---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Prayer strikes the winning blow; service…"
description: "\"Prayer strikes the winning blow; service is simply picking up the pieces.\" — S. D Gordon"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/s-d-gordon-23207_blow_prayer-strikes-the-winning-blow-service_2381371.jpg"
---

#  Prayer strikes the winning blow; service is simply picking…

![“Prayer strikes the winning blow; service is simply picking up the pieces.” quote by S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/s-d-gordon-23207_blow_prayer-strikes-the-winning-blow-service_2381371.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/s-d-gordon-23207_blow_prayer-strikes-the-winning-blow-service_2381371.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/s-d-gordon-23207_blow_prayer-strikes-the-winning-blow-service_2381371.jpg)

> “Prayer strikes the winning blow; service is simply picking up the pieces.”

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

## About This Quote

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

Success comes from decisive action, while service involves rebuilding after setbacks.

**In simple terms:** Action wins; service heals.

Key Takeaway

Take decisive action, then help repair.

Themes

leadership service resilience

Mood

determined compassionate

Type

inspirational practical

When to use this quote

- business strategy
- disaster relief
- team building
- personal recovery

Key Concepts

decision making community support

Questions to Reflect On

- What decisive step can you take today?
- How can you support others after a failure?

A Different Perspective

Service alone can’t replace the need for decisive action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Lenten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lenten/) [Picking Up The Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picking-up-the-pieces/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/)

## Related quotes

> [Where two or three are met together, the prayer of one strikes fire from the soul of another; and the latter in his turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stalker/where-two-or-three-are-met-together-the-prayer-of-one-strikes-fire/)

[James Stalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stalker/)

> [One should never initiate anything that he cannot saturate with prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/one-should-never-initiate-anything-that-he-cannot-saturate-with-prayer/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [Lent stimulates us to let the Word of God penetrate our life and in this way to know the fundamental truth: who we are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/lent-stimulates-us-to-let-the-word-of-god-penetrate-our-life-and-in/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [Who receives, should thank; who gives, should be silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/german-proverb/who-receives-should-thank-who-gives-should-be-silent/)

German Proverb

> [On this Holy Saturday, the final day of Lent, let our faith be made stronger; let us be more assured that sin and death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archbishop-cranmer/on-this-holy-saturday-the-final-day-of-lent-let-our-faith-be-made/)

Archbishop Cranmer

> [As Lent is the time for greater love, listen to Jesus' thirst...'Repen t and believe' Jesus tells us. What are we to repent? Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/as-lent-is-the-time-for-greater-love-listen-to-jesus-thirst-repen-t/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [Today is the start of Lenten season, time to give time to the one who made us and sacrificed Himself for us. Ash Wednesday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/today-is-the-start-of-lenten-season-time-to-give-time-to-the-one-who/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Holy Saturday is a day to pray for those who walk among us as the living dead. Their hope is placed in all things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/holy-saturday-is-a-day-to-pray-for-those-who-walk-among-us-as-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Lent is like a long 'retreat' during which we can turn back into ourselves and listen to the voice of God, in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/lent-is-like-a-long-retreat-during-which-we-can-turn-back-into/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> ['Tis spring; come out to ramble The hilly brakes around, For under thorn and bramble About the hollow ground The primroses are found. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/tis-spring-come-out-to-ramble-the-hilly-brakes-around-for-under-thorn/)

[A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/)

> [He is as welcome as the first day in Lent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dutch-proverb/he-is-as-welcome-as-the-first-day-in-lent/)

[Dutch Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dutch-proverb/)

> [After Christmas comes Lent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/german-proverb/after-christmas-comes-lent/)

German Proverb

> [Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/lent-is-a-fitting-time-for-self-denial-we-would-do-well-to-ask/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [Fasting makes sense if it really chips away at our security and, as a consequence, benefits someone else, if it helps us cultivate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/fasting-makes-sense-if-it-really-chips-away-at-our-security-and-as-a/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [A full stomach praises Lent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italian-proverb/a-full-stomach-praises-lent/)

Italian Proverb

## More by S. D Gordon

> [If we lose the spirit of 'go,' we have lost the very Christian spirit itself. A disobedient church will become a dead church. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/if-we-lose-the-spirit-of-go-we-have-lost-the-very-christian-spirit/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [Prayer is repeating the victor's name (Jesus) into the ears of Satan and insisting on his retreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/prayer-is-repeating-the-victor-s-name-jesus-into-the-ears-of-satan/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [Steadfastness, that is holding on; patience, that is holding back; expectancy, that is holding the face up; obedience, that is holding one's self in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/steadfastness-that-is-holding-on-patience-that-is-holding-back/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [God's greatest agency; man's greatest agency, for defeating the enemy and winning men back is intercession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/god-s-greatest-agency-man-s-greatest-agency-for-defeating-the-enemy/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [The greatest thing anyone can do for God or man is pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/the-greatest-thing-anyone-can-do-for-god-or-man-is-pray/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [The greatest thing anyone can do for God and for man is to pray. You can do more than pray after you have prayed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/the-greatest-thing-anyone-can-do-for-god-and-for-man-is-to-pray-you/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [One should never initiate anything that he cannot saturate with prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/one-should-never-initiate-anything-that-he-cannot-saturate-with-prayer/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [Prayer does not influence God. Prayer surely does influence God. It does not influence His purpose. It does influence His action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/prayer-does-not-influence-god-prayer-surely-does-influence-god-it/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [It takes power for the man of God in the pulpit to speak plainly about particular sins before the faces of those who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/it-takes-power-for-the-man-of-god-in-the-pulpit-to-speak-plainly/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [Ideals are like tuning forks: sound them often to bring your life up to standard pitch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/ideals-are-like-tuning-forks-sound-them-often-to-bring-your-life-up/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [Jesus is God spelling Himself out in language that men can understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/jesus-is-god-spelling-himself-out-in-language-that-men-can-understand/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [Shoes divide men into three classes. Some men wear their father's shoes. They make no decisions of their own. Some are unthinkingly shod by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/shoes-divide-men-into-three-classes-some-men-wear-their-father-s/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [The way from God to a human heart is through a human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/the-way-from-god-to-a-human-heart-is-through-a-human-heart/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [The real victory in all service is won in secret beforehand by prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/the-real-victory-in-all-service-is-won-in-secret-beforehand-by-prayer/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

> [The men who seem to know most of God's power have had great, unspeakable longings, at times, for a fresh consciousness of that power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/the-men-who-seem-to-know-most-of-god-s-power-have-had-great/)

[S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

[Explore all 26 S. D Gordon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/)

## More Blow quotes

> [The wind always seems to blow against catchers when they are running.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/the-wind-always-seems-to-blow-against-catchers-when-they-are-running/)

[Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/)

> [Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow! You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout Till you have drenched our teeples, drowned the cocks! You sulphurour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/blow-winds-and-crack-your-cheeks-rage-blow-you-cataracts-and/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [If he wants to blow his head off, let him. I don't give a damn about Jim Bakker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hahn/if-he-wants-to-blow-his-head-off-let-him-i-don-t-give-a-damn-about/)

[Jessica Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hahn/)

> [If we blow ourselves up we will do it by misapplication of science; if we manage to keep from blowing ourselves up, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/if-we-blow-ourselves-up-we-will-do-it-by-misapplication-of-science-if/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Not I, not I, but the wind that blows through me! A fine wind is blowing the new direction of Time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/not-i-not-i-but-the-wind-that-blows-through-me-a-fine-wind-is-blowing/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/)

[Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/)

> [Music is a wind that blows away the years, memories, and fear, that crouching animal I carry inside me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/music-is-a-wind-that-blows-away-the-years-memories-and-fear-that/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [One of the wonderful things about Portlandia - and I'm not just blowing smoke, although I can blow smoke, but I'm not - is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-raab/one-of-the-wonderful-things-about-portlandia-and-i-m-not-just-blowing/)

[Scott Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-raab/)

> [I would always find a way to blow the deal and I'm not sure why. I think there was part of me that wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/i-would-always-find-a-way-to-blow-the-deal-and-i-m-not-sure-why-i/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [Letters crossing in the post, unfamiliar tunes heard three times in one day, the way that blows of fate descend upon the same bowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/letters-crossing-in-the-post-unfamiliar-tunes-heard-three-times-in/)

[Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/)

> [Truth is, right now two bombs could drop out of the sky and blow up this house and whatever building you're in and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mackaye/truth-is-right-now-two-bombs-could-drop-out-of-the-sky-and-blow-up/)

[Ian MacKaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mackaye/)

> [The old saying is true: If you have only the Word, you dry up. If you have only the Spirit, you blow up. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cymbala/the-old-saying-is-true-if-you-have-only-the-word-you-dry-up-if-you/)

[Jim Cymbala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cymbala/)

> [I can turn an idea into a business before you know it's going to be important. My first step will blow by you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/i-can-turn-an-idea-into-a-business-before-you-know-it-s-going-to-be/)

[Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/)

> [The Brick House was one of the toughest joints I ever played in ... Guys would drink and fight one another like circle saws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/the-brick-house-was-one-of-the-toughest-joints-i-ever-played-in-guys/)

[Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/)

Browse all 2,324 Blow quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Prayer strikes the winning blow; service is simply picking up the pieces.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "S. D Gordon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/prayer-strikes-the-winning-blow-service-is-simply-picking-up-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blow"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/prayer-strikes-the-winning-blow-service-is-simply-picking-up-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/s-d-gordon-23207_blow_prayer-strikes-the-winning-blow-service_2381371.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/s-d-gordon-23207_blow_prayer-strikes-the-winning-blow-service_2381371.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/s-d-gordon-23207_blow_prayer-strikes-the-winning-blow-service_2381371.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Prayer strikes the winning blow; service is simply picking up the pieces.” — S. D Gordon",
                "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": "S. D Gordon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Prayer strikes the winning blow; service...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/prayer-strikes-the-winning-blow-service-is-simply-picking-up-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/prayer-strikes-the-winning-blow-service-is-simply-picking-up-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
