--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Prayer is easily ruined when we make it a…" description: "\"“Prayer is easily ruined when we make it a project - part of a spiritual self-improvement plan. Rather than pushing yourself forward by resolve, allow ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/395/david-g-benner-26996_prayer_prayer-is-easily-ruined-when-we-make-it_2906742.jpg" --- # Prayer is easily ruined when we make it a project - part… ![“Prayer is easily ruined when we make it a project - part of a spiritual self-improvement plan. Rather than pushing yourself forward by resolve, allow God to lead you by desire. The most typical evidence of grace at work within us is not awareness of duty but awareness of desire.” quote by David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/395/david-g-benner-26996_prayer_prayer-is-easily-ruined-when-we-make-it_2906742.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/395/david-g-benner-26996_prayer_prayer-is-easily-ruined-when-we-make-it_2906742.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/395/david-g-benner-26996_prayer_prayer-is-easily-ruined-when-we-make-it_2906742.jpg) > ““Prayer is easily ruined when we make it a project - part of a spiritual self-improvement plan. Rather than pushing yourself forward by resolve, allow God to lead you by desire. The most typical evidence of grace at work within us is not awareness of duty but awareness of desire.”” [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prayer should be driven by desire rather than duty, allowing divine guidance and grace to emerge through authentic longing. **In simple terms:** Prayer works best when guided by desire, not duty. Key Takeaway Seek authentic desire in spiritual practice. Themes spirituality prayer grace desire Mood contemplative inspirational Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - personal devotion - spiritual counseling - mindful practice Key Concepts theology inner transformation Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate desire in prayer? - What does surrendering desire feel like? A Different Perspective Relying solely on duty can stifle genuine connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Pushing Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pushing-yourself/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [“Grace is at work even in fallen man ... to bend partially back in the right direction those human powers and endowments which were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-c-berkouwer/grace-is-at-work-even-in-fallen-man-to-bend-partially-back-in-the/) [G C Berkouwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-c-berkouwer/) > [If grace acts in us, grace, and not we who do the work, will be crowned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/if-grace-acts-in-us-grace-and-not-we-who-do-the-work-will-be-crowned/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [There is only one way to be revived and healed from our backslidings so that we may become fruitful even in old age. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/there-is-only-one-way-to-be-revived-and-healed-from-our-backslidings/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [Grace does not demonize our desires nor destroy them nor lead us to deny them. Grace is the work of the Holy Spirit in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-storms/grace-does-not-demonize-our-desires-nor-destroy-them-nor-lead-us-to/) [Sam Storms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-storms/) > [The harvest here is indeed great, and the laborers are few and imperfectly fitted, without much grace, for such a work. And yet grace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-taylor/the-harvest-here-is-indeed-great-and-the-laborers-are-few-and/) [Hudson Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hudson-taylor/) > [The growth of trees and plants takes place so slowly that it is not easily seen. Daily we notice little change. But, in course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/the-growth-of-trees-and-plants-takes-place-so-slowly-that-it-is-not/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [Faith is a gift from God; it is a part of Gods grace that is at work in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/faith-is-a-gift-from-god-it-is-a-part-of-gods-grace-that-is-at-work/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we give God service it must be because He gives us grace. We work for Him because He works in us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-we-give-god-service-it-must-be-because-he-gives-us-grace-we-work/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [What empowers me in my daily work and life is the knowledge that I will be guided, if I let go of my need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-kavanagh/what-empowers-me-in-my-daily-work-and-life-is-the-knowledge-that-i/) [Jennifer Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-kavanagh/) > [“ROM11.6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rom11-6-and-if-by-grace-then-is-it-no-more-of-works-otherwise-grace/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Make sure that you let God's grace work in your souls by accepting whatever He gives you, and giving Him whatever He takes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/make-sure-that-you-let-god-s-grace-work-in-your-souls-by-accepting/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [“...the power of grace can work great things in the human person, greater than we might have dared to hope...(pg.52 in The Examen Prayer).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fr-timothy-gallagher-omv/the-power-of-grace-can-work-great-things-in-the-human-person-greater/) Fr. Timothy Gallagher OMV > [How we fall into grace. You can't work or earn your way into it. You just fall. It lies below, it lies beyond. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bass/how-we-fall-into-grace-you-can-t-work-or-earn-your-way-into-it-you/) [Rick Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bass/) > [If grace acts in us, grace, and not we who do the work, but will be crowned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/if-grace-acts-in-us-grace-and-not-we-who-do-the-work-but-will-be/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“If you are pure in intention and in alignment with beauty and love, in body and mind, the highest levels of your spiritual self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/if-you-are-pure-in-intention-and-in-alignment-with-beauty-and-love-in/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) ## More by David G. Benner > [“Some Christians mistrust or de-emphasize the role of the senses in spirituality, considering them to be inferior to reason and cognition. Such a view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/some-christians-mistrust-or-de-emphasize-the-role-of-the-senses-in/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“Love reconnects us to life. The truth of Christ's life is that life is love and love is life. There is no genuine life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/love-reconnects-us-to-life-the-truth-of-christ-s-life-is-that-life-is/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“Self-acceptance always precedes genuine self-surrender and self-transformation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/self-acceptance-always-precedes-genuine-self-surrender-and-self/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“Watch particularly for traces of God in other people. 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Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“Paying attention is being open and awake - ready to be seized by whatever is present to us in the present moment. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/paying-attention-is-being-open-and-awake-ready-to-be-seized-by/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“Teresa of Avila says that the important thing in prayer is not to think much but to love much. The head is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/teresa-of-avila-says-that-the-important-thing-in-prayer-is-not-to/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“The personal costs of counseling also remind us why it is so necessary for a counselor to experience continuous renewal through Scripture, prayer, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/the-personal-costs-of-counseling-also-remind-us-why-it-is-so/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“If we are honest, most of us have to admit that prayer is often more of an obligation than something arising spontaneously from desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/if-we-are-honest-most-of-us-have-to-admit-that-prayer-is-often-more/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“Prayerful paying attention is not scrunching up our willpower and tightening our focus, but simply opening our self to what we encounter. This makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/prayerful-paying-attention-is-not-scrunching-up-our-willpower-and/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/silence-is-god-s-first-language-everything-else-is-a-poor-translation/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“AN ANCIENT AID TO DEEP KNOWING OF OUR SIN One tool that many people have found helpful in identifying basic sin tendencies is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/an-ancient-aid-to-deep-knowing-of-our-sin-one-tool-that-many-people/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“The self that begins the spiritual journey is the self of our own creation, the self we thought ourselves to be. This is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/the-self-that-begins-the-spiritual-journey-is-the-self-of-our-own/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“The only thing we should seek in prayer is God. When we focus on how we are doing or what we are getting out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/the-only-thing-we-should-seek-in-prayer-is-god-when-we-focus-on-how/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) [Explore all 21 David G. Benner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) ## More Prayer quotes > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/) [John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [“every church can treat each discipleship class and each worship service as an opportunity for continual rehearsal of what the words, stories, symbols, rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/every-church-can-treat-each-discipleship-class-and-each-worship/) [Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/) > [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) > [“Worship Me Like the Goddess I Am or There Will Be Some Serious Smiting." Jubilee”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-r-green/worship-me-like-the-goddess-i-am-or-there-will-be-some-serious/) [Simon R. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-r-green/) > [Pray, hope, don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-don-t-worry/) [Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/) > [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [“Dear Lord, thank You for answered prayers and humans who do Your work here on earth. Please send Your comfort to all the animals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guideposts/dear-lord-thank-you-for-answered-prayers-and-humans-who-do-your-work/) Guideposts > [Therefore, brethren, pray until God gives us revelation so that "knowing this" in our spirit we may truly confess "that our old man has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/therefore-brethren-pray-until-god-gives-us-revelation-so-that-knowing/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [“The aristocratic interiority is centered on the higher mind, the mens, the ajna chakra, the seat of intellect and intuition that commands the lower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-evola/the-aristocratic-interiority-is-centered-on-the-higher-mind-the-mens/) [Julius Evola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-evola/) > [My father thrives on fear. You know that prayer If I should die before I wake? I had sheets that said that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/my-father-thrives-on-fear-you-know-that-prayer-if-i-should-die-before/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [You should never stress and worry when you can always pray and have Faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-should-never-stress-and-worry-when-you-can-always-pray-and-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God loves to glorify himself by suspending his gifts and blessings on our asking him for them. We should never presume to receive from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-storms/god-loves-to-glorify-himself-by-suspending-his-gifts-and-blessings-on/) [Sam Storms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-storms/) [Browse all 12,671 Prayer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Prayer is easily ruined when we make it a project - part of a spiritual self-improvement plan. Rather than pushing yourself forward by resolve, allow God to lead you by desire. The most typical evidence of grace at work within us is not awareness of duty but awareness of desire.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David G. 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