“Prayer must be the beginning of any act of generosity. If we are not turning to God in prayer–seeking His will, His strength, His grace–any effort at generosity elsewhere will fall flat. Our efforts will be disconnected from their source of goodness. They will be rooted in our strength, not His. Can you think of any times you tried to practice generosity without relying on God in prayer? What were the results?”
Stacy Mitch in Courageous Generosity (Steubenville, OH: Emmaus Road, 2009) 23.