In reading about a few of the heroes of the faith, I decided that I wanted to share some brief quotes/thoughts that they put forward about prayer.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer saw prayer as a journey. It is not just about expressing our own feelings, but rather also about seeking and finding God. He considered Psalms as a ‘prayer book of the Bible,’ using Psalms to teach Christians about prayer.
In his words:
“Prayer does not mean simply to pour out one’s heart. It means rather to find the way to God and to speak with him, whether the heart is full or empty.”
“The more deeply we grow into the psalms and the more often we pray them as our own, the more simple and rich will our prayer become.”
Mother Teresa saw prayer as essential to her life of service. She felt that through prayer we are encouraged and strengthened and able to better serve others. She also saw silence as an important aspect of prayer – as a way to listen for God’s voice and to fill herself with His presence.
In her words:
“I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things.”
“I always begin my prayer in silence, for it is in the silence of the heart that God speaks.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. saw prayer as being essential for Christians and an important tool for social change. He believed that through prayer one could find strength to ‘love your enemies’ and to stand up against oppression and to work towards peace.
In his words:
“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
“Give us faith enough to renounce the lies and tear down the walls that separate us with our hands, with our feet, and with our votes!”
May we all experience spiritual renewal and growth through prayer.
Cindy Binz, on behalf of the Prayer Group