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「有女先知名叫亞拿....並不離開聖殿，禁食祈求，晝夜事奉神。」（路加福音二章36/37節）
我們越常禱告，就越會禱告。這是無疑的事。凡對於禱告時作時輟的人，他的禱告決不會發生多大效力。
禱告的能力是我們每一個人都能得到的，但是卻不是不費力就能得到的。亞伯拉罕和神如果不常有交通，他為所多瑪祈求，決不能有這樣的成就。
我們的主在世為人的時候，時常天未黎明，就起來禱告了。
如果有人想毫不費力，就可以成為一個禱告的偉人，他就大錯了。哦，巴不得每一個基督徒都記得：禱告的效力，在乎禱告的堅忍。
代禱者是教會最大的保護人；他們是施恩座前神施憐憫給人的導管。
我們應當藉禱告來學習禱告，藉繼續禱告來使禱告繼續。── 司布真（C. H. Spurgeon）
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“And there was Anna, a prophetess…which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” (Luke 2:36, 37.)
No doubt by praying we learn to pray, and the more we pray the oftener we can pray, and the better we can pray. He who prays in fits and starts is never likely to attain to that effectual, fervent prayer which availeth much.
Great power in prayer is within our reach, but we must go to work to obtain it. Let us never imagine that Abraham could have interceded so successfully for Sodom if he had not been all him lifetime in the practice of communion with God.
Jacob’s all-night at Peniel was not the first occasion upon which he had met his God. We may even look upon our Lord’s most choice and wonderful prayer with his disciples before His Passion as the flower and fruit of His many nights of devotion, and of His often rising up a great while before day to pray.
If a man dreams that he can become mighty in prayer just as he pleases, he labors under a great mistake. The prayer of Elias which shut up heaven and afterwards opened its floodgates, was one of long series of mighty prevailings with God. Oh, that Christian men would remember this! Perseverance in prayer is necessary to prevalence in prayer.
Those great intercessors, who are not so often mentioned as they ought to be in connection with confessors and martyrs, were nevertheless the grandest benefactors of the Church; but it was only by abiding at the mercy-seat that they attained to be such channels of mercy to men. We must pray to pray, and continue in prayer that our prayers may continue.
--- C. H. Spurgeon.
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