Prayer is the strongest form of abiding that there is.
-- A retired teacher was giving her little nephew some help with his schools work.
He was normally a good, attentive child, but on this occasion he could not fix his mind on his work. Suddenly he said, "Aunt Sally, may I kneel down and ask God to help me find my marble?"
She told him to go ahead, the little boy knelt by his chair, closed his eyes, and prayed silently. Then he got up and went on with his lessons contentedly.
The next day, his aunt was almost afraid to ask about the prayer request. She was a little worried that if he did not find the marble that his simple faith would be damaged.
She finally decided to ask anyway and said to him, "Well, dear have you found your marble? " No," was the reply, "but God has made me not want to."
-- When we abide in Christ, especially in prayer, I believe that we develop and grow into a healthy branch that conforms to God’s image.
He changes our hearts desires and helps us to trust in His actions in our lives.
From Thomas Bowen’s Sermon "Blank Checks"