The true prayer is that of the heart, and the heart prays only for what it desires. To pray, then, is to desire - but to desire what God would have us desire.
Francois Fenelon
WHY THIS SPEAKS TO ME:

It strikes me that, in this business of praying, I can get the answer that I want in every prayer that I pray if the answer that I want in every prayer that I pray - truly - is God's will to be done. In fact, at the beginning of each day and in the middle of each day and at the end of each day - and as many other times during the day as I can - here's really what I and every other Christian must pray: 'Father, right now, in Jesus' Name and through the power of Your indwelling Holy Spirit, help me more and more to want what you want; to love what you love; yes, to desire what You desire. I trust You to work out specific details concerning specific needs in my life. What I must always know is, not are You with me; but am I with You?'

He (God) bestows bounty immeasurable; He provokes thee to good, He preserves thee in goodness; He prevents, He sustains, He fills thee. He moves thee to longing, and it is He for whom thou longest. The motive for loving God is God Himself . . . He is such that love to Him is a natural due . . . Our love is prepared and rewarded by His. . . He has no gift better than Himself. He gives Himself as prize and reward: He is the refreshment of the holy soul, the ransom of those in captivity.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux

WHY THIS SPEAKS TO ME:

On a day on which I need a little extra money to fix some things on the car - and that money has not materialized (I've prayed for the funds for many days) - I need to be reminded once again that the ultimate blessing in my life is God's Presence - not the things that He does for me - and God never departs, never leaves or forsakes. The car will get fixed - it always does because He always keeps His Word and provides for our needs in the way and time that brings the most glory to His Name and draws us closest to Him. My focus must always be on Him - worshipping Him; talking to Him; listening to Him; pointing my world to Him. He will take care of the rest.

Righteousness is the natural and essential food of the soul, which can no more be satisfied by earthly treasures than the hunger of the body can be satisfied by air. If you should see a starving man standing with his mouth open to the wind, inhaling drafts of air as if in hope of gratifying his hunger, you would think him lunatic. But it is no less foolish to imagine that the soul can be satisfied with worldly things which only inflate it without feeding it.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux

WHY THIS SPEAKS TO ME:

We used to sing a hymn that started like this: 'All my lifelong I had panted for a draught (drink) from some cool spring, that I hoped would quench the thirstings of the thirst I felt within. Oh hallelujah I have found Him, Whom my soul so long had craved, Jesus satisfies my longings, by His blood I now am saved!' St. Augustine put it something like this: 'The soul of man is made for God and the soul of man cannot find its rest until it finds it in God.' (My paraphrase.) I believed this when I first heard it taught and preached over 40 years ago and I still believe it today. There is no life - true, real, and ultimately eternal life - apart from a walking, talking, living, breathing, loving relationship with our Creator. In Jesus alone is salvation and life!

Commenting on John 6:5-6 - 'When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, 'Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?' And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.' KJV
- Moore writes:
At this very hour you may have to come face to face with a most tremendous need, and Christ stands beside you looking at it and questioning you about it. He says, in effect, 'How are you going to meet it?' He is scrutinizing you . . . watching you with a gentle tender sympathy. How many of us have failed in the test! We have taken out our pencil and our paper and commenced to figure out the two hundred pennyworth of bread; or we have run off hither and thither to strong and wealthy friends to extricate us; or we have sat down in utter despondency; or we have murmured against Him for bringing us into such a position. Should we not have turned a sunny face to Christ saying: Thou hast a plan! Thine is the responsibility, and Thou must tell me what to do. I have come so far in the path of obedience to Thy Guiding Spirit: and now, what art Thou going to do?
C.G. Moore

WHY THIS SPOKE TO ME:

It is a dangerous myth that some hold that as a result of any one experience or work of grace or great time of obedience to God we will then, automatically, as a matter of course continue on a day-by-day, choice-by-choice basis to make obedient, positive decisions for God - as if our free will has been 'purified' right out of us. Until the day we die the Christian has the God-given right to respond to any issue in his life in any way that he desires - whether it honors God or not. God never takes this privilege away from us. The walking-in-step with the Spirit Christian; the walking-in-the-light-as-He-is-in-the-light Christian; the new-creature-in-Christ Christian responds to every issue in life by saying, 'God, I want Your way here, but You will have to do your way here. For without You I am helpless.' Admitting our helplessness - even to God - is many times the real issue to proud human beings. God help us!