The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds: Power Through Prayer, The Reality of Prayer, The Essentials of Prayer, The Weapon of Prayer, Satan: His Personality, Power And Overthrow and More

by E.M. Bounds

The absence of a devotional spirit means death to the graces born in a renewed heart. True worship finds congeniality in the atmosphere made by a spirit of devotion. While prayer is helpful to devotion, at the s...

Devotion engages the heart in prayer. It is not an easy task for the lips to try to pray while ...

The very essence of prayer is the spirit of devotion.

Religion has to do with everything but our hearts. It engages our hands and feet, it takes hold of our voices, it lays its hands on our money, it affects even the postures of our bodies, but it does not take hold of our affections, our desires, our zeal, and make us serious, desperately in earnest, and cause us to be quiet and worshipful in the presence of God.

The great lack of modern religion is the spirit of devotion.

We need the spirit of devotion, to recollect always the presence of God, to be always doing the will of God, to direct all things always to the glory of God.

The spirit of devotion makes the common things of earth sacred, and the little things great.

The spirit of devotion removes religion from being a thin veneer, and puts it into the very life and being of our souls. With it religion ceases to be doing a mere work, and becomes a heart, sending its rich blood through every artery and beating with the pulsations of vigourous and radiant life.

If we would be partakers with them after death, we must first learn the spirit of devotion on earth before we get there.

Prayer must be aflame. Its ardour must consume. Prayer without fervour is as a sun without light or heat, or as a flower without beauty or fragrance. A soul devoted to God is a fervent soul, and prayer is the creature of that flame.

Activity is not strength. Work is not zeal. Moving about is not devotion. Activity often is the unrecognised symptom of spiritual weakness.

Enthusiasm is more active than faith, though it cannot remove mountains nor call into action any of the omnipotent forces which faith can command.

The external must have a deep internal groundwork.

This is the genesis of the whole matter of activity and strength of the most energetic, exhaustless and untiring nature. All this is the result of waiting on God.

To be too busy with God's work to commune with God, to be busy with doing Church work without taking time to talk to God about His work, is the highway to backsliding, and many people have walked therein to the hurt of their immortal souls.

Notwithstanding great activity, great enthusiasm, and much hurrah for the work, the work and the activity will be but blindness without the cultivation and the maturity of the graces of prayer.

In fact thanksgiving is but the expression of an inward conscious gratitude to God for mercies received.

Gratitude is an inward emotion of the soul, involuntarily arising therein, while thanksgiving is the voluntary expression of gratitude.

Gratitude is felt in the heart. Thanksgiving is the expression of that inward feeling.

Both gratitude and thanksgiving point to, and have to do with God and His mercies.

The heart is consciously grateful to God. The soul gives expression to that heartfelt gratitude to God in words or acts.

"I love to think on mercies past, And future good implore; And all my cares and sorrows cast On Him whom I adore."

Consideration of God's mercies not only begets gratitude, but induces a large consecration to God of all we have and are. So that prayer, thanksgiving and consecration are all linked together inseparably.

Gratitude and thanksgiving always looks back at the past though it may also take in the present. But prayer always looks to the future. Thanksgiving deals with things already received. Prayer deals with things desired, asked for and expected. Prayer turns to gratitude and praise when the things asked for have been granted by God.

And true prayer corrects complaining and promotes gratitude and thanksgiving.

One of the leading sins of these Israelites was forgetfulness of God and His mercies, and ingratitude of soul. This brought forth murmurings and lack of praise, as it always does.

"We thank Thee, Lord of heaven and earth, Who hast preserved us from our birth; Redeemed us oft from death and dread, And with Thy gifts our table spread."

For as prayer brings the answer, so the answer brings forth gratitude and praise. As prayer sets God to work, so answered prayer sets thanksgiving to work. Thanksgiving follows answered prayer just as day succeeds night.

Praise is so distinctly and definitely wedded to prayer, so inseparably joined, that they cannot be divorced. Praise is dependent on prayer for its full volume and its sweetest melody.

Giving thanks is the very life of prayer. It is its fragrance and music, its poetry and its crown.

The heart must have in it the grace of prayer to sing the praise of God. Spiritual singing is not to be done by musical taste or talent, but by the grace of God in the heart.

"Through every period of my life Thy goodness I'll pursue; And after death, in distant worlds, The pleasing theme renew. "Through all eternity to Thee A grateful song I'll raise; But Oh! eternity's too short To utter all Thy praise."

"He will.' It may not be today, That God Himself shall wipe our tears away, Nor, hope deferred, may it be yet tomorrow He'll take away our cup of earthly sorrow; But, precious promise, He has said He will, If we but trust Him fully--and be still. "We, too, as He, may fall, and die unknown; And e'en the place we fell be all unshown, But eyes omniscient will mark the spot Till empires perish and the world's forgot. Then they who bore the yoke and drank the cup In fadeless glory shall the Lord raise up. God's word is ever good; His will is best:-- The yoke, the heart all broken--and then rest." --Claudius L. Chilton

Prayer is of great value ...

Trouble often drives men to God in prayer, while prayer is but the voice of men in trouble. There is great value ...

Prayer often delivers out of trouble, and still oftener gives strength to bear trouble, ministers comfort in trouble, and bege...

Trouble is common to man. There is no exception in any age or clime or station. Rich and poor alike, the learned and the ignorant, one and all are partakers of this sad and painful inheritance of the fall of man.

These are the ones who know not God, who know nothing of His disciplinary dealings with His people and who are prayerless.

God deals with no two of His children in the same way.

He has not one pattern for every child. Each trouble is proportioned to each child. Each one is dealt with according to his own peculiar case.

Trouble is under the control of Almighty God, and is one of His most efficient agents in fulfilling His purposes and in perfecting His saints.

God's hand is in every trouble which breaks into the lives of men. Not that He directly and arbitrarily orders every unpleasant experience of life. Not that He is personally responsible for every painful and afflicting thing which comes into the lives of His people. But no trouble is ever turned loose in this world and comes into the life of saint or sinner, but comes with Divine permission, and is allowed to exist and do its painful work with God's hand in it or on it, carrying out His gracious designs of redemption.

All things are under Divi...

Even the evils brought about by the forces of nature are His servants, carrying out His will and fulfilling His designs.

Trouble belongs to the disciplinary part of the moral government of God.

Speaking accurately, punishment does not belong to this life. Punishment for sin will take place in the next world.

Prayer belongs to the discipline of life.

As the rain falls alike on the just and unjust, so drouth likewise comes to the righteous and the wicked.

Trouble is no evidence whatever of the Divine displeasure.

Trouble has no power in itself to interfere with the relations of a saint to God.