Quotes by E. M. Bounds

Trouble and prayer are closely related. . . . Trouble often drives men to God in prayer while prayer is but the voice of men in trouble.

Private place and plenty of time are the life of prayer.

Straight praying is never born of crooked conduct.

Praying which does not result in pure conduct is a delusion. We have missed the whole office and virtue of praying if it does not rectify conduct. It is in the very nature of things that we must quit praying or quit bad conduct.

Our praying to be strong must be buttressed by holy living. The life of faith perfects the prayer of faith.

We cannot talk to God strongly when we have not lived for God strongly. The closet cannot be made holy to God when the life has not been holy to God.

If we would have God in the closet God must have us out of the closet. There is no way of praying to God but by living to God.

Men would pray better if they lived better. They would get more from God if they lived more obedient and well-pleasing to God.

We can never know God as it is our privilege to know Him by brief repetitions that are requests for personal favors and nothing more.

There is neither encouragement nor room in Bible religion for feeble desires listless efforts lazy attitudes all must be strenuous urgent ardent. Flamed desires impassioned unwearied insistence delight heaven. God would have His children incorrigibly in earnest and persistently bold in their efforts. Heaven is too busy to listen to half-hearted prayers or to respond to pop-calls. Our whole being must be in our praying.

It is only when the whole heart is gripped with the passion of prayer that the life-giving fire descends for none but the earnest man gets access to the ear of God.

To say prayers in a decent delicate way is not heavy work. But to pray really to pray till hell feels the ponderous stroke to pray till the iron gates of difficulty are opened till the mountains of obstacles are removed till the mists are exhaled and the clouds are lifted and the sunshine of a cloudless day brightens-this is hard work but it is Gods work and mans best labor.

Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter not with vain repetitions but with urgent repetitions. We repeat not to count the times but to gain the prayer. We cannot quit praying because heart and soul are in it. We pray with all perseverance. We hang to our prayers because by them we live. We press our pleas because we must have them or die.

Jesus taught that perseverance is the essential element of prayer. Men must be in earnest when they kneel at Gods footstool. Too often we get faint-hearted and quit praying at the point where we ought to begin. We let go at the very point where we should hold on strongest. Our prayers are weak because they are not impassioned by an unfailing and resistless will.

The possibilities of prayer are found in its allying itself with the purposes of God for Gods purposes and mans praying are the combination of all potent and omnipotent forces.

Prayer puts Gods work in his hands-and keeps it there.

I think Christians fail so often to get answers to their prayers because they do not wait long enough on God. They just drop down and say a few words and then jump up and forget it and expect God to answer them. Such praying always reminds me of the small boy ringing his neighbors door-bell and then running away as fast as he can go.

Prayer puts Gods work in His hands-and keeps it there.

It is hard to wait and press and pray and hear no voice but stay till God answers.

Gods willingness to answer our prayers exceeds our willingness to give good and necessary things to our children just as far as Gods ability goodness and perfection exceed our infirmities and evil.