Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer, The: Experience the Wonders of God through Prayer [Paperback]

E. M. Bounds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

E. M. Bounds truly followed the charge to pray without ceasing. He was in prayer constantly, but it never became a chore to him. Though only two of his books were published in his lifetime, The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer combines all eight of Bounds' classic treatments of prayer. Join the generations of believers who have energized their prayer lives with the help of this godly man.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Learn the secrets of effective prayer for every need.

E. M. Bounds truly followed the charge to pray without ceasing. It was as normal and essential to him as breathing. But though he was in prayer constantly, it never became a chore to him. Throughout his life, whether he was ministering to troops during the Civil War or bringing God's Word to his congregation, E. M. Bounds relished his time in conversation with God.

Though only two of his books were published in his lifetime, The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer combines all eight of Bounds's classic treatments of prayer. Join the generations of believers who have energized their prayer lives with the help of this godly man.

Included in this definitive volume are:

Power through Prayer
Prayer and Praying Men
Purpose in Prayer
The Essentials of Prayer
The Necessity of Prayer
The Possibilities of Prayer
The Reality of Prayer
The Weapon of Prayer

Edward McKendree Bounds (1835-1913) was a lawyer, army chaplain, and pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He spent the last seventeen years of his life reading, writing, and rising before dawn every morning to pray. He is the author of eleven published books.

About the Author

Edward McKendree Bounds (1835-1913) was a lawyer, army chaplain, and pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He spent the last seventeen years of his life reading, writing, and rising before dawn every morning to pray. He is the author of eleven published books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books; Reprinted edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801064945
• ISBN-13: 978-0801064944
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > Prayer

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The finest prayer manual you could ever read!!!, November 19, 2007

By 

Deepak K. Singh "DKS" (Delhi, India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer, The: Experience the Wonders of God through Prayer (Paperback)

The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer is one of those rare life-changing books you could ever read. For almost a century, the outstanding works by this Prophet of Prayer have long inspired pastors, teachers, evangelists and christians all over the world to approach the Throne of Grace with boldness. E.M.Bounds (1835-1913), a Methodist minister and Civil War chaplain, who devoted the last 17 years of his life to intense intercession and to penning his most perennially popular works on prayer, once said, "God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. The lips that uttered them may be closed in death, the heart that felt them may have ceased to beat, but the prayers live before God, and God's heart is set on them and prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them; they outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world."

The book is actually a compilation of his eight books covering every aspect on the singular theme "Prayer", namely,

1. Necessity of Prayer
2. The Essentials of Prayer
3. The Possibilities of Prayer
4. The Reality of Prayer
5. The Purpose in Prayer
6. The Weapon of Prayer
7. Power Through Prayer
8. Prayer and Praying Men

All the books are a gold mine for christians. This edition is definitely better than other collection of his works by the name "E M Bounds: The Classic Collection on Prayer" available earlier as it employs a better version of modern text and is unedited hence, remaining faithful to original writings of E.M. Bounds. The only drawback I could observe is that the Bible verse references of most of the verses quoted from the scriptures are not mentioned though name of the book and chapters are mentioned at many places. So, one has to search them in Bible on their own or using concordance. That's why I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5. But that should not deter you from reading this wonderful and inspiring work.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary and Challenging, Profound Yet Straightforward, April 13, 2009

By 

Tom D (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer, The: Experience the Wonders of God through Prayer (Paperback)

This is a book for Christians; if you're a non-Christian searching for a general view of prayer or a contemporary Christian view of prayer, this isn't the right book. It is fundamentally about personal prayer and is for practicing Christians.

A Christian probably won't get far into the book before wondering why so much of this rich material seems to be ignored in modern, mainline churches. And, though most of the material was written a hundred or more years ago, it's amazing how many of the same issues are still on the proverbial table. For example, in a paragraph on church growth, Bound's writes "Men are God's method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men."

Mechanically, the chapters run 1 to 10 pages; without an actual count, most are 4 or 5 an easy read in a few minutes as a daily practice. Take on as much or as little as you care to, but it's compelling material. Grab a pen though, or a box of highlighters because it's loaded with substance and quotable material you'll want to note.

As another reviewer pointed out, it lacks Biblical reference notation for its quotes and verses. That could be a shortcoming, but I found it useful to find the verses in a Bible and note them in the text. And that's an opportunity to cross check the context as well. But I had to wonder if Bound's original audience wouldn't be able to quote chapters and verses and wouldn't need them in the text? In any event, it isn't distracting, there are a modest number of actual Biblical references.

There are, I'm sure, hundred's of worthy books on prayer. Some of course less so. Bound's is among the very best and would serve anyone well at any stage of prayer life. It's an earthy, passionate treatment; not an academic one. But if you're just exploring the idea of prayer, this isn't quite a "how to" book. If you're new to prayer and perhaps uncomfortable, I'd recommend starting with Phillip Yancey's thoughtful PRAYER. If you want a modern, theological and orthodox treatment, try Packer and Nystrom's more rigorous PRAYING. If there's a "definitive" book on prayer, I have yet to find it.

This is a collection of material, not written originally as a single text. So it is occasionally repetitive. Just an observation, not a criticism. Bounds was a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church South. No idea what the root theology is there, but the theology offered is baseline orthodox. There's little to quarrel with, though some Christian traditions would find some of their practices conspicuously absent therefore the treatment substantively incomplete. For example, some denominations incorporate repetitive prayers and others pray in tongues, glossolalia; neither are mentioned.

Regardless of where you are in your prayer life, I suspect reading Bounds will lead to a richer, deeper and more motivated experience.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Compilation of Bounds' Books on Prayer Life, August 18, 2005

By 

Michaelangelo (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer, The: Experience the Wonders of God through Prayer (Paperback)

For almost a century Edward McKendree Bounds' (1835-1913) books on prayer have been classic works, stimulating and inspiring Christians to develop a fuller prayer life and become prayer warriors. A forceful writer and deep thinker, Bounds spent the last nineteen years of his life reading, writing, and praying. He rose at 4 a.m. daily for many years, and was indefatigable in his study of the Bible.

As breathing is a physical reality to us, so prayer was a reality for Bounds. He took the biblical command "pray without ceasing" almost as literally as animate nature takes the law of the reflex nervous system, which controls our breathing.

Because Bounds so diligently practiced what he preached, we was able to capture the essence of prayer, and his works live on to call today's Christians to higher discipleship and an energetic, God-devoted prayer life.