today in many things, she is most stricken here, in the place of prayer. We have many organisers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.” Leonard Ravenhill