5 Books to Cultivate Your Prayer Life
It is easy to fall into a prayer rut. Who hasn’t? At such times, I’ve found reading a book on prayer helpful. But, where do you start? There are so many books and not all are equally biblical, edifying, or instructive.
Therefore, to help, I recommend the following five. Each of these makes a unique contribution. Not every prayer rut is the same, so consider which may be the most helpful given your season or the help you need.
A Praying Life, Paul Miller
Miller helpfully sets aside any idyllic notions of requiring hours of silent, uninterrupted time to meaningfully pray—hours which few have. He grounds his encouragement in the context of a life filled with disappointments, frequent interruptions, and ever-changing circumstances. He also offers practical help in organizing our prayer. This is my favorite, and most recommended, all-around book on prayer.
Praying the Bible, Donald Whitney
One of the best ways to gain, and maintain, freshness in prayer is to pray the Scripture. This might mean praying the exact words or, more often, it will entail using the Scripture as a springboard for prayer. Whitney devotes this short book to sharing how to do that. If you’re looking for a simple, helpful primer on how to pray the Scripture, this is it.
Praying with Paul, D.A. Carson
Carson insightfully surveys the prayers of the Apostle Paul. Have you ever compared the content of your prayers with Paul’s? It’s humbling but helpful. Often we don’t recognize how misaligned our prayer life is until, as with our cars, we take it in for a realignment. One way to do that is by learning to pray with Paul. Highly recommend.
A Call to Prayer, J.C. Ryle
Classic Ryle. Biblical. Short. Punchy. Urgent. This is your book if you need a proverbial shot in the arm. You can also get a free pdf here.
Valley of Vision, ed. Author Bennett
We are children of our age, which can lead us to pray like our age. How could that not be the case? Well, there is one way. Read the prayers of past ages. The Valley of Vision is a collection of Puritan prayers topically arranged. There is a serious earnestness to these prayers that we need today. Our prayers will be helped by praying with the Puritans.
Others:
Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church, John Onwuchekwa
* Best modern book on the value of praying with your church.
A Simple Way to Pray, Martin Luther
* Luther gives simple prayer guidance to his barber.
You Can Pray, Tim Chester
* Chester walks through praying the Lord’s Prayer, with practical helps.