---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Barbara was not much for prayer. She…"
description: "\"“Barbara was not much for prayer. She prayed at church and repeated The Lord’s Prayer every morning before she began her day, but apart from that, she ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/joyce-swann-44146_christian-fiction_barbara-was-not-much-for-prayer-she-pray_671694.jpg"
---

#  Barbara was not much for prayer. She prayed at church and…

![“Barbara was not much for prayer. She prayed at church and repeated The Lord’s Prayer every morning before she began her day, but apart from that, she did not rely much on prayer. Barbara had a theory that God was going to do whatever He wanted to anyway, so it didn’t matter much whether people…” quote by Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/joyce-swann-44146_christian-fiction_barbara-was-not-much-for-prayer-she-pray_671694.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/joyce-swann-44146_christian-fiction_barbara-was-not-much-for-prayer-she-pray_671694.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/joyce-swann-44146_christian-fiction_barbara-was-not-much-for-prayer-she-pray_671694.jpg)

> ““Barbara was not much for prayer. She prayed at church and repeated The Lord’s Prayer every morning before she began her day, but apart from that, she did not rely much on prayer. Barbara had a theory that God was going to do whatever He wanted to anyway, so it didn’t matter much whether people prayed or not. Now things looked different to her. “Oh God, don’t let him die. Don’t let him die. Don’t let him die,” she repeated over and over again. Tears were streaming down her face but she was not making any noise. She would have been embarrassed to sob or pray aloud. Her prayer was inside her head, and she hoped that it was somehow making its way to heaven.””

[Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She clings to silent prayer in crisis, reflecting inner faith despite skepticism.

**In simple terms:** Silent prayer in crisis.

Key Takeaway

Trust inner voice.

Themes

faith hope despair crisis

Mood

reflective somber

Type

literary emotional

When to use this quote

- personal loss
- medical emergency
- emotional coping
- private devotion

Key Concepts

spirituality psychology human resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- When do you turn to inner prayer?
- Can silent prayer affect emotional state?

A Different Perspective

Silent prayer may not change outcomes; reliance on external help persists.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Barbara Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbara-prayer-5330590/) [Christian-fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-fiction/) [Every morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-morning/) [Oh god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oh-god/) [People Prayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-prayed-412620/) [Prayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayed/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Prayer Barbara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer-barbara-5330589/) [Prayer Prayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer-prayed-5108533/)

## Related quotes

> [The best prayer I ever prayed had enough sin to damn the whole world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-best-prayer-i-ever-prayed-had-enough-sin-to-damn-the-whole-world/)

[John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/)

> [Perhaps all the good that ever has come here has come because people prayed it into the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/perhaps-all-the-good-that-ever-has-come-here-has-come-because-people/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [In the beginning, people prayed to the Creatress of Life, the Mistress of Heaven. At the very dawn of religion, God was a woman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merlin-stone/in-the-beginning-people-prayed-to-the-creatress-of-life-the-mistress/)

[Merlin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merlin-stone/)

> [“That's perhaps the biggest miracle: People prayed and God honored their prayers. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-piper/that-s-perhaps-the-biggest-miracle-people-prayed-and-god-honored/)

[Don Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-piper/)

> [Our cemeteries are full of people who prayed to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-laurie-gaylor/our-cemeteries-are-full-of-people-who-prayed-to-live/)

[Annie Laurie Gaylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-laurie-gaylor/)

> [“The weeks in August had passed by in a hot and humid haze. So many people had prayed for good weather after heavy rain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-egonu/the-weeks-in-august-had-passed-by-in-a-hot-and-humid-haze-so-many/)

[Tami Egonu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-egonu/)

> [“Dear Lord," she prayed, "please help me to handle all the work You've set before me. I can only do this with You at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patterson/dear-lord-she-prayed-please-help-me-to-handle-all-the-work-you-ve-set/)

[Daniel Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patterson/)

> [“As Molly wrapped one of the freshly made flour tortillas around several slices of perfectly cooked steak and piled on guacamole, she began talking.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/as-molly-wrapped-one-of-the-freshly-made-flour-tortillas-around/)

[Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/)

> [“Her mind returned to Dr. Chaturvedi’s testimony. He had turned to Christianity because he had discovered that he was not special. He seemed happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/her-mind-returned-to-dr-chaturvedi-s-testimony-he-had-turned-to-2/)

[Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/)

> [“The Bible is the one book we’ve most succeeded in having them never read as a book. Keep it that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/the-bible-is-the-one-book-we-ve-most-succeeded-in-having-them-never/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“She might not be as hard-hitting as Tzivia, but she had a depth of sincerity and gentleness that he appreciated. Needed. She cared about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronie-kendig/she-might-not-be-as-hard-hitting-as-tzivia-but-she-had-a-depth-of/)

[Ronie Kendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronie-kendig/)

> [“Don't think for a minute that God has forgotten about you or doesn't have your back. And don't base God's love or desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-may-warren/don-t-think-for-a-minute-that-god-has-forgotten-about-you-or-doesn-t/)

[Susan May Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-may-warren/)

> [“Funny how often something she'd been so certain she needed turned out not to be a need at all, but a want--when the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamera-alexander/funny-how-often-something-she-d-been-so-certain-she-needed-turned-out/)

[Tamera Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamera-alexander/)

> [“Make good and sure your clients all call themselves Americans —proudly so, defiantly, loudly— but without any more thought about it than wearing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call-themselves-americans-proudly/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“I've never minded finding out what others thought I didn't know. Titus Ray, Chapter 3”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luana-ehrlich/i-ve-never-minded-finding-out-what-others-thought-i-didn-t-know-titus/)

[Luana Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luana-ehrlich/)

## More by Joyce Swann

> [“As James entered the El Paso city limits, he began thinking about lyrics to a song that would describe his journey. “I’m just cruise’n…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/as-james-entered-the-el-paso-city-limits-he-began-thinking-about/)

[Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/)

> [“Positive thoughts aren’t worth a plug nickel. You can think positive thoughts every minute of every day, and they won’t keep you out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/positive-thoughts-aren-t-worth-a-plug-nickel-you-can-think-positive/)

[Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/)

> [“As Molly wrapped one of the freshly made flour tortillas around several slices of perfectly cooked steak and piled on guacamole, she began talking.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/as-molly-wrapped-one-of-the-freshly-made-flour-tortillas-around/)

[Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/)

> [“She did not like being reminded that Jesus had died for her; it made her feel guilty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/she-did-not-like-being-reminded-that-jesus-had-died-for-her-it-made/)

[Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/)

> [“El Shaddai—the all sufficient one Jehovah-Jireh—the Lord who provides Jehovah-Rophe—the Lord who heals Jehovah-Shammah—the Lord who is there Immanuel—the God who is with us”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/el-shaddai-the-all-sufficient-one-jehovah-jireh-the-lord-who-provides/)

[Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/)

> [“The voice sounded calm and sweet, but for the first time James felt scared. “It must be bad,” he thought. “If they’re like sending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/the-voice-sounded-calm-and-sweet-but-for-the-first-time-james-felt/)

[Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/)

> [“Do you know anyone who would be willing to die to save those five-thousand serial killers?” “No. Everyone I know is too smart for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/do-you-know-anyone-who-would-be-willing-to-die-to-save-those-five/)

[Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/)

> [“Her mind returned to Dr. Chaturvedi’s testimony. He had turned to Christianity because he had discovered that he was not special. He seemed happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/her-mind-returned-to-dr-chaturvedi-s-testimony-he-had-turned-to-2/)

[Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/)

[Explore all 9 Joyce Swann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/)

## More Christian-fiction quotes

> [“I've never minded finding out what others thought I didn't know. Titus Ray, Chapter 3”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luana-ehrlich/i-ve-never-minded-finding-out-what-others-thought-i-didn-t-know-titus/)

[Luana Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luana-ehrlich/)

> [“Make good and sure your clients all call themselves Americans —proudly so, defiantly, loudly— but without any more thought about it than wearing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call-themselves-americans-proudly/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Funny how often something she'd been so certain she needed turned out not to be a need at all, but a want--when the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamera-alexander/funny-how-often-something-she-d-been-so-certain-she-needed-turned-out/)

[Tamera Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamera-alexander/)

> [“Don't think for a minute that God has forgotten about you or doesn't have your back. And don't base God's love or desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-may-warren/don-t-think-for-a-minute-that-god-has-forgotten-about-you-or-doesn-t/)

[Susan May Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-may-warren/)

> [“She might not be as hard-hitting as Tzivia, but she had a depth of sincerity and gentleness that he appreciated. Needed. She cared about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronie-kendig/she-might-not-be-as-hard-hitting-as-tzivia-but-she-had-a-depth-of/)

[Ronie Kendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronie-kendig/)

> [“The Bible is the one book we’ve most succeeded in having them never read as a book. Keep it that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/the-bible-is-the-one-book-we-ve-most-succeeded-in-having-them-never/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [ “Most of \[her ashes\] fell into the river in a long gray curtain. But some was caught by the wind and blown upward toward… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-cutter/most-of-her-ashes-fell-into-the-river-in-a-long-gray-curtain-but-some/)

[Kimberly Cutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-cutter/)

> [“Facing our fears, skeletons, and mistakes is paramount in finding ourselves-in living with ourselves. Once it's done, that fear will be laid to rest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-woodsmall/facing-our-fears-skeletons-and-mistakes-is-paramount-in-finding/)

[Cindy Woodsmall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-woodsmall/)

> [“It was like magic, but so much of magic is about misdirection, whereas so much of redemption is straightforward and ordinary, piercing true and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/it-was-like-magic-but-so-much-of-magic-is-about-misdirection-whereas/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Though I despise it, I do not doubt His Love for the creatures. I have seen it —His ever-reaching outward for any hand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/though-i-despise-it-i-do-not-doubt-his-love-for-the-creatures-i-have/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Sin says, "Do you have a relationship with God, the gods, or a emulate something in the fashion of a god (nature, science, etc.?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-and-tiffany-domena/sin-says-do-you-have-a-relationship-with-god-the-gods-or-a-emulate/)

[Stephen and Tiffany Domena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-and-tiffany-domena/)

> [“Pride had a very similar character with Lust. He was difficult to satisfy, but rather than desiring tasty foods, Pride desired valuable possessions. Man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-and-tiffany-domena/pride-had-a-very-similar-character-with-lust-he-was-difficult-to/)

[Stephen and Tiffany Domena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-and-tiffany-domena/)

> [“But they promised us everyone would return someday…when it was safe.” Her voice cracked at the end. “You’re being stupid again. Trusting in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-avey/but-they-promised-us-everyone-would-return-someday-when-it-was-safe/)

[T.C. Avey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-avey/)

> [“Everyone needs to calm down! Okay, you got a weird cookie. So what? I don’t mean to swat your ego here, buddy, but this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/everyone-needs-to-calm-down-okay-you-got-a-weird-cookie-so-what-i-don/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“For example, your man might think: I don’t steal. Maybe on my taxes, everyone does that, but not in the way I heard so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/for-example-your-man-might-think-i-don-t-steal-maybe-on-my-taxes/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

[Browse all 225 Christian-fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-fiction/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Barbara was not much for prayer. She prayed at church and repeated The Lord’s Prayer every morning before she began her day, but apart from that, she did not rely much on prayer. Barbara had a theory that God was going to do whatever He wanted to anyway, so it didn’t matter much whether people prayed or not. Now things looked different to her. “Oh God, don’t let him die. Don’t let him die. Don’t let him die,” she repeated over and over again. Tears were streaming down her face but she was not making any noise. She would have been embarrassed to sob or pray aloud. Her prayer was inside her head, and she hoped that it was somehow making its way to heaven.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joyce Swann"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/barbara-was-not-much-for-prayer-she-prayed-at-church-and-repeated-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Christian-fiction"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/barbara-was-not-much-for-prayer-she-prayed-at-church-and-repeated-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/joyce-swann-44146_christian-fiction_barbara-was-not-much-for-prayer-she-pray_671694.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/joyce-swann-44146_christian-fiction_barbara-was-not-much-for-prayer-she-pray_671694.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/joyce-swann-44146_christian-fiction_barbara-was-not-much-for-prayer-she-pray_671694.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Barbara was not much for prayer. She prayed at church and repeated The Lord’s Prayer every morning before…” — Joyce Swann",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Joyce Swann",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Barbara was not much for prayer....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/barbara-was-not-much-for-prayer-she-prayed-at-church-and-repeated-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/barbara-was-not-much-for-prayer-she-prayed-at-church-and-repeated-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
