Ravi Zacharias on Prayer

From Ravi Zacharias’ The Lotus and the Cross:

Prayer is a constant reminder that the human being is not autonomous. Prayer, in its most basic form, is the surging of the human spirit in its weakness, grasping at the Spirit of God in His strength. Sometimes mere words cannot give shape to the longing of the heart. You see, God answers every prayer by either giving what is asked for or reminding the petitioner that God’s provision is built on His wisdom and executed in His time. But the answer is always for the instruction and nurture of the soul.

Never is any new knowledge added to the mind of God.

God doesn’t respond because someone opens up some new insight for Him. No. In persistent, fervent prayer, God prepares the soil of one’s heart to make room for the seed of His answer, from which will flower an alignment with His will. That’s why I often told my disciples to be persistent and pray in faith. When the seed meets the soil and the season is right, the bloom touches heaven.