The Possibilities of Prayer

by E.M. Bounds

"HOW vast are the possibilities of prayer! How wide is its reach! What great things are accomplished by this divinely appointed means of grace! It lays its hand on Almighty God and moves Him to do what He would not otherwise do if prayer was not offered. It brings things to pass which would never otherwise occur. The story of prayer is the story of great achievements. Prayer is a wonderful power placed by Almighty God in the hands of His saints, which may be used to accomplish great purposes and to achieve unusual results. Prayer reaches to everything, takes in all things great and small which are promised by God to the children of men. The only limits to prayer are the promises of God and His ability to fulfill those promises. 'Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.'" --E. M. Bounds
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Genres: Prayer, Christian, Theology, Audiobook, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian Living

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1979

About the author

Edward McKendree Bounds was a Methodist minister, revivalist, author and lawyer.

Unsuccessful in the California gold rush of 1849, E.M. Bounds returned home to Missouri and became the state’s youngest practicing attorney at age 19. In his early twenties he was deeply impacted by the Third Great Awakening, and at age 24 he was ordained for ministry. During his lifetime he pastored churches, traveled as an evangelist, served as a Civil War chaplain, edited a Christian periodical and was a devoted husband and father. But E.M. Bounds is best known for prayer. His daily habit was to spend the time between 4 am and 7 am praying. His writings on prayer are widely acclaimed to be among the finest of any author before or since.

Reviews

[Steven Veach · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have to say my interest in Bound's work has been waning over the last several weeks. It seems to be the same stuff repeated over and over again. Maybe it's just me. I have no notes for the first three chapters, but in Chapter 4 I noted that Bounds thinks the whole of Christianity is prayer. That the preparation of a Christian is for prayer and prayer serves as the central function of faith and religion.

In Chapter 9 he describes the subject of prayer as that which we have not, that which we desire, which God has promised to give to us in answered prayer. The only problem here is that this is not the whole story. Elsewhere in the book, he also states that it is not just any prayer, but prayer that is asked in align with God's will. We know from the bible that if we ask and do not receive, it is because we have asked amiss. We have sought something through prayer for our own satisfaction.

But, Bounds does states that prayer is not just a spiritual endeavor, or that we should seek only spiritual things from prayer. Rather, we need to seek both spiritual and temporal, for to God there is no distinction between secular and divine.

And the overarching lack of power or authority in the church today, interestingly enough, Bounds attributes to not the passing away of miracles or the moving of the Holy Spirit, but to a lack of persistent and effectual prayer.

In the end, I think I will put my E.M. Bounds reading on hiatus. Maybe focus on some other subject, work, or just leave the spot open for the future. All in all, I guess it was a good book. I'm just not in the right place at the moment to appreciate it.

[Steve Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bounds tends to repeat himself a lot in the books of his that I have read thus far, and nowhere does he do it more than in this volume. For instance, he spends three chapters hammering home the idea that God always answers specific prayers with the specific thing requested. He could have made his point in one chapter. He also gives the impression that he is a "name-it-and-claim-it" proponent. His thoughts concerning answered prayer could lead to discouragement among many sincere pray-ers who have not received what they have asked for. He gives no indication of how quickly we can expect answers to our prayers. In other books he has written about importunate prayer, which indicates that the pray-er may have to persevere in prayer over a long time before he or she receives an answer. Despite my concerns with Bounds' repetition and his views on answered prayer, I found enough nuggets of prayer wisdom to be convicted of my need to pray.

[Layne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This saint has discipled me in prayer. I have read his books over and over and over again for both inspiration and instruction.

[Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bounds writes with great depth that still resonates so many years after he recorded his thoughts. This particular volume highlights the issue of what we can expect in prayer. It pushes the reader to step out of narrow concepts on what prayer can change.

The balance of the book is seen in how it calls for a simplistic trust to step into God's promises, yet, it is not a manipulative approach to prayer that marks a lot of today's popular teachings. The objective of prayer in Bounds' thinking is that God's redemptive plan be realized on earth.

Learning that God awaits our pleas is tantamount to a vibrancy in prayer. Also, understanding that God allows calamity for His greater purposes demonstrates why trust must dominate our prayer times. This book uses ample Scriptural examples of audacious prayer that God heard. It has the language of intimacy when referring to process of seeking God and the distinct reverence that should be the hallmark of all true believers.

[Lance Towers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Edward Bounds book to read all the way through. Before I had only been exposed to snippets from others' writings. I rank Bounds with Gordon, Richardson and McIntyre for his clarity in communication and high view of prayer's effect. In the days to come my soul will continue to feast on the surfeit found in these pages.

[Nicholas Maulucci · Rating 3 out of 5]

as with all of Bounds' writings, convicting and perspective-fixing. recommended highly for all Christians to read. nice short chapters. could have easily rated it a four.

[John Ytreus · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kindle sent an abridged version.

Instead of receiving the full book, I was sent only a few pages from the Introduction. Be forewarned before purchasing.

[Wilma · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't recommend this book. Very disappointing after hearing so much praise for this man.
When arriving at the end of chapter three, I became quite leery of claims and statements that Bounds made. His absolute statements about how to pray to get the answers you want (get God to give you whatever you want; and if He doesn't, you are a worthless pray-er), made me think of the false teachings of the "name it and claim it" crowd. Nevertheless I hung in there until the end of chapter 13 (out of 16), and I finally had had enough.
This was not my first Bounds book, but the claims in this one were so obviously unbiblical that I won't ever give him a chance again. Wasted time! 😔😕😞

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

E.M. Bounds certainly was passionate about prayer, and that is very evident in all of his books. I did struggle with the repetitiveness at times in this book, but again was reminded that my prayer life needs to constantly improve, and I need to hear that repeatedly. I was challenged to pray more fervently, expecting greater things through prayer and the possibilities of prayer. I was blessed by this book and enriched, may I continue to grow in my prayer life.

[Nahte · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is encouraging, correcting, and uplifting in matters of prayer as in all his other books. The only problem was it was repetitive, but I guess my forgetful mind has to be reminded all the time. A wonderful book for anyone who wants to indulge more in prayer, which ought to be a Christian's life.

[Chuck Shorter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am still making my way through EM Bounds' complete work on prayer. This latest, The Possibilities of Prayer, presents a great deal of truth concerning God's promises, and purposes and how they should affect our prayer life. Another "Most Excellent".

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started slower than the other works in this series, but it got so much better at the end. Probably my favorite so far.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prayer In All Things

An excellent book on the power of prayer.

Very uplifting and Bounds did a great job at incorporating a lot of scripture into the book.

Would highly recommend.

4.6/5

[William Schrecengost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but mostly covers the same ground as others

[Rich Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book about prayer and how important it is for every Christian. It is well thought out. The narrator does a good job throughout.

[Emily Versace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will be coming back to this book again and again.
Certainly a good perspective on prayer. Ending this book challenged, encouraged, and inspired to pray more fervently

[Cassie Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of Bounds’s work, and this one is the best so far. Prayer has been difficult for me, and I decided to read about it to see what others had to say. I found E.M. Bounds pretty early. He has nine works on prayer, which is impressive. Each book has a different purpose to focus on, like the necessity of prayer and purpose in prayer. But it was this work, on the possibilities of prayer, that has stirred my heart the most so far.

Bounds explains what is possible with prayer, exploring stories from both the Old and New Testaments, as well as stories from well-known Christians of and before his time. With a passion that I’ve not seen in any of his other works, the author talks plainly of what is possible with prayer. He makes the point that everything is possible with prayer if you believe that God is able to do anything.

This work moved me more than the other books of his, but that might be because of where I am in life at the moment. Bounds has taught me more about prayer than I ever learned at church. His wording is a little old-fashioned, but it isn’t unreadable. And the ideas he conveys are timeless as the Book that inspired them.

I would recommend this book to anybody who has trouble with the concept of prayer. Filled with scripture references and quotes, this book takes a biblical look at the little-taught subject of prayer. There is something in the answers to prayer that help us grow in faith. Bounds explains this better than anybody else I know.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

He focuses the early chapters on the connection of promise to prayer. It was disappointing compared to his other books.
Upon rereading I rated this book four stars instead of 2. I think I understand his theology better and I get what he is saying. I am going through a season of prayer revival in my life and this book, along with his others, has been invaluable.

[Helen Hanna]

Some difficulty understanding but overall encouraging to read.