Prayer

"We tread altogether too gingerly on the great and precious promises of God, and too often we ignore them wholly. The promise is the ground on which faith stands in asking of God. This is the one basis of prayer. We limit God's ability. We measure God's ability and willingness to answer prayer by the standards of men."

"There is not the least doubt that much of our praying fails for lack of persistency. It is without the fire and strength of perseverance. Persistence is of the essence of true praying. It may not be always called into exercise, but it must be there as a reserve force. Jesus taught that perseverance is the essential element of prayer. Men must be in earnest when they kneel at the footstool of God. Too often we get faint-hearted and quit praying at the point we ought to begin. We let go at the very point where we should hold on strongest. Our prayers are weak because they are not impassioned by an unfailing and resistless will."

~ E. M. Bounds