A Book to Pray Through
Prayer: Forty Days of Practice
“May love be stronger in me than the fear of the pain that comes with caring.”
This isn’t a traditional book about prayer. It is a book of praying.
Simple prayers. Maybe one sentence. Maybe two. They are broad and poetic and illustrated.
“May I cease to be annoyed that others are not as I wish they were, since I am not as I wish I was.”
Prayer: Forty Days of Practice contains four parts:
- 40 guided prayers
- 40 contemplative images
- 7 reflections on the nature and practice of prayer
- 7 practices from the historical tradition of prayer
There is no particular start and finish (but I did pray through it in the order given).
“May I have the eyes to see this as a good world in need of restoration rather than a bad world and an obstacle to my personal peace and rest.”
It’s more about the time you spend outside of the book, rather than inside the book. It encourages you to actually pray instead of just reading about prayer. It invites you to do.
“May my good works be a fruit of my life rather than justification of it.”
If your expectations are adjusted accordingly, this book is well done for what it is. As the authors say, “This book is not ‘content.’ The ongoing conversation between you and God is content.”
“May I never grow tired of starting over or helping others do the same. My hope is always in renewal and resurrection.”
* * *
My thanks to NetGalley
for the review copy of this book
Looks like a book that challenges you to be doing the praying rather than simply reading about it. This book intrigues me, but I confess I am not a big fan of reading prayers. My own prayer time most often is a written dialogue in my journal after I have spent time in the Word or as I am nudged by the Holy Spirit throughout the day. Even so, a review from you always piques my interest!
Have blessed day!
I didn’t grow up reading prayers at all. It’s still not a practice I do regularly so I hear what you’re saying, Pam. Maybe that’s one reason this book drew me in: the prayers were so short that it left me to do more talking with my own words than just reading their words. 🙂
This sounds like a helpful book. We need to not only read about prayer but find ways to help us actually pray! The example prayers that you quote are great- I was especially struck by the first one!
That first prayer struck a chord with me too. It doesn’t negate our fear, but just prompts a higher reason to act over it.
So often it’s easier to read books on prayer than to actually pray. I watched the video and it sounds like a good one.
Yes, Debbie. There are so many great books out there about prayer, but actually praying is a different thing altogether!
This sounds like an interesting book. It becomes so easy to read about prayer and realize that we are still not really praying. Thanks for sharing.D
We can all relate to what you’re saying, Donna. It reminds me of books on organizing; I love to read them, but there still comes a point when we have to lay the book down and actually DO it. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recommendation. Sometimes we need guidance in our conversation with God and truthful statements, heartfelt statements, that inspire us to go deeper in connection. Looks like a great book.
Yes, this book uses few words, but those words can really invite us to search our hearts for deeper connections.
What an interesting concept for a book. I like the prayers mentioned in this post.
P.S. we definitely need to share our box of chocolates. I’ll take all of your chocolate covered coconut pieces. Ha!??
Deal, Yvonne. If we ever meet up in person, I’m giving you ALL the coconut pieces. 🙂
Lisa,
Wow, those short prayers pack a punch! I was praying as I was reading and nodding my head.
Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Yes, length doesn’t always determine importance. I found that these short prayers can sometimes reach me in places that longer ones can’t. It’s a good reminder to us of our words in general. More isn’t always better! 🙂
Looks like a useful book ($53! ? Not available in UK store!). I could imagine having it in my bag and digging it out as a prompt to bring prayer into my day. I like “May good works be a fruit of my life rather than justification of it.” (prefer it without the first “my”;)
Oh wow. $53 is a bit much for such a tiny book (or any size book actually!). 🙂 Your point about “my” reminds me of something the author said about “may” – he deliberately started prayers with “May I” as a way to “enter into the work God is already doing in, around, and through us…rather than feel we are responsible for chasing God down somewhere we aren’t yet living.” I appreciated the reasoning behind his choice.
sounds like a unique approach to a book on prayer. I love doing all three: reading, talking and actually diving into prayer. You do make me pause and think about the order though and I do read and actually pray about the same. It is good to pause and evaluate your practices now and then. Thanks for the reminder.
This book does have a different feel to it, although I can’t pinpoint exactly why. I guess one reason is just the brevity of the prayers themselves. They remind me somewhat of your breath prayers that you’ve written about…short but packed with a punch. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this, Lisa! This sounds like a great book and inspiration.
You’re welcome. It was a quiet, unassuming book, which I appreciate.
Those are seriously powerful quotes! Those alone make that worth the reading… and of course praying.
Yes, the one-liners in this book are amazing, both to read AND to pray through.