[Lee Grzywinski]

Hello all!

“As soon as I realize that I am helpless, also when it comes to the question of controlling my restless thoughts, and let Jesus, my Almighty Friend, deal with these powerful foes of my soul also, then the peace of God will descend with healing and blessing upon my distracting soul.” Absolutely awesome!

Hallesby makes three important points in this chapter. First, praying is mortifying the flesh nature we all still carry. Realizing that this is very often the obstacle to prayer is so important. We lose that battle when we don’t pray. We begin to overcome that nature when we do pray.

Second, praying is more than speaking. The way Hallesby encourages us to “let quietude wield its influence” upon us is so wise. So often, we jump to speaking, usually because the sooner we start, the sooner we’re done. Just sitting and being in God’s presence helps ensure we never pray to check a box.

Third, that “the real purpose of our wrestling in prayer is…to render us…impotent and helpless” reinforces what Hallesby wrote in chapter 1. This really is God’s work. We are truly helpless in prayer and need to come to God to work in us even as we pray.

What did you think?

[Blanca Saccomanno]

“To pray is to open one’s heart to Jesus” (page 99). He writes that prayer is not just coming to God and constantly talking and when done walking away never quieting down long enough to allow his word and his the Spirit to convict and act as an x- ray machine into the depths of our hearts to bring conviction and cleansing in order to enjoy greater communion and effectiveness in our service. Prayer is more than asking its allowing the Spirit to search us and know our heart Psalm 139:23-24 (Page 97)

[Lynne Mazza-Hilway]

Yes Blanca! “In the quiet and holy hour of prayer we should be still and permit ourselves to be examined by the Physician of our souls. We should submit to scrutiny under the holy and penetrating light of God with it’s healing properties. This light-ray treatment arrests the disease of sin but doesn’t eradicate it. We need to confess and submit daily. The secret prayer chamber is a bloody battleground and we need to be aware of satan’s veiled hand directing his best and most numerous darts, targeting our prayers which are the very heart-beat of our life in God.” Lord , bless us with Your Spirit of prayer, protect and empower us to be better able to commune with You so we can worship and give Your ou all the glory only You deserve.

[Joe Del Grande]

I really liked how he started chapter 4 by saying that prayer is the central function of our life of faith, and it is the very heartbeat of our life in God. Therefore our prayer life will certainly become a target for Satan.

I sometimes struggle with prayer because it is not always something easy to do and my mind gets easily distracted on other tasks that have to be completed. I then beat myself up for not being focused in prayer. I like the way Hallesby says that our carnal mind will mobilize all the reasons for us not to pray now. I need to decide to pray first and to enter into the Spirit of prayer. To do that, I can come to Jesus with my helpless self and ask him to bring me into the spirit of prayer to commune with him.

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