「又有一位女申言者亞拿...，並不離開聖殿，禁食祈求，晝夜事奉神。」－路加福音2:36-37
那些若斷若續的禱告，必終究一無所得。
禱告的權能，都在我們能力所及的範圍，然而只有殷勤的人才能真實得到。
亞伯拉罕若不是畢生習練無數次和神的交通，必定不可能突然有日成功地為所多瑪帶求。
雅各在庇努伊勒和神整夜的摔跤，決不是他與神頭一次的交會；主受死前和門徒的那段超絕美妙的禱告，也是祂經過許多次清晨和夜間禱告的美好收成。
和歷代聖徒和殉道者的名聲相比，這些偉大代求者的名字，鮮少為人所紀念，然而他們的確是教會最大的恩人。
因著長久在施恩寶座前的駐留，他們成為恩典流通的管道。
因此，我們也需要在禱告裡學習禱告，在持續禱告中持續禱告。
－司布真
"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 his 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. --G. H.. Spurgeon
