Essentials of Prayer

Essentials of Prayer by Edward M. Bounds

Essentials of Prayer by Edward M. Bounds lays out a series of connected teachings on the nature and conditions of true prayer. Bounds argues that prayer engages the entire man—body, mind, and soul together—and cites Daniel's kneeling, Solomon's dedication prayer, and Christ's agony in Gethsemane as evidence that the whole being, not merely the lips, must join in petition. He draws on Paul's epistles, the Psalms, and the Sermon on the Mount to show that half-hearted or divided praying cannot succeed, and that the benefits of such whole-souled prayer likewise flow back to the whole man—body, mind, and soul. Humility receives extended treatment through the parable of the Pharisee and the publican: the Pharisee's self-exaltation nullifies his prayer, while the publican's self-abasement secures justification. Bounds insists humility is not mere absence of pride but a positive, active grace without which prayer cannot rise, illustrating this with Abraham, Solomon, and Daniel's postures of lowliness before God. Devotion is treated as the inner spirit that makes prayer real rather than formal; Bounds laments a "busy age" Church that performs religious routines—singing, attending services, reading Scripture—without heartfelt engagement, and contrasts this with the ceaseless, ardent worship of the living creatures in Revelation 4. Thanksgiving and praise are shown as the natural sequel to answered prayer, closely tied to gratitude, consecration, and freedom from murmuring, with the Israelites' wilderness complaints as a negative example and Miriam's song as a positive one. A substantial section addresses trouble, distinguishing temptation, trial, and trouble, and framing trouble as divine discipline rather than punishment—citing Job, Joseph, Paul's sufferings in II Corinthians, and Hebrews 12 on chastisement—arguing prayer in trouble brings submission, comfort, and spiritual gain rather than necessarily removing the affliction. Bounds then turns to holiness as God's central aim, criticizing the modern Church's material prosperity as no proof of spiritual advance, and quoting John Wesley's letter to his brother Charles diagnosing "littleness of grace" among preachers and people as the cause of declining revival power. Consecration is defined as full, unreserved self-dedication to God, inseparable from a life of prayer, contrasted with superficial modern "consecration" lacking real praying. He argues for a definite scriptural standard of religious experience, warning against measuring oneself by others' commonplace religion, and citing Adoniram Judson's caution against contentment with a low bar. Compassion is presented as the root of intercessory prayer, exemplified by Christ's compassion for the multitudes "as sheep having no shepherd," Paul's anguish for his Jewish kinsmen, and the call to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers. Discussing corporate prayer and Church discipline, Bounds interprets Matthew 18 as teaching that unified prayer and the disciplined removal of unrepentant offenders go together, citing Paul's instructions to the Corinthians and Thessalonians and Ezra's reforming grief and prayer over Israel's intermarriage sins. The final chapters address prayer's universality—for all men, everywhere, in all circumstances—quoting I Timothy 2 on praying for rulers, and closing with an extended treatment of missions, arguing that prayer, not money, is the true engine of missionary success. He cites David Livingstone, Adoniram Judson, Henry Martyn, and Hudson Taylor as praying missionaries, recounts Paul and Barnabas's commissioning at Antioch through fasting and prayer, and quotes Isaiah on watchmen who give God "no rest" until Jerusalem is established, closing on the need for intercessors to match the scarcity lamented by Isaiah.

By Edward M. Bounds · First published 1925 · Genre: Religious Non-Fiction, Christian Theology, Devotional Literature · 13 chapters · 37,827 words

First lines

"Henry Clay Trumbull spoke forth the Infinite in the terms of our world, and the Eternal in the forms of our human life. Some years ago, on a ferry-boat, I met a gentleman who knew him, and I told him that when I had last seen Dr. Trumbull, a fortnight before, he had spoken of him. ‘Oh, yes,' said my friend, ‘he was a great Christian, so real, so intense. He was at my home years ago and we were talking about prayer. " "Why, Trumbull," I said, "you don't mean to say if you lost a pencil you would pray about it, and ask God to help you find it. " "Of course I would; of course I would," was his instant and excited reply. ' Of course he would. Was not his faith a real thing? Like the Saviour, he put his doctrine strongly by taking an extreme illustration to embody his principle, but the principle was fundamental. He did trust God in everything. And the Father honoured the trust of His child. "――ROBERT E. SPEER.

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prayer · humility · devotion · holiness · consecration · thanksgiving · praise · intercessory prayer · spiritual trials · missions · Christian theology · biblical exegesis

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