To be spiritually dead is to be diabolically alive
Prayer does change things, all kinds of things. But the most important thing it changes is us. As we engage in this communion with God more deeply and come to know the One with whom we are speaking more intimately, that growing knowledge of God reveals to us all the more brilliantly who we are and our need to change in conformity to Him. Prayer changes us profoundly.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Prayer fundamentally alters our inner selves rather than just external circumstances.
This quote by R. C. Sproul emphasizes the transformative power of prayer in an individual's life. While prayer may influence various aspects of the world around us, its most profound effect is on our own character and understanding of ourselves. As we engage in prayer and deepen our connection with God, we gain insight into our identities and the changes we need to embrace in order to align more closely with divine will. It highlights prayer as a means of personal growth and spiritual development.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
You might use this quote in a sermon to emphasize the importance of prayer in personal development.
More from R. C. Sproul
All quotes →I’ve often wondered where Jesus would apply His hastily made whip if He were to visit our culture. My guess is that it would not be money-changing tables in the temple that would feel His wrath, but the display racks in Christian bookstores.
The real crisis of worship today is not that the preaching is paltry or that it's too drafty in church. It is that people have no sense of the presence of God, and if they have no sense of His presence, how can they be moved to express the deepest feelings of their souls to honor, revere, worship, and glorify God?
We talk about predestination because the Bible talks about predestination. If we desire to build our theology on the Bible, we run head on into this concept. We soon discover that John Calvin did not invent it.
Without God man has no reference point to define himself.
I do not want to drive across a bridge designed by an engineer who believed the numbers in structural stress models are relative truths.
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Whatsoever that be within us that feels, thinks, desires, and animates, is something celestial, divine, and, consequently, imperishable.