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A review by lupuslibrorum
Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney
4.0
At a breezy 89 pages, this book could have been even shorter when I consider how repetitive parts of it are. It feels a bit like a blog article or a pamphlet stretched out to meet a minimum word count. And yet I find it hard to complain. For one, the book is such a quick read, and for another, its points are communicated with great clarity so that almost anyone should be able to understand it. But mostly, the main idea is so strong and good that not only will I be practicing it, I intend to talk about it and recommend it to other Christians as well.
The problem being addressed is this: when we pray, many of us struggle with wandering minds, boredom, and reverting to saying the same basic phrases about the same topics. As a result, our prayer lives may feel stale and unwelcoming, like obstacles to overcome. Or we may realize that we struggle to find the words to pray for a great many things we want to pray for.
The answer: Christians should use Scriptural passages to guide and inspire their prayers. It’s not a requirement, but it is what we find taught and recommended in the Bible and throughout Christian history. And it works. Take passage, like a psalm, and as you read it, pray according to what comes into your heart. That’s it. That’s all this book really has to say, the rest of the pages are mostly elaboration and examples. This isn’t Bible interpretation— you don’t need a commentary. It’s letting the Spirit speak to you from the Word. Try it out.
The problem being addressed is this: when we pray, many of us struggle with wandering minds, boredom, and reverting to saying the same basic phrases about the same topics. As a result, our prayer lives may feel stale and unwelcoming, like obstacles to overcome. Or we may realize that we struggle to find the words to pray for a great many things we want to pray for.
The answer: Christians should use Scriptural passages to guide and inspire their prayers. It’s not a requirement, but it is what we find taught and recommended in the Bible and throughout Christian history. And it works. Take passage, like a psalm, and as you read it, pray according to what comes into your heart. That’s it. That’s all this book really has to say, the rest of the pages are mostly elaboration and examples. This isn’t Bible interpretation— you don’t need a commentary. It’s letting the Spirit speak to you from the Word. Try it out.