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Quote by Philip Yancey

“Jesus' prayer for Peter shows the same pattern in sharp relief. Satan partially got his way with Peter, sifting him like wheat. But in answer to Jesus' prayer, the sifting rid Peter of his least attractive qualities: blustery self-confidence, a chip on his shoulder, a propensity to violence.”

Quote by Philip Yancey

Work

Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?

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Author

Philip Yancey
Philip Yancey

Philip Yancey (born 1949) is one of the most influential contemporary Christian authors in the United States. He is widely known for his profound explorations of faith, suffering, and grace, blending personal experience, theological reflection, and literary narrative. His bestselling books, including Where Is God When It Hurts?, What's So Amazing About Grace?, and The Jesus I Never Knew, have sold over 15 million copies worldwide and been translated into dozens of languages. Yancey served as an editor for Christianity Today and has written for numerous publications. His honest, thoughtful, and accessible writing style has deeply impacted millions of readers, inviting both believers and skeptics to engage with the complexities of faith. more

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“a commitment to put God first and love and follow him supremely is necessary before God can grant out prayers without harming us. If we are living lives in which God does not have our highest allegiance, then we will use prayer instrumentally, selfishly, simply, to try to get the things that may be already ruining our lives.”

“From a snake-catcher someone stole a snake; The fool saw as success this huge mistake From that snake’s bite its owner thus was spared, It killed the thief who’d now become ensnared. The owner saw the thief as he lay dead: I’d prayed to find this wretch eventually To claim my snake, then take it home with me Thank heavens, God chose not to answer it: So many prayers request catastrophe, But God opts not to listen mercifully.”

“Prayers are not always—in the crude, factual sense of the word—'granted.' This is not because prayer is a weaker kind of causality, but because it is a stronger kind. When it 'works' at all it works unlimited by space and time. That is why God has retained a discretionary power of granting or refusing it; except on that condition prayer would destroy us. It is not unreasonable for a headmaster to say, 'Such and such things you may do according to the fixed rules of this school. But such and such other things are too dangerous to be left to general rules. If you want to do them you must come and make a request and talk over the whole matter with me in my study. And then—we'll see'. -'Work and Prayer”

“She had a sort of wild, dangerous intelligence that was often at the root of the trouble she got into, and she saw in him a similar intelligence, a certain way of looking at the world, that had settled in him in a way that it had not quite settled in her, and in a way that she probably hoped it might one day, despite a confidence that was as wild as her intelligence. If there was anyone who might've inspired her to change course, it was him, despite her normal distaste and disregard for most forms of authority.”