The secret of the prayer life - being alone with God for a long time
E. M. Bounds
SUMMARY: Spending a long time in prayer is essential for effective prayer. Short prayers are only effective if they are preceded by longer periods of prayer. The Bible saints and great Christian leaders spent long periods of time in prayer, shaping their character and influencing the world. Spending time with God consistently is crucial for knowing and influencing Him, and He blesses those who persist in their faith. The Scottish preacher Robert McCheyne had a specific prayer plan that involved dedicating certain times of the day to prayer. Other Christian leaders, such as John Welch and John Wesley, spent several hours a day in prayer.
Although many private prayers are, by their very nature, short; although public prayer, as a rule, must be condensed; Although brief prayer has its value and place, nevertheless, in our private communions with God, time has an essential value. Long time spent with God is the secret of effective prayer. Prayer that becomes a powerful force is the immediate or immediate product of long hours spent with God. Our small prayers owe their scope and efficiency to the long ones that have preceded them. A short prayer cannot be effective if the one who prays it has not had a continuous struggle with God. The victory of Jacob's faith would not have come without that all-night struggle. The knowledge of God is not acquired with small and unexpected visits.
God does not shower his gifts on those who come to see him by chance or in a hurry. Constant communion with God is the secret to knowing and influencing him. The Lord gives in to the persistence of a faith that knows him. He confers his richest blessings on those who express their desire and esteem for these goods, both by constancy and by the fervor of their importunity. Christ, who in this as in everything is our Model, spent whole nights in prayer. His custom was to pray a lot. He had a regular place of prayer. Long periods of time in prayer shaped his history and character. Paul prayed day and night. Daniel, in the midst of important occupations, prayed three times a day. David's prayers in the morning, at noon, and at night were undoubtedly very long on many occasions. Although we do not know exactly how long these Bible saints spent in prayer, we have indications that they devoted much of it to him, and on some occasions it was their custom to devote long periods of the morning to him.
God does not shower his gifts on those who come to see him by chance or in a hurry. Constant communion with God is the secret to knowing and influencing him. The Lord gives in to the persistence of a faith that knows him. He confers his richest blessings on those who express their desire and esteem for these goods, both by constancy and by the fervor of their importunity. Christ, who in this as in everything is our Model, spent whole nights in prayer. His custom was to pray a lot. He had a regular place of prayer. Long periods of time in prayer shaped his history and character. Paul prayed day and night. Daniel, in the midst of important occupations, prayed three times a day. David's prayers in the morning, at noon, and at night were undoubtedly very long on many occasions. Although we do not know exactly how long these Bible saints spent in prayer, we have indications that they devoted much of it to him, and on some occasions it was their custom to devote long periods of the morning to him.
