Thomas Watson's choice excerpts on PRAYER

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Prayer keeps the heart open to God, but shut to sin.

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Prayer is the key which unlocks God's treasures of mercy!

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Prayer is the arrow, and faith is the bow--by which our requests go up to Heaven. A faithless prayer is a fruitless prayer: "The father of the child cried out and said with tears: Lord, I believe!" When his tear dropped to the earth--his faith reached Heaven!

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It is a saying of one of the ancients, "The saints carry the keys of Heaven at their belt."

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Prayer opens the door of Heaven, and takes the blessings from God's hand!

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God comes down to us by His Spirit--and we go up to Him by prayer.

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The tree of the promise will not drop its fruit--unless shaken by the hand of prayer.

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That prayer is most likely to pierce Heaven, which first pierces one's own heart. Prayer without fervency is no prayer. Lifeless prayer is no more prayer than the picture of a man, is a man.

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A godly man will as soon live without food, as without prayer.

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Prayer . . .
  delights God's ear;
  melts His heart;
  and opens His hand.

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"We cry, Abba, Father!" Romans 8:15
"We cry"--there is the fervency.
"Abba, Father!"--there is the faith.

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Fervency in prayer is as fire to the incense, it makes it ascend to Heaven as a sweet perfume. To induce believers to pray in faith, let them remember the bountifulness of God. He often exceeds the prayers of His people:
  Hannah asked a son, God gave her not only a son, but a prophet.
  Solomon asked wisdom, God gave him not only wisdom, but riches and honor besides.
  Jacob asked that God would give him food and clothing, but the Lord increased his riches to two bands.
  The woman of Canaan asked but the life of her child, but Christ not only gave her that, but the life of her soul also!

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Prayer is the key of Heaven, and faith is the hand that turns it!