Philip Yancey is a special friend. I named my dog after him. Yes, I could have chosen Arthur, Manning, Swindoll, Colson, Lucado, or Warren. I couldn't envision a dog named Warren (while Maxwell might have worked) so I refer to him as Yancey.
Philip Yancey's newest book, PRAYER: Does It Make Any Difference?, is one of his best yet. His writing of this book is brilliant in the page-after-page intrigue of prayer while wording it so captivatingly simple. I am both enthralled and inspired. Every page has insisted I use the highlighter and several call for the addtional dog-ear.
Yancey has written several amazing books. This one brings clarity to a muddy topic. Easy to understand, he raises common questions as to what good it does to pray. His simple responses are inspiring.
Get the book!
In my earlier years I didn't want/like to pray. It was redundant and redundant with redunancy. Plus, it went nowhere. When I began to realize God works among us/within us, the need to pray became critical. Yancey's work deepens my hope of why the necessity.
How do you see the role of prayer?
4 comments:
Terry....I pray everyday...it is not always a traditional prayer..most of the times it is like a conversation between myself and God (eyes open, words only on the inside!) I feel it necessary for me to pray everyday, ...prayer is not optional for me, I see more cleary when I open up the communication lines between myself and God!!! We can communicate with our actions, but we show our Faith when we come to him with Thanks, Praise, and things that we weigh on our hearts!
Prayer has become for me as well more of a conversation with God. Praying throughout the day and talking to God about things going on in my life. There are specific needs and things I pray for as well. And the prayers I pray before I sleep are sometimes like you said kind of redundant. Even though I know that God knows all the things on my heart, there is something in me that won't let go of it unless I specifically say it in prayer. I'm trying to let go of that. I'm anxious to read Yancey's new book. Prayer is something that is always changing and evolving in my life.
Prayer has taken on a variety of forms for me. With a teenage son (as you know) I seem to be in a constant state of prayer during my waking hours. He is a good kid and is trying to live a Christ-like life but he (along with the rest of our kids in public schools) feels the pressure to renounce his faith.
Then there are the times in our Life Group that we pray out loud and openly for one another.
Then there was 2 nights ago when we annoited and prayed for a dear sweet lady in our church who was facing some medical tests. Through her faith in (not us) in God I was encouraged.
I know I need to pray more and I'm realizing as I get older the importance of prayer in my life.
Terry,
You're the greatest! You may never make the baseball all-star team, but you're on my prayer all-star team. Thanks for your consistent support over the years. Remember that snowy day when you flew up to see me?
Philip Yancey
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