Pastor's Corner: Prayer Resources

At Cornerstone, we have been talking about prayer the last couple of weeks. Prayer as the foundation of our active relationship with God, and also some things that make it difficult to have the kind of prayer life we really want to have. I wish I could spend more time talking about prayer. It seems like I need the reminder myself about what prayer means in our daily lives.

In lieu of an extra series on prayer, I thought I would share some of the resources that I have read on prayer. This is by no means an exhaustive list; there are countless books or sermons on prayer. These are just a few that I have in my personal library or have read in the past. Hope you enjoy as much as I have!

Listening Prayer by Leanne Payne. Payne is one of the greatest women of prayer that I know. I had the opportunity to go to one of her conferences a few years back, and it was an incredible experience. She has the ability to pray so authentically, and help others to experience God in the same way. She focuses especially on the healing power of prayer. Her books are a little bit dense, but well worth the effort to understand what she is saying. She has also written others: The Healing Presence (her foundational teaching on the healing presence of Christ), Restoring the Christian Soul (a further study in healing of the self), The Broken Image (on healing from homosexuality), Crisis in Masculinity (on what it means to be truly masculine or feminine in today’s world) and many others.

Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels. As the title suggests, Hybels deals in this book with one of the most common hinderances to consistent prayer: busy-ness. It is a very easy read, and very insightful for those who (like me) often find their day running away with them. Hybels shows how prayer can actually help us accomplish those tasks we are struggling to find time for.

Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference by Philip Yancey. This is one of the most honest approaches to prayer I have read in a long time. Yancey asks some tough questions about prayer. Does it make a difference? If God knows everything already, why pray? What do we do with unanswered prayer. Yancey is a clear and effective author who doesn’t shy away from topics that others may find difficult. Prayer is an accessible, thorough treatment of this topic. One of my recent favorites.

When God Prays by Skip Heitzig. In this work, Heitzig examines God’s heart for his people as seen in the prayers of Jesus especially in John 17, right before Jesus goes to the cross. It is a powerful prayer, and a good treatment of it.

Praying Through the Tough Times by Lloyd John Ogilvie. This is more of a devotional book as well, organized by topic. Ogilvie looks at times of depression or doubt, or persecution, or loneliness, etc and has prayers and Scriptures to go with each section. A great book if you or someone you know is going through a specific type of trouble, and you are looking for verses to help.

Finally, these last two books are specifically organized around the Psalms. If you ever feel like Scripture doesn’t really speak to our current human condition, try reading through the Psalms. David and the other psalmists dealt with just about every feeling that a person can go through, and they put it down in poetry and song form. It is a treasure trove of prayer. Out of the Depths (Bernhard W. Anderson) is a more textbook approach to the Psalms, looking at the different types and categories, what they mean, and some interpretive approaches to them. God’s Prayer Book (Ben Patterson) is more devotional in nature, but not merely that. He looks at each Psalm, and talks about how God reaches down into our everyday lives with songs like these. This book was given to me as a devotional, and I just love it.

I hope these will be a full of grace and truth for you as they have for me. I’d also love to hear if you have any other suggestions.