D. A. Carson Quotes about Prayer

People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it

People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.

D. A. Carson

Prayer, Thinking, Self

All of us would be wiser if we would resolve never to put people down, except on our prayer lists.

D. A. Carson

Prayer, People, Would Be

D. A. Carson (1992). “A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers”, p.29, Baker Academic

Effective prayer is the fruit of a relationship with God, not a technique for acquiring blessings.

D. A. Carson

Prayer, Blessing, Technique

D. A. Carson (1992). “A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers”, p.33, Baker Academic

Some Christians want enough of Christ to be identified with him but not enough to be seriously inconvenienced; they genuinely cling to basic Christian orthodoxy but do not want to engage in serious Bible study; they value moral probity, especially of the public sort, but do not engage in war against inner corruptions; they fret over the quality of the preacher's sermon but do not worry much over the quality of their own prayer life. Such Christians are content with mediocrity.

D. A. Carson

Christian, Prayer, War

D. A. Carson (1992). “A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers”, p.121, Baker Academic

Either worrying drives out prayer, or prayer drives out worrying.

D. A. Carson

Prayer, Worry

We do not drift into spiritual life or disciplined prayer. We will not grow in prayer unless we plan to pray.

D. A. Carson

Spiritual, Prayer, Praying

D. A. Carson (1992). “A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers”, p.19, Baker Academic

Draw nigh to God, so that you may dread the grave as little as your bed. Draw nigh to God, that you may live a happy and useful life. Drawing nigh to God is the most concentrated energy of the soul. Effective prayer is the fruit of a relationship with God, not a technique for acquiring blessings.

D. A. Carson

Prayer, Blessing, Drawing

The person who prays more in public than in private reveals that he is less interested in God's approval than in human praise. Not piety but a reputation for piety is his concern.

D. A. Carson

Prayer, Approval, Reputation

Prayer is God's appointed means for appropriating the blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus.

D. A. Carson

Jesus, Prayer, Mean

D. A. Carson (1992). “A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers”, p.99, Baker Academic

Much praying is not done because we do not plan to pray. We do not drift into spiritual life; we do not drift into disciplined prayer. We will not grow in prayer unless we plan to pray. That means we must self-consciousl y set aside time to do nothing but pray.

D. A. Carson

Spiritual, Prayer, Mean

D. A. Carson (1992). “A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers”, p.19, Baker Academic