• After this do we not feel shame, and hide our faces, at seeing that righteous man for twenty years persevering and not desisting; we ourselves after a first or second petition often fainting and indignant? And yet he indeed had in large measure liberty of speech towards God, and all the same he felt no discontent at the delay of the giving, but remained patient, whereas we-laden with countless sins, living with an evil conscience, displaying no good will towards the Master—if we are not heard before having spoken, are bewildered, impatiently recoil, desist from asking. On this account we always retire with empty hands.

    Who has for twenty years besought God for one thing, as this righteous man did? Or rather who for twenty months only? Yesterday I was saying that they are many who pray with slackness, and yawning, and stretching themselves, and continually shifting their attitude, and indulging in every carelessness in their prayers-but today I have found also another damage attaching itself to their prayers more destructive than that one.

    Saint John Chrysostom
    HOMILY FIVE
    On the power of prayer and forgiveness

  • The start of the day [prayer] tells you how the rest of the day will be.

    —Anthony Marcos

  • Whenever I stop praying, the amazing coincidences stop happening.

    —Bishop Basil Rodzyanko

  • Elijah was so confident, he prayed five times knowing the rain would come. The Bible teaches us confidence and how to pray.

    —Fr. Mina Dimitri

  • Our leisure hours are ordinarily the sweetest and pleasantest for ourselves; we can never employ them better than in refreshing our spiritual strength, by a secret and intimate communion with God. Prayer is so necessary, and the source of so many blessings, that he who has discovered the treasure cannot be prevented from having recourse to it, whenever he has an opportunity.

    —Francois Fenelon, Spiritual Progress

  • When our prayers seem to be answered, when tragedy is avoided, when God seems so close to us because everything is going pretty much as we think it should, these are the times when a certain joy and confidence descends into our hearts and we feel that we could follow Christ anywhere. It is at times like this when we wonder how anyone could not follow Christ. In those moments of joy and confidence we feel encouraged and consoled, we feel as if nothing could ever shake us from our confidence in Christ.

    Patience: What Growth In Christ Looks Like
    ARCHPRIEST MICHAEL GILLIS

  • “Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.” 

    —St. Ephraim the Syrian

  • “I have often prayed and asked God for what seemed good in my own estimation. Like a fool, I kept on at God to grant me this; I would not leave it to him to arrange as he knows best for me. Then, having obtained the thing I had prayed for so stubbornly, I have often been sorry that I did not leave it to the will of God,for the reality often turned out very different from the way I had imagined.

    —Evagrios of Pontus

  • “If you do not want to be distracted during prayer, do not expose yourself to distracting matters when not praying.”

    —St. Isaiah of Shiheet

  • “You can’t rescue a brother who needs to save himself.”

    —Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way