--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing we should seek in prayer…" description: "\"“The only thing we should seek in prayer is God. When we focus on how we are doing or what we are getting out of prayer, we have taken our eyes off God..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/david-g-benner-26996_prayer_the-only-thing-we-should-seek-in-prayer_2305703.jpg" --- # The only thing we should seek in prayer is God. When we… ![“The only thing we should seek in prayer is God. When we focus on how we are doing or what we are getting out of prayer, we have taken our eyes off God and put them back on our self.” quote by David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/david-g-benner-26996_prayer_the-only-thing-we-should-seek-in-prayer_2305703.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/david-g-benner-26996_prayer_the-only-thing-we-should-seek-in-prayer_2305703.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/david-g-benner-26996_prayer_the-only-thing-we-should-seek-in-prayer_2305703.jpg) > ““The only thing we should seek in prayer is God. When we focus on how we are doing or what we are getting out of prayer, we have taken our eyes off God and put them back on our self.”” [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 is meant to center on God, not on personal gain or self‑evaluation; shifting focus away from self restores true communion. **In simple terms:** Prayer should focus on God, not personal benefit. Key Takeaway Keep your attention on God during prayer. Themes spirituality prayer humility Mood reverent reflective Type theological inspirational When to use this quote - personal meditation - church services - daily devotions - spiritual counseling Key Concepts theocentrism self‑transcendence Questions to Reflect On - How does focusing on God change your prayer experience? - What benefits arise from removing self‑interest from prayer? A Different Perspective If you seek personal outcomes, prayer may become self‑serving rather than worshipful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) ## Related quotes > [“seek by prayer “to move the Arm that moves the world.” D. L. MOODY”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-moody/seek-by-prayer-to-move-the-arm-that-moves-the-world-d-l-moody/) [D.L. 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(Daniel 9:3)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/and-i-set-my-face-unto-the-lord-god-to-seek-by-prayer-and/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [“I am all for getting Prayer/Religion back into the schools. And while we’re at it we should get more Science/Physics into the church…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-martin/i-am-all-for-getting-prayer-religion-back-into-the-schools-and-while/) [George Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-martin/) > [The Sisters of Notre Dame at St. Aloysius Grade School influenced my life tremendously. This was due to the fact that they encouraged you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-holtz/the-sisters-of-notre-dame-at-st-aloysius-grade-school-influenced-my/) [Lou Holtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-holtz/) > [Stop judging God based on what others do or don't do for you. 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It's a perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/i-try-to-look-on-all-the-great-things-god-s-done-and-not-focus-on-the/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [“I'm learning what it means to focus less on me and more on God, because when I focus my attention on him, he enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-horn/i-m-learning-what-it-means-to-focus-less-on-me-and-more-on-god/) Sara Horn > [Faith is a re-directing of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/faith-is-a-re-directing-of-our-sight-a-getting-out-of-the-focus-of/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [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/) ## 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. Since humans are that part of creation most directly reflecting the divine image and likeness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/watch-particularly-for-traces-of-god-in-other-people-since-humans-are/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“We do not pray so that we can get God's attention. We pray so that God will get our attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/we-do-not-pray-so-that-we-can-get-god-s-attention-we-pray-so-that-god/) [David G. Benner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-benner/) > [“Most broadly understood, lectio divina involves receiving God's revelation wherever it occurs. This means that there are other media beyond Scriptures that can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/most-broadly-understood-lectio-divina-involves-receiving-god-s/) [David G. 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/) > [“I accept Augustine's maxim of solvitor ambulando - things are solved by walking.' Sometimes when I walk, I think of God, and sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-benner/i-accept-augustine-s-maxim-of-solvitor-ambulando-things-are-solved-by/) [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." 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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. 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