S - Quotes
Christ was continually receiving from the Father that He might communicate to us. “The word which ye hear,” He said, “is not Mine, but the Father's which sent Me.” “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” Not for Himself, but for others, He lived & thought & prayed. From hours spent with God He came forth morning by morning, to bring the light of heaven to men. Daily He received a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit. In the early hours of the new day the Lord awakened Him from His slumbers, & His soul & His lips were anointed with grace, that He might impart to others. His words were given Him fresh from the heavenly courts, words that He might speak in season to the weary & oppressed. … COL 139
Let your cry be to God, Convert my inmost soul. Plead with God for the transforming power of His grace. HP 24
The way to the throne of God is always open. You cannot always be on your knees in prayer, but your silent petitions may constantly ascend to God for strength & guidance. When tempted, as you will be, you may flee to the secret place of the Most High. His everlasting arms will be underneath you. HP 86
Christ's disciples were much impressed by His prayers & by His habit of communion with God. One day after a short absence from their Lord, they found Him absorbed in supplication. Seeming unconscious of their presence, He continued praying aloud. The hearts of the disciples were deeply moved. As He ceased praying, they exclaimed, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
In order to strengthen our confidence in God, Christ teaches us to address Him by a new name, a name entwined with the dearest associations of the human heart. He gives us the privilege of calling the infinite God our Father. This name, spoken to Him & of Him, is a sign of our love & trust toward Him, & a pledge of His regard & relationship to us. Spoken when asking His favor or blessing, it is as music in His ears. That we might not think it presumption to call Him by this name, He has repeated it again & again.
God regards us as His children. He has redeemed us out of the careless world & has chosen us to become members of the royal family, sons & daughters of the heavenly King. He invites us to trust in Him with a trust deeper & stronger than that of a child in his earthly father. Parents love their children, but the love of God is larger, broader, deeper, than human love can possibly be. It is immeasurable. Then if earthly parents know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more shall our Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?
If we have in any way grieved or wounded others, it is our duty to confess our fault & seek for reconciliation. This is an essential preparation that we may come before God in faith, to ask His blessing. COL 141-144
Every Christian will be assailed by the allurements of the world, the clamors of the carnal nature, & the direct temptations of Satan. No one is safe. No matter what our experience has been, no matter how high our station, we need to watch & pray continually. We must be daily controlled by the Spirit of God or we are controlled by Satan. 5T 102
Cease worrying, & begin to count up your blessings & privileges. Your temper will be tried. Your patience will be tested. Prayer alone, & earnest faith, will bring you through these things like a Christian. We are in the school of Christ. We are to be disciplined & trained, until our characters shall become Christlike. We are to grow daily in spiritual loveliness. We shall fail often in our efforts to copy the divine Pattern…but we are not to be discouraged. Pray more fervently. Believe more fully, & try again with more steadfastness to grow into the likeness of your Lord. As we distrust our own power, we shall trust the power of our Redeemer, & we shall praise God who is the health of our countenance. RH Aug. 7, 1888
We can overcome. Yes; fully, entirely. Jesus died to make a way of escape for us, that we might overcome every fault, resist every temptation, & sit down at last with Him in His throne.
The power of God has not decreased. It would be just as freely bestowed now as formerly; but the church have lost their faith to claim, their energy to wrestle, as did Jacob, crying, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me”.
Jesus our example was much in prayer; & oh, how earnest, how fervent were His petitions! If He, the beloved Son of God, was moved to such earnestness, such agony, in our behalf, how much more need that we, who are dependent upon Heaven for all our strength, have our whole souls stirred to wrestle with God.
Morning & evening we should obtain the victory for ourselves, in our own families. Our daily labor should not keep us from this. We must take time to pray & as we pray, believe that God hears us. RH Sept. 4, 1883
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, & pray, & seek my face, & turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, & will forgive their sin, & will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
When Israel cried unto the Lord in their trouble, & sought him, he was found of them. In this statement there is great encouragement for those who are cold & backslidden to seek the Lord; they have the promise that he will be found of them in the day when they seek him with the whole heart. YI Nov. 22, 1894
In every prayer, let the hand of living faith lay hold upon infinite help. Faith is the medium by which the renewed heart is drawn close to the great heart of love. Faith elevates the sinking soul. Faith lightens every burden & relieves every weariness, by the anticipation of the mansions Jesus has gone to prepare for them that love him. GW92 467
Christ says, “I am the way, the truth, & the life;” & it is the privilege of every soul to make Christ his personal Saviour. You need not wait to grow good; you need not think that any effort of yours will make your prayers acceptable, & bring you salvation. Let each man & woman pray to God, not to man. Let each one come to Christ in humility, speak to him with your own lips. The request, “Will you pray for me?” has become simply a form of speech; you should pray to God for yourself, believing that he listens to every word you utter. RH Aug. 26, 1890
Let us thank God every day for the blessings that are ours. If the human agent will humble himself before God, ... realizing his utter inability to do the work that needs to be done in order that his soul may be purified; if he will cast away his own righteousness, Christ will abide in his heart. He will put His hand to the work of creating him anew, & will continue the work till he is complete in Him. RH Mar. 31, 1904
There is a remedy for the sin-sick soul. That remedy is in Jesus. Precious Saviour! his grace is sufficient for the weakest; & the strongest must also have his grace or perish.
I saw how this grace could be obtained. Go to your closet & there alone plead with God. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, & renew a right spirit within me." Be in earnest, be sincere. Fervent prayer availeth much. Jacob-like, wrestle in prayer. Agonize. Jesus in the garden sweat great drops of blood; you must make an effort. Do not leave your closet until you feel strong in God; then watch, & just as long as you watch & pray, you can keep these evil besetments under, & the grace of God can, & will, appear in you. 2SG 256-257
Evening, & morning, & at noon, will I pray, & cry aloud: & he shall hear my voice. Psalm 55:17
Prayer is the breath of the soul, the channel of all blessings. As, with a realization of the needs of humanity, with a feeling of self-loathing, the repentant soul offers its prayer, God sees its struggles, watches its conflicts, & marks its sincerity. He has his finger upon its pulse, & he takes note of every throb. Not a feeling thrills it, not an emotion agitates it, not a sorrow shades it, not a sin stains it, not a thought or purpose moves it, of which he is not cognizant. That soul was purchased at an infinite cost, & is loved with a devotion that is unalterable.
Prayer to the Great Physician for the healing of the soul brings the blessing of God. Prayer unites us one to another & to God. Prayer brings Jesus to our side, & gives new strength & fresh grace to the fainting, perplexed soul. By prayer the sick have been encouraged to believe that God will look with compassion upon them. A ray of light penetrates to the hopeless soul, & becomes a savor of life unto life. Prayer has “subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire,”—we shall know what this means when we hear the reports of the martyrs who died for their faith,—“turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” RH Oct 30, 1900
Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, “Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, & let all my work be wrought in Thee.” This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, & thus your life will be molded more & more after the life of Christ. SC 70
Morning by morning, as the heralds of the gospel kneel before the Lord & renew their vows of consecration to Him, He will grant them the presence of His Spirit, with its reviving, sanctifying power. As they go forth to the day's duties, they have the assurance that the unseen agency of the Holy Spirit enables them to be “laborers together with God.” AA 56
A parent would not believe that a child was very hungry if he should come & ask in a whisper for something to eat. The hungry, thirsty child comes to ask for bread in real earnestness, & if the parent fails to give attention, the child takes hold of the parent, & reminds him or her of his wants, & will finally become importunate, so that you cannot put him off with an excuse. The hungry child does not cease to plead till its wants are supplied. The Lord says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” YI Sept 13, 1894
Here is a work…to engage in before coming up to our holy convocations. Let the preparation for eating & dressing be a secondary matter, but let deep heart-searching commence at home. Pray three times a day, & , like Jacob, be importunate. At home is the place to find Jesus; then take Him with you to the meeting, & how precious will be the hours you spend there. But how can you expect to feel the presence of the Lord & see His power displayed when the individual work of preparation for that time is neglected?
For your soul's sake, for Christ's sake, & for the sake of others, work at home. Pray as you are not accustomed to pray. Let the heart break before God.
The Lord is disappointed when His people place a low estimate upon themselves. He desires His chosen heritage to value themselves according to the price He has placed upon them. God wanted them, else He would not have sent His Son on such an expensive errand to redeem them. He has a use for them, & He is well pleased when they make the very highest demands upon Him, that they may glorify His name. They may expect large things if they have faith in His promises.
But to pray in Christ’s name means much. It means that we are to accept His character, manifest His spirit, & work His works. The Savior's promise is given on condition. “If ye love me,” He says, “keep my commandments.” He saves men & women, not in sin, but from sin; & those who love Him will show their love by obedience.
All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart-work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts & aims, so blend our hearts & minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined & sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.... BLJ 31
Pray most earnestly “Put Thy Spirit, Lord, Thy Holy Spirit within my heart that I may be sincere in keeping my baptismal vow…” Pray for the power to demonstrate to the world that you are dead to sin & that your life is indeed hid with Christ in God… 2MR 33
In such cases of affliction, where Satan has control of the mind, before engaging in prayer there should be the closest self-examination to discover if there are not sins which need to be repented of, confessed, & forsaken. 2T 145
We cannot depend for counsel upon humanity. The Lord will teach us our duty just as willingly as He will teach somebody else. If we come to Him in faith, He will speak His mysteries to us personally. … Those who decide to do nothing in any line that will displease God will know, after presenting their case before Him, just what course to pursue. And they will receive not only wisdom, but strength. Power for obedience, for service, will be imparted to them, as Christ has promised. BLJ 31
Christ says, “Without Me ye can do nothing.” If those who purpose to work for others’ good & for the salvation of their fellow men rely on their own wisdom, they will fail. If they are entertaining humble views of themselves, then they are simple enough to believe in God & expect His help. “Lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, & He shall direct thy paths.” Then we have the privilege of being directed by a wise counselor, & increased understanding is given to the true, sincere seeker for truth & for knowledge.
The reason why we have no more men of great breadth & extended knowledge, is because they trust to their own finite wisdom, & seek to place their own mold upon the work, in the place of having the mold of God. They do not earnestly pray & keep the communication open between God & their souls, that they can recognize His voice. Messengers of light will come to the help of those who feel that they are weakness itself, without the guardianship of Heaven. FE 109-110
To His children today the Lord declares, “Be strong, ... & work: for I am with you.” The Christian always has a strong helper in the Lord. … Could Christians realize how many times the Lord has ordered their way, that the purposes of the enemy concerning them might not be accomplished, they would not stumble along complainingly. PK 576
Stand up for Jesus…Do all your work as though you could see through the veil & God’s eye were directed full upon you, taking cognizance of every action. He hath purchased you with His own blood, & when you need His help, call upon Him & you will have it. It is then Jesus will stand up for you. HP 24
We may tell the Lord all our trials, tell Him all our weaknesses, tell Him all our dependence upon His might & His power. This is true prayer. 1888 487
We need to look constantly to our heavenly Father for wisdom & guidance: for we must bear in mind the fact that God holds us accountable for improving the capabilities & powers that he has given us. We are to seek to reach the highest standard of efficiency. This requires that we be much engaged in earnest prayer; that we be shut in with God, holding communion with our Lord Jesus Christ. YI Nov. 22, 1894
We do not half realize what the Lord is willing to do for His people.... Our petitions, mingled with faith & contrition, should go up to God for an understanding of the mysteries that God would make known to His saints…. TMK 10
I was shown that in case of sickness, where the way is clear for the offering up of prayer for the sick, the case should be committed to the Lord in calm faith, not with a storm of excitement. He alone is acquainted with the past life of the individual & knows what his future will be. He who is acquainted with the hearts of all men knows whether the person, if raised up, would glorify His name or dishonor Him by backsliding & apostasy. All that we are required to do is to ask God to raise the sick up if in accordance with His will, believing that He hears the reasons which we present & the fervent prayers offered. If the Lord sees it will best honor Him, He will answer our prayers. But to urge recovery without submission to His will is not right. 2T 147
When you pray for temporal blessings, remember that the Lord may see that it is not for your good or for His glory to give you just what you desire. But He will answer your prayer, giving you just what is best for you.
When Paul prayed that the thorn in his flesh might be removed, the Lord answered his prayer, not by removing the thorn, but by giving him grace to bear the trial. "My grace," He said, "is sufficient for thee." Paul rejoiced at this answer to his prayer, declaring, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." When the sick pray for the recovery of health, the Lord does not always answer their prayer in just the way they desire. But even though they may not be immediately healed, He will give them that which is of far more value—grace to bear their sickness.
Make your requests known to your Maker. Never is one repulsed who comes to Him with a contrite heart. Not one sincere prayer is lost. Amid the anthems of the celestial choir, God hears the cries of the weakest human being. We pour out our heart's desire in our closets, we breathe a prayer as we walk by the way, & our words reach the throne of the Monarch of the universe. …You who feel the most unworthy, fear not to commit your case to God.
There is a mighty power in prayer. Our great adversary is constantly seeking to keep the troubled soul away from God. An appeal to Heaven by the humblest saint is more to be dreaded by Satan than the decrees of cabinets or the mandates of kings. HP 82
Those only who are constantly receiving fresh supplies of grace will have power proportionate to their daily need & their ability to use that power. Instead of looking forward to some future time when, through a special endowment of spiritual power, they will receive a miraculous fitting up for soul winning, they are yielding themselves daily to God, that He may make them vessels meet for His use. Daily they are improving the opportunities for service that lie within their reach. Daily they are witnessing for the Master wherever they may be, whether in some humble sphere of labor in the home, or in a public field of usefulness.
To the consecrated worker there is wonderful consolation in the knowledge that even Christ during His life on earth sought His Father daily for fresh supplies of needed grace; & from this communion with God He went forth to strengthen & bless others. Behold the Son of God bowed in prayer to His Father! Though He is the Son of God, He strengthens His faith by prayer, & by communion with heaven gathers to Himself power to resist evil & to minister to the needs of men. YRP 153
Were not miracles wrought by Christ & His apostles? The same compassionate Saviour lives today, & He is as willing to listen to the prayer of faith as when He walked visibly among men. The natural cooperates with the supernatural. It is a part of God’s plan to grant us, in answer to the prayer of faith, that which He would not bestow did we not thus ask. GC 525
In this matter, genius, logic, & eloquence will not avail. Those who have a humble, trusting, contrite heart, God accepts, & hears their prayer; & when God helps, all obstacles will be overcome. How many men of great natural abilities & high scholarships have failed when placed in positions of responsibility, while those of feebler intellect, with less favorable surroundings, have been wonderfully successful. The secret was: The former trusted to themselves, while the latter united with Him who is wonderful in counsel & mighty in working to accomplish what He will. T4 539
Call unto me, & I will answer thee, & shew thee great & mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3
We do not always consider that the sanctification we so earnestly desire & for which we pray so earnestly is brought about through the truth & , by the providence of God, in a manner we least expect. When we look for joy, behold there is sorrow. When we expect peace, we frequently have distrust & doubt because we find ourselves plunged into trials we cannot avoid. In these trials we are having the answers to our prayers. In order for us to be purified, the fire of affliction must kindle upon us, & our will must be brought into conformity to the will of God. In order to be conformed to the image of our Saviour, we pass through a most painful process of refining….
Our prayers for conformity to the image of Christ may not be answered exactly as we desire. We may be tested & proved, for God sees it best to put us under a course of discipline which is essential for us before we are fit subjects for the blessing we crave.
…Perfection of Christian character can be obtained only through labor, conflict, & self-denial....
How inestimably precious are the gifts of God—the graces of His Spirit—& we shall not shrink from the trying, testing process, be it ever so painful or humiliating to us. How easy would be the way to heaven if there were no self-denial or cross! How worldlings would rush in the way, & hypocrites would travel in it without number! Thank God for the cross, the self-denial. The ignominy & shame our Saviour endured for us is none too humiliating for those saved by the purchase of His blood. Heaven will indeed be cheap enough. OFC 295
God has a heaven full of blessings for those who will co-operate with Him. COL 145
Christ’s two days’ delay after hearing that Lazarus was sick was not a neglect or a denial on His part. It was His purpose to remain where He was till the death of Lazarus took place, that He might give the people an evidence of His divinity, not by restoring a dying man, but by raising to life a man that had been buried. Pr 106
Throughout his married life, Zacharias had prayed for a son. He & his wife were now old, & as yet their prayer had remained unanswered; but he murmured not. God had not forgotten. He had His appointed time for answering this prayer, & when the case seemed hopeless, Zacharias received his answer.
It was represented to me like children asking a blessing of their earthly parents that love them. They ask something that the parent knows will hurt them; the parent gives them the things that will be good & healthy for them, in the place of that which the child desired. Pr 108
We are to trust in His promises. When we come to Him in faith, every petition enters the heart of God. When we have asked for His blessing, we should believe that we receive it, & thank Him that we have received it. Then we are to go about our duties, assured that the blessing will be realized when we need it most. When we have learned to do this, we shall know that our prayers are answered. God will do for us “exceeding abundantly”, “according to the riches of His glory,” & “the working of His mighty power.” DA 200
Jesus is our helper; in Him & through Him we must conquer.... The religion of Christ will bind & restrain every unholy passion, will stimulate to energy, to self-discipline, & industry, even in the matters of homely, everyday life, leading us to learn economy, tact, & self-denial, & to endure even privation without a murmur. …
Make every effort to keep open the communion between Jesus & your own soul.... We should pray in the family circle, & above all we must not neglect secret prayer; for this is the life of the soul. It is impossible for the soul to flourish while prayer is neglected. Family or public prayer alone is not sufficient. In solitude let the soul be laid open to the inspecting eye of God. ... By calm, simple faith, the soul holds communion with God, & gathers to itself rays of divine light to strengthen & sustain it in the conflict with Satan....
Pray in your closet, & as you go about your daily labor, let your heart be often uplifted to God. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. These silent prayers rise like precious incense before the throne of grace. Satan cannot overcome him whose heart is thus stayed upon God. AG 239
Private prayer, family prayer, prayer in public gatherings for the worship of God—all are essential. And we are to live our prayers. We are to co-operate with Christ in His work. 7T 239
There is no time or place in which it is inappropriate to offer up a petition to God. There is nothing that can prevent us from lifting up our hearts in the spirit of earnest prayer. In the crowds of the street, in the midst of a business engagement, we may send up a petition to God & plead for divine guidance, as did Nehemiah when he made his request before King Artaxerxes. A closet of communion may be found wherever we are. We should have the door of the heart open continually & our invitation going up that Jesus may come & abide as a heavenly guest in the soul. SC 99
Prayer, whether offered in the public assembly, at the family altar, or in secret, places man directly in the presence of God. Pr 200
“The Lord is very pitiful, & of tender mercy.” He waits with unwearied love to hear the confessions of the wayward & to accept their penitence. He watches for some return of gratitude from us, as the mother watches for the smile of recognition from her beloved child. He would have us understand how earnestly & tenderly His heart yearns over us. He invites us to take our trials to His sympathy, our sorrows to His love, our wounds to His healing, our weakness to His strength, our emptiness to His fullness…. Never has one been disappointed who came unto Him. …
As we make Christ our daily companion we shall feel that the powers of an unseen world are all around us; & by looking unto Jesus we shall become assimilated to His image.
The soul that turns to God for its help, its support, its power, by daily, earnest prayer, will have noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth & duty, lofty purposes of action, & a continual hungering & thirsting after righteousness. By maintaining a connection with God, we shall be enabled to diffuse to others, through our association with them, the light, the peace, the serenity, that rule in our hearts. The strength acquired in prayer to God, united with persevering effort in training the mind in thoughtfulness & care-taking, prepares one for daily duties & keeps the spirit in peace under all circumstances. MB 84-85
We may commune with God in our hearts… GW 258
Those who thus connect themselves with God are acknowledged by Him as His sons & daughters. They are constantly reaching higher & still higher, obtaining clearer views of God & of eternity, until the Lord makes them channels of light & wisdom to the world. YI, Aug. 18, 1898
Personal effort for others should be preceded by much secret prayer; for it requires great wisdom to understand the science of saving souls. Before communicating with men, commune with Christ. At the throne of heavenly grace obtain a preparation for ministering to the people. COL 149
We must receive light & blessing, that we may have something to impart. It is the privilege of every worker first to talk with God in the secret place of prayer & then to talk with the people as God’s mouthpiece. T6 52