--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'll tell you what's more important than…" description: "\"I'll tell you what's more important than all the commentaries in your library: prayer.\" — Mark Dever" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/mark-dever-3175_commentary_i-ll-tell-you-what-s-more-important-than_1237807.png" --- # I'll tell you what's more important than all the… ![“I'll tell you what's more important than all the commentaries in your library: prayer.” quote by Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/mark-dever-3175_commentary_i-ll-tell-you-what-s-more-important-than_1237807.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/mark-dever-3175_commentary_i-ll-tell-you-what-s-more-important-than_1237807.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/mark-dever-3175_commentary_i-ll-tell-you-what-s-more-important-than_1237807.png) > “I'll tell you what's more important than all the commentaries in your library: prayer.” [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues prayer outweighs scholarly commentary for spiritual importance. **In simple terms:** Prayer is more vital than academic discussion. Key Takeaway Prioritize personal devotion over intellectual debate. Themes faith spiritual practice prayer commentary prioritization Mood contemplative devotional Type spiritual reflective When to use this quote - church services - personal study - spiritual counseling Key Concepts theology personal piety religious experience Questions to Reflect On - How does prayer shape daily life? - Can scholarly work complement personal devotion? A Different Perspective Academic analysis can enrich understanding but may not replace personal practice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) ## Related quotes > [“I have something very important to say to you, but I can't tell you what it is. It's a very important thing, but I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhona-cameron/i-have-something-very-important-to-say-to-you-but-i-can-t-tell-you/) [Rhona Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhona-cameron/) > [“Hypocrisy /hi pakrise/ noun 1. The moment you tell someone it is not important to be right, in order to look right to everyone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/hypocrisy-hi-pakrise-noun-1-the-moment-you-tell-someone-it-is-not/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“This insightful quote I once heard stays with me: “Tell me what gives you your sense of importance and I will tell you what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/this-insightful-quote-i-once-heard-stays-with-me-tell-me-what-gives/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [I tell them that the most important aspect is to be yourself and have confidence in yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilma-rudolph/i-tell-them-that-the-most-important-aspect-is-to-be-yourself-and-have/) [Wilma Rudolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilma-rudolph/) > [It was hard for me, being in school. And nobody was there to tell me how important it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/it-was-hard-for-me-being-in-school-and-nobody-was-there-to-tell-me/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [There is no one to tell this to and yet it seems very important to get this right. The reality and what it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-heller/there-is-no-one-to-tell-this-to-and-yet-it-seems-very-important-to/) [Peter Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-heller/) > [You know I'm happy when we are together. Even I didn't tell you that you are important to me.. But I want to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/you-know-i-m-happy-when-we-are-together-even-i-didn-t-tell-you-that/) [Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/) > [Hardly do we find silent situations in our lives. Every situation tries to tell us something important. What they say becomes lessons and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/hardly-do-we-find-silent-situations-in-our-lives-every-situation/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [I can't tell you how important it was for us to be successful in japan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trip-hawkins/i-can-t-tell-you-how-important-it-was-for-us-to-be-successful-in-japan/) [Trip Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trip-hawkins/) > [Never text while driving. I'm pretty sure what you have to tell someone is not more important than your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-text-while-driving-i-m-pretty-sure-what-you-have-to-tell/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People will tell you most of the story… and I’ve learned that the part they neglect to tell you is often the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/people-will-tell-you-most-of-the-story-and-i-ve-learned-that-the-part/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [If I tell you how important you are to me, how much I miss you everyday, how much I cried for you, even walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babygirl/if-i-tell-you-how-important-you-are-to-me-how-much-i-miss-you/) [BabyGirl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babygirl/) > [She's afraid to tell me anything important, knowing I'll only turn around and write about it. In my mind, I'm like a friendly junkman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/she-s-afraid-to-tell-me-anything-important-knowing-i-ll-only-turn/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I don't think that I need to tell you how important to the outcome of that race is the education legislation that is now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-don-t-think-that-i-need-to-tell-you-how-important-to-the-outcome-of/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [When speaking to young people, I tell them that it is important to make sure that your mind is right, so you will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-griffin/when-speaking-to-young-people-i-tell-them-that-it-is-important-to/) Archie Griffin ## More by Mark Dever > [“not the writings that come from prophets inspired by the one true God revealed in Jesus Christ, then why do we find those passages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/not-the-writings-that-come-from-prophets-inspired-by-the-one-true-god/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I think it's unhelpful to suggest that the task of evangelism is essentially the responsibility of ministers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/i-think-it-s-unhelpful-to-suggest-that-the-task-of-evangelism-is/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [What really concerns me is for Christians to understand the fundamentals of evangelism in a way that is helpful in the contemporary scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/what-really-concerns-me-is-for-christians-to-understand-the/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Prayer is the preview of God's action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/prayer-is-the-preview-of-god-s-action/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I assume that normally the Lord will be bringing people to himself through the instrumentality of the preached word. However, we have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/i-assume-that-normally-the-lord-will-be-bringing-people-to-himself/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [“The motive for discipling others begins in the love of God and nothing less. He has loved us in Christ, and so we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/the-motive-for-discipling-others-begins-in-the-love-of-god-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [If joy or urgency are missing from our presentation of the gospel, then our testimony to Christ will be missing that sort of fullness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/if-joy-or-urgency-are-missing-from-our-presentation-of-the-gospel/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [“Yet the Bible teaches that the local church is the natural environment for discipling. In fact, it teaches that the local church is itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/yet-the-bible-teaches-that-the-local-church-is-the-natural/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Sin claims to free but in fact it kills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/sin-claims-to-free-but-in-fact-it-kills/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Some believers are faithful in the way that they live, but at the end of the day, they will not share the gospel with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/some-believers-are-faithful-in-the-way-that-they-live-but-at-the-end/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [We do not fail in our evangelism if we faithfully tell the gospel to someone who is not subsequently converted; we fail only if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/we-do-not-fail-in-our-evangelism-if-we-faithfully-tell-the-gospel-to/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Once we see more of our need and understand more of what Christ has done for us, he will become more precious to us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/once-we-see-more-of-our-need-and-understand-more-of-what-christ-has/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Unfortunately, many of our churches calibrate their life to these nominal Christians. The predictable result is that you get fake, hypocritical churches that confuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/unfortunately-many-of-our-churches-calibrate-their-life-to-these/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) [Explore all 137 Mark Dever quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) ## More Commentary quotes > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [The narration, in fact, doubles the drama with a commentary without which no mise en scene would be possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lacan/the-narration-in-fact-doubles-the-drama-with-a-commentary-without/) [Jacques Lacan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lacan/) > [I always had a running commentary in my head that was extremely funny and off-center, but I never said it to anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elayne-boosler/i-always-had-a-running-commentary-in-my-head-that-was-extremely-funny/) [Elayne Boosler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elayne-boosler/) > [I don't like going to football games. I like watching them on television. When you go to a game, it's hard to focus. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/i-don-t-like-going-to-football-games-i-like-watching-them-on/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Melissa McCarthy just opened this new movie, 'Identity Thief,' and Rex Reed, who's a known critic, wrote a scathing commentary on her weight. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-gad/melissa-mccarthy-just-opened-this-new-movie-identity-thief-and-rex/) [Josh Gad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-gad/) > [Spirituality does two things for you. One, you are forced to become more selfless, two, you trust to providence. The opposite of a spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imran-khan/spirituality-does-two-things-for-you-one-you-are-forced-to-become/) [Imran Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imran-khan/) > [Where beauty is worshipped for beauty's sake as a goddess, independent of and superior to morality and philosophy, the most horrible putrefaction is apt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/where-beauty-is-worshipped-for-beauty-s-sake-as-a-goddess-independent/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [ \[John Calvin's\] treatment of the person and work of Christ, of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, of prayer and liturgy,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/john-calvin-s-treatment-of-the-person-and-work-of-christ-of-the-holy/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [My work is not so much a direct commentary as it is an open-ended observation of the absurdities around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ori-gersht/my-work-is-not-so-much-a-direct-commentary-as-it-is-an-open-ended/) [Ori Gersht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ori-gersht/) > [“The late-afternoon light was thick and orange and she passed four different couples taking photos of themselves on the same cobblestoned block, all their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/the-late-afternoon-light-was-thick-and-orange-and-she-passed-four/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [I'm not interested in the director's commentary stuff. I think that stuff is really boring. And, if the director explains too much, it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-m-kahn/i-m-not-interested-in-the-director-s-commentary-stuff-i-think-that/) [Joseph M. Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-m-kahn/) > [“Every time I check Facebook, I get sick of my friends' pointless dramatic posts!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malak-abu-shanab/every-time-i-check-facebook-i-get-sick-of-my-friends-pointless/) Malak Abu Shanab > [It's a sad commentary when I have to say that sometimes in our country we are real sensitive to race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-robertson/it-s-a-sad-commentary-when-i-have-to-say-that-sometimes-in-our/) [Oscar Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-robertson/) > [“For the commentator to stay as closely as possible to home, that is, to the text of the Gospel itself, there is much to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-ridderbos/for-the-commentator-to-stay-as-closely-as-possible-to-home-that-is-to/) Herman Ridderbos > [If I do, I say so. That's the only way out of that. If there are three words that need to be used more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/if-i-do-i-say-so-that-s-the-only-way-out-of-that-if-there-are-three/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) Browse all 299 Commentary quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'll tell you what's more important than all the commentaries in your library: prayer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Dever" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/i-ll-tell-you-what-s-more-important-than-all-the-commentaries-in-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Commentary" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/i-ll-tell-you-what-s-more-important-than-all-the-commentaries-in-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/mark-dever-3175_commentary_i-ll-tell-you-what-s-more-important-than_1237807.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/mark-dever-3175_commentary_i-ll-tell-you-what-s-more-important-than_1237807.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/mark-dever-3175_commentary_i-ll-tell-you-what-s-more-important-than_1237807.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'll tell you what's more important than all the commentaries in your library: prayer.” — Mark Dever", "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": "Mark Dever", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'll tell you what's more important...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/i-ll-tell-you-what-s-more-important-than-all-the-commentaries-in-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/i-ll-tell-you-what-s-more-important-than-all-the-commentaries-in-your/#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 } } ] } ```