E. M. Bounds

Straight praying is never born of crooked conduct.

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

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

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.

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

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.

The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be the mightier the forces against evil everywhere.

Prayer is of transcendent importance. Prayer is the mightiest agent to advance God's work. Praying hearts and hands only can do God's work. Prayer succeeds when all else fails.

Prayer is a trade to be learned. We must be apprentices and serve our time at it. Painstaking care much thought practice and labour are required to be a skillful tradesman in praying. Practice in this as well as in all other trades makes perfect.

Other duties become pressing and absorbing and crowd our prayer. "Choked to death" would be the coroner's verdict in many cases of dead praying if an inquest could be secured on this dire spiritual calamity.

Prayer honors God acknowledges His being exalts His power adores His providence secures His aid.

Faith and hope and patience and all the strong beautiful vital forces of piety are withered and dead in a prayerless life. The life of the individual believer his personal salvation and personal Christian graces have their being bloom and fruitage in prayer.

We can do nothing without prayer. All things can be done by importunate prayer. It surmounts or removes all obstacles overcomes every resisting force and gains its ends in the face of invincible hindrances.

Non-praying is lawlessness discord anarchy.

God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. They outlive the lives of those who uttered them.

I feel it is far better to begin with God to see His face first to get my soul near Him before it is near another. In general it is best to have at least one hour alone with God before engaging in anything else.

Natural ability and educational advantages do not figure as factors in this matter of prayer but a capacity for faith the power of a thorough consecration the ability of self-littleness an absolute losing of one's self in God's glory and an ever present and insatiable yearning and seeking after all the fullness of God.

By prayer the ability is secured to feel the law of love to speak according to the law of love and to do everything in harmony with the law of love.