E.M. Bounds on Prayer Quotes

“To pray is the greatest thing we can do: and to do it well there must be calmness, time, and deliberation; otherwise it is degraded into the littlest and meanest of things. True praying has the largest results for good; and poor praying, the least. We cannot do too much of real praying; we cannot do too little of the sham. We must learn anew the worth of prayer, enter anew the school of prayer. There is nothing which it takes more time to learn. —The Power of Prayer”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“But the cause of this sad state of things may be traced further back. It is largely due to the decay of prayer. For with the decline of the work of holiness, there has come the decline of the business of praying.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“Why is it that the pastor is not sufficiently spiritual, holy and in communion with God, that he cannot hold his own revival services, and have large outpourings of the Holy Spirit on the church, the community and upon himself? There can be but one solution for all this state of things. We have cultivated other things to the neglect of the work of holiness. We have permitted our minds to be preoccupied with material things in the church. Unfortunately, whether designedly or not, we have substituted the external for the internal. We have put that which is seen to the front and shut out that which is unseen. It is all too true as to the church, that we are much further advanced in material matters than in matters spiritual.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“Gratitude and thanksgiving forever stand opposed to all murmurings at God’s dealings with us, and all complainings at our lot. Gratitude and murmuring never abide in the same heart at the same time. An unappreciative spirit has no standing beside gratitude and praise. And true prayer corrects complaining and promotes gratitude and thanksgiving. Dissatisfaction at one’s lot, and a disposition to be discontented with things which come to us in the providence of God, are foes to gratitude and enemies to thanksgiving.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“Gratitude and thanksgiving always looks back at the past, though they 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.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“Love is the child of gratitude. Love grows as gratitude is felt, and then breaks out into praise and thanksgiving to God: “I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplication.” Answered prayers cause gratitude, and gratitude brings forth a love that declares it will not cease praying: “Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.” Gratitude and love move to larger and increased praying.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“humility. It knows and reveres the inestimable riches of the Cross, and the humiliations of Jesus Christ. It fears the luster of those virtues admired by men, and loves those that are more secret and which are prized by God.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“That which brings the praying soul near to God is humility of heart. That which gives wings to prayer, is lowliness of mind. That which gives ready access to the throne of grace is self-depreciation.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“God sees to it that when the whole man prays, in turn the whole man shall be blessed. His body takes in the good of praying, for much praying is done specifically for the body. Food and raiment, health and bodily vigor, come in answer to praying. Clear mental action, right thinking, an enlightened understanding, and safe reasoning powers, come from praying. Divine guidance means God so moving and impressing the mind, that we shall make wise and safe decisions. “The meek will he guide in judgment.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“Just as it takes the whole man to pray successfully, so in turn the whole man receives the benefits of such praying. As every part of man’s complex being enters into true praying, so every part of that same nature receives blessings from God in answer to such praying.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“And further on, giving us his prayer for a wise and understanding heart, he tells us his purposes concerning the keeping of God’s law: “Give me understanding and I shall keep thy law; Yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“The whole heart, the whole brain, the whole spirit, must be in the matter of praying, which is so mightily to affect the characters and destinies of men.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“Thought goes before entrance into the closet and prepares the way for true praying. It considers what will be asked for in the closet hour. True praying does not leave to the inspiration of the hour, what will be the requests of that hour. As praying is asking for something definite of God, so, beforehand, the thought arises—“What shall I ask for at this hour?” All vain and evil and frivolous thoughts are eliminated, and the mind is given over entirely to God, thinking of him, of what is needed, and what has been received in the past.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“Prayer is not the fruit of natural talents; it is the product of faith, of holiness, of deeply spiritual character. Men learn to pray as they learn to love.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“Luther said: “To have prayed well, is to have studied well.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“He who is too busy to pray, will be too busy to live a holy life.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“Prayer opens an outlet for the promises, removes the hindrances in the way of their execution, puts them into working order, and secures their gracious ends.”
― E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer