Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is the most incredible book on prayer. I have been enjoying it daily and find my prayer life to me more intimate and personal. All prayer warriors would benefit from keeping this book handy as a daily source of reference and encouragement.

This is a very deep thought provoking book. I use it more as a devotional then a read through. It uses old time English and one must really think about each sentence and what the author is trying to say. I'm not saying it's not worth buying-it is with nuggets of gold enclosed, but put your boots on to wade through.

This book has taught me so much about praying, especially persistent prayer and how to seek God. A must have for anyone who wants to walk seriously with the Lord and want to get into His presence.

This book as by far one of the most thorough treatments on prayer I have seen, and Bounds does an excellent job in his works that treat of our approach to God in prayer.

The only problem I had with it were his views on God's sovereignty. There is one book in this volume, "The Purpose in Prayer," in which he suggests that God's purposes can be changed through prayer. While this may seem to be the case as we see God "repent" or have regret over something, it is clear in Scripture that God does not change his mind, and that the outworkings of prayer are all part of His good sovereign purposes. A.W. Pink wrote a book called "The Sovereigny of God" that treats on this chapter specifically (by the way another excellent book).

Outside of this issue in general, of which there are subtle inferences throughout this volume, it is a good book. With a good knowledge of God's character and His Word, one can discern the minor errors without imposing on the authors primary intent of cultivating a life saturated in prayer. I highly recommend this to anyone who desires to grow in thier relationship with Christ through the wonderful priviledge of prayer.

I suppose it goes without saying that God's people do not pray enough. I think it is equally true that most Christians want to pray more, or would like to pray more, but for various reasons, they just don't. My own feeling is, one of the reasons they don't is because they are not inspired to. It is sort of like a soldier who is about to enter a terrible battle. What he needs at that point more than anything else is someone to give a heroic, rousing speech to inspire him to rise above the obvious awful realities of war and FIGHT! Without that rousing, pre-battle speech (think William Wallace in 'Braveheart'), who could possibly extend himself to the degree necessary to endure, to conquer and to be successful? More than anything else, E.M. Bounds is INSPIRING! He will inspire you to pray. Not only more, but harder and longer.

I think another reason modern Christians don't pray more is because they just don't understand how important prayer is. Bounds absolutely BELIEVES in prayer. He believes in the power, the necessity, the possibilities, the reality, the purpose, and the WEAPON of prayer! Bounds' books go FAR above and beyond what comes from the modern Christian thinkers, to the point of being controversial. There really is nothing else in modern theological literature like it! It is unique, it is controversial, and as a result it is not for everyone. There is going to be some certain percentage of modern Christians who will not like Bounds' views on prayer. So be it. Modern writers have had their chance. They've written hundreds of books, what is the result? Is the world doing well? Is the influence of the Church making a positive difference in the world? It's funny, really. People who spend what?, maybe 15 minutes or less a day, praying, will criticize a man who spent 4 HOURS every day in prayer. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. As Andrew Murray said concerning prayer: "Every art unfolds its secrets to those who practice it." Surely the Lord rewarded Bounds with an incredible amount of insight into the art of prayer. It is this hard-won insight that Bounds faithfully shares in his writings.

It's no secret that the Church today is totally lacking any ability to influence the world, and as a result the world is in SERIOUS trouble. While many Christians are waiting around for God, in His sovereignty, to "do something," Bounds teaches clearly that it is in fact God who is waiting. He is waiting for His people. He is waiting for them to pray. Not the stupid nonsense that passes for prayer today, but REAL prayer. REAL praying. That is what God is waiting for and that is what Bounds teaches how to do. Bounds teaches how to REALLY pray. The kind of prayer that actually MOVES God to act!

So if you know in your heart you should pray more, but you just don't have the time, buy this book. You will soon figure out a way to make time! You'll rise up early, a good while before dawn, and you WILL pray. Longer and harder than you ever have before.

"For the eyes of the Lord run back and forth throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him."

"I sought for a man among them, who should build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none."

If you want to learn to pray better, or you want a better understanding of prayer, this book will teach you. If you want to pray more, this book will inspire you to do it.

I wasn't sure I wanted to buy these books as a compilation, but now
I'm glad I did. Although I'm only on the first book, it is already
apparent that they are a rich subject resource on prayer. E.M. Bounds
reflects the holy pursuit of God without distraction in his writings. I
found myself inspired to draw away into my Bible with more intention, and the
experience has only increased my hunger for more. Your prayer life will most
certainly be changed, and your spiritual life enriched.

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.