Prayer

Preaching Magazine Illustrations

In his “One Minute Uplift” newsletter, Rick Ezell writes: “St. Augustine, the early church father and theologian, described prayer as like a man in a hapless boat, who throws a rope at a rock. The rock provides the needed security and stability for the helpless man. When the rock is lassoed, it’s not the man pulling the rock to the boat (though it may appear that way); it is the pulling of the boat to the rock. Jesus is the rock, and we throw the rope through prayer.

“Samuel Chadwick said, ‘The one concern of the devil is to keep saints from prayer. He fears nothing from prayer less studies, prayer less work, and prayer less religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.’”