The Necessity of Prayer

<p><em>New updated and annotated edition.</em></p><p><em>And all things whatever ye shall ask in prayer believing ye shall receive</em>. – Matthew 21:22</p><p>Persistent prayer is a mighty movement of the soul toward God and it stirs the deepest forces of the soul toward the throne of heavenly grace. It is the ability to hold on press on and wait. Restless desire restful patience and strength of grasp are all embraced in it. Prayer is not an incident or a performance but a passion of soul. It is not a want or half-needed desire but a sheer necessity.</p><p> </p><p><strong>List of Chapters</strong></p><p><strong>Ch. 1:</strong> Prayer and Faith</p><p><strong>Ch. 2: </strong>Prayer and Unwavering Faith</p><p><strong>Ch. 3:</strong> Prayer and Trust</p><p><strong>Ch. 4:</strong> Prayer and Desire</p><p><strong>Ch. 5:</strong> Prayer and Fervency</p><p><strong>Ch. 6:</strong> Prayer and Persistence</p><p><strong>Ch. 7:</strong> Prayer and Perseverance</p><p><strong>Ch. 8:</strong> Prayer and Character</p><p><strong>Ch. 9:</strong> Prayer and Obedience</p><p><strong>Ch. 10:</strong> Prayer and Surrender</p><p><strong>Ch. 11:</strong> Prayer and Vigilance</p><p><strong>Ch. 12:</strong> Prayer and the Word of God</p><p><strong>Ch. 13:</strong> Prayer and Preaching</p><p><strong>Ch. 14:</strong> Prayer and the House of God</p><p> </p><p><strong>About the Author</strong></p><p>Edward McKendree Bounds was born in Shelby County Missouri on August 15 1835 and died on August 24 1913 in Washington Georgia. He was admitted to the bar in 1854 at the age of nineteen but left the profession five years later when he answered the call of God to the ministry. Beginning in 1863 in the midst of the Civil War he became the chaplain of the Fifth Missouri Regiment of the Confederacy.</p><p>Bounds married Miss Emmie Barnett of Eufaula Alabama in 1876. By this union he became the father of two daughters Celeste and Corneille and a son Edward who died at the age of six. His wife Emmie died in 1886 and later Bounds married Miss Hattie Barnett Emmie’s cousin. Together they had six children: Samuel Charles Osborne Elizabeth Mary and Emmie. However Charles died at the age of one so in the end the family consisted of seven children.</p><p>After serving several important churches in St. Louis and other places to the south Bounds became editor of the <em>St. Louis Christian Advocate</em> for eight years and later associate editor of <em>The Nashville Christian Advocate</em> for four years. The trial of his faith came while he was in Nashville and he quietly retired to his home without even asking for a pension. His principal work in Washington Georgia (his home) was rising at four o’clock in the morning and praying until seven o’clock. He filled a few engagements as an evangelist during the eighteen years of his life work in Washington Georgia.</p>