God is not concerned about our plans; He doesn’t ask, “Do you want to go through this loss of a loved one, this difficulty, or this defeat?” No, He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, and nobler men and women, or they are making us more critical and fault-finding, and more insistent on our own way. The things that happen either make us evil, or they make us more saintly, depending entirely on our relationship with God and its level of intimacy.
Oswald ChambersPrayer is the vital breath of the Christian; not the thing that makes him alive, but the evidence that he is alive.
Oswald ChambersWe actually slander and dishonor God by our very eagerness to serve Him without knowing Him.
Oswald ChambersOur Lord did not say it was wrong to pray in the corners of the street, but He did say it was wrong to have the motive to "be seen of men".
Oswald Chambers