Unless otherwise noted, all quotes come from EM Bounds’ book, The Necessity of Prayer.
The Need for Vigilance – We are Soldiers at War
“The Christian soldier, if he fights to win, must pray much.”
“‘Praying always, with all prayer,’ is the divine direction given him. This covers all seasons, and embraces all manner of praying.”
“The life to which the Holy Scriptures calls men is no picnic, or holiday junketing. It is no pastime, no pleasure jaunt. It entails effort, wrestling, struggling; it demands the putting forth of the full energy of the spirit in order to frustrate the foe and to come off, at the last, more than conqueror. It is no primrose path, no rose-scented dalliance. From start to finish it is war.”
The Need for Vigilance – The War is Unceasing
“It is just at this point in much present-day Christian profession, that one may find its greatest defect. There is little, or nothing, of the soldier element in it. The discipline, self-denial, spirit of hardship, determination, so prominent in, and belonging to the military life, are, one and all, largely wanting. Yet the Christian life is warfare, all the way.”
“How can the brave warrior for Christ be made braver still? How can the strong soldier be made stronger still? How can the victorious battler be made still more victorious? Here are Paul’s explicit directions to that end: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”
“The Christian soldier is to pray at all seasons, and under all circumstances. His praying must be arranged so as to cover his times of peace as well as his hours of active conflict. It must be available in his marching and his fighting. Prayer must diffuse all effort, impregnate all ventures, decide all issues.”
The Necessity for Vigilance – The War is Beyond Us
“The Christian soldier must be as intense in his praying as in his fighting, for his victories will depend very much more on his praying than on his fighting.”
“The soldier-prayer must reflect its profound concern for the success and well-being of the whole army. The battle is not altogether a personal matter, victory cannot be achieved for self, alone. There is a sense, in which the entire army of Christ is involved. The cause of God, his saints, their woes and trials, their duties and crosses, all should find a voice and a pleasder in the Christian soldier, when he prays. He dare not limit his praying to himself. Nothing dries up spiritual secretions so certainly and completely; nothing poisons the fountain of spiritual life so effectively; nothing acts in such a deadly fashion, as selfish praying.”
“The Christian soldier must needs be always fighting. He should, of sheer necessity, be always praying.”
“When will Christians more thoroughly learn the twofold lesson, that they are called to a great warfare, and that in order to get the victory they must give themselves to nonsleeping watchfulness and prayer?”
“Without prayer the Christian graces will wither and die. Without prayer, we may add, preaching is edgeless and a vain thing, and the Gospel loses its wings…”
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