Those of us who pray often feel that our prayers could be better. We might wish we prayed more frequently, or that the words of our prayers were better (whatever that means to us). Maybe we wonder if we are praying correctly. (We should remember that, since God is our Father, He is pleased if we talk to Him at all--even if it is infrequently or shallow.) Most of us never had anyone teach us how to pray. We mimicked what we heard from others. So we find ourselves saying the same things in the same way. We yearn for a way to enrich our prayers and add variety and depth.
This book can help. Scripture contains hundreds of passages about prayer, with much richness and variety. Studying them is an excellent way to enrich our own prayers. This volume contains a chapter for each of the 40+ prayers in Genesis through Joshua. Each chapter includes the text of the prayer passage, followed by a study of its background, an exploration of its meaning, and an application of what we learn. The introduction includes an exploration of studying the Bible and an overview of every type of prayer: praise, thanksgiving, petition, intercession, vow, confession, repentance, lament, blessing, and curse.
Well-suited for either personal or group study and devotional.
"This book taught me more about prayer and grew my prayer life more than any single resource I have found." --Janet Severson (London)
"A unique study and devotional book on prayer--McDowell's knowledge of the prayers and ability to apply them to the practice of prayer is unparalleled." --Jonathan Schneider (Tampa)