Pray with all your might. In this quote by Charles Spurgeon, he likens prayer to ringing an old church bell.

“Prayer pulls the rope below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell for they pray so languidly. Others give but an occasional pluck at the rope. but {she} who wins with heaven is the {woman} who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously with all {her} might.”

Picture the old, often white, country church with the big bell tower on top and the huge bell inside of it — a bell so big that it could be heard far into the surrounding community. I imagine Charles Spurgeon, who lived from 1834 to 1892, had a similar picture in his mind when he penned this quote.

As I read Mr. Spurgeon’s analogy, I thought back to a time when I tried ringing an old-fashioned church bell. The bell rope wasn’t just a cord you yanked to hear the bell ring. The rope itself was very heavy, let alone the bell.

As a result, I had to throw my whole weight into the task at hand, and then I had to wait while the bell swung back. Then, I had to do it all over again, throwing all my weight into once again pulling the rope and moving the bell.

At first, the bell moved only a little, and then each time, as I tried again, the bell swung a little more. Because I persevered, after a time, I was able to move the bell with not nearly as much effort as I had used when I first began . . . and yet my effort was more effective, and my results were greater.