tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5189322488280856738.post6772944532273304445..comments2023-03-29T10:11:21.724-04:00Comments on Beholding and Becoming: THE PREACHER AND HIS PRAYER LIFEJamie Fugatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12865422725736396895noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5189322488280856738.post-74342881058964041542008-12-10T12:15:00.000-05:002008-12-10T12:15:00.000-05:00Josh, I am not familiar with Bounds' biography or ...Josh, I am not familiar with Bounds' biography or other works outside of this, but I will tell you based on my limited scope how he would respond and then my response. <BR/><BR/>I don't think Bounds would say that prayer in and out of study are mutually exclusive. In this book he makes a strong plea to pastors to soak their messages from start to pulpit in prayer. He would commend you and encourage you to a greater depth of prayer. His point in this quote was the temptation I have felt often to neglect prayer for the sake of study. I can remember with shame many times stepping in the pulpit with massive amounts of time in books, but pathetic amounts in prayer. But the two can and should be combined I agree: Study should be done in a "mode of prayer," so that we are not so much conversing with the authors of dead pages, but the auther of life Himself. <BR/><BR/>On the posture of prayer, I am a weak example. I find my prayer more focused and sweet when kneeling or on a bench, but I rarely find myself praying in that way. I strive as you do to commune continually with the Lord, but Piper in "When I Don't Desire God," makes a forceful arguement for periods tucked away in our day for intense prayer in a reverent posture, similar to Daniel after the policy banning his ability to pray to Yahweh. Piper suggests 3-4 scheduled, intentional times when we have a "closet" to retreat for seeking the face of God. <BR/><BR/>I once read Whitefield speaking of praying through every line of Scripture in his devotionals, instead of prayer simply a seperate exercise. That has been a difficult exercise, but revolutionary to my time with the Lord. The most rewarding times of studying God's Word have come from heeding that great Saint's advice.John Lucashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01905434758347172226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5189322488280856738.post-19832115771790582252008-12-08T18:25:00.000-05:002008-12-08T18:25:00.000-05:00John, I have the utmost respect for men like Bound...John, I have the utmost respect for men like Bounds who spent much time in prayer. I spend much more time in the position of sitting at a desk typing or reading than I do on my knees or prostrated in prayer. But I'd like to think that my Bible study and prayer life are more seamless than Bound's quote suggests. In other words, I commune with the Lord during my studies, not just before or after I take up the word to study. Although I will admit that I need to spend less time in the chair and more time on the floor. What are your thoughts on our practice of prayer and the study of the word?<BR/><BR/>JoshJoshua Owenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15825862924286784076noreply@blogger.com