John Bunyan On Prayer
“If you don’t have a praying people, then what do you have? If you don’t have a people seeking God and they’re not praying, what do you have?”
— Richard Owen Roberts, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically
John Bunyan was a 17th centry English writer and Puritan preacher best known, of course, as the author of Pilgrim's Progress.
John Bunyan wrote this of prayer:
Before you enter into prayer, ask you soul these questions: To what end, O my soul, are you retired into this place? Art you not come to discourse the Lord in prayer? Is he present, will he hear you? Is he merciful; will he help you? Is your business slight; is it not concerning the welfare of your soul? What words will you use to move him to compassion?
To make your preparation complete, consider that you are “but dust and ashes,” and he the great God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, “that clothes himself with light, as with a garment;” that you are a vile sinner, he a holy God; that you are but a poor crawling worm, he the Omnipotent Creator.
In all your prayers forget not to thank the Lord for his mercies.
When you pray, rather let your heart be without words, than your words without a heart.
Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.