Developing A Healthy Prayer Life: 31 Meditations On Communing With God

31 Meditations

by Joel R. Beeke

Is your prayer life characterized by such things as sincerity, urgency, and delight? Engagement in prayer is a vital part of our communion with God, making a profound impact on our growth in grace. In this book, you will find thoughtful meditations on prayer in the life of the believer, as well as ample encouragement to cultivate this spiritual discipline in your own life. If you want to be more devoted to prayer, or simply want to assess the health of your prayer life, read this book. It provides both a helpful examination and a needed tonic for those concerned about growing in godliness. Table of
1. Who Should Pray?
2. Pray in Christ's Name
3. Pray Believingly
4. Pray Privately
5. Pray Submissively
6. Pray Humbly
7. Pray Boldly
8. Pray Waiting upon God
9. Pray Intercedingly
10. Pray Perseveringly
11. Pray Thankfully
12. Wrestling in Prayer
13. Waiting for Answers to Prayer
14. Pray with Appetite
15. Pray for Laborers
16. Pray Watchfully
17. Pray Sincerely
18. Pray by the Spirit
19. Pray and Work
20. Pray Reverently
21. Pray Fervently
22. Pray Constantly
23. Pray Dependently
24. Unfulfilled Prayer
25. Lust-Driven Prayer
26. Pray Openly and Unworthily
27. Pray against besetting Sins
28. Pray for Contentment
29. Pray with Scripture
30. Pray Thoughtfully
31. To Those Who Cannot Pray
31 Marks of True Prayer

Genres: Prayer, Devotional, Christian, Christian Living, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction

99 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2010

About the author

Dr. Joel R. Beeke serves as President and Professor of Systematic Theology, Church History, and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He has been in the ministry since 1978 and has served as a pastor of his current church, Heritage Reformed Congregation, since 1986. He is also editor of the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice-president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society. He has written, co-authored, or edited fifty books and contributed over fifteen hundred articles to Reformed books, journals, periodicals, and encyclopedias. His Ph.D. (1988) from Westminster Theological Seminary is in Reformation and Post-Reformation Theology. He is frequently called upon to lecture at Reformed seminaries and to speak at conferences around the world. He and his wife, Mary, have three children: Calvin, Esther, and Lydia.

Reviews

[John Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this book. These short meditations on prayer are not filled with fluffy thoughts but solid truths built on the foundation of God’s Word and can anchor our hearts in prayer and take us to the heart of God. The only meditation that seemed grounded in something other than God’s Word is day 18 on praying in the Spirit. I wish the authors would have defined contentment better on day 28. The authors address many issues in prayer that we struggle with and provide helpful guidance and biblical instruction. For instance, we wrongly think we have to have the right words and feel a certain way in order for God to hear us. The authors instruct us on day 2 that Christ alone is our confidence in prayer and on day 17 that it’s not our words but our sincerity that matters. They go on to distinguish true sincerity from false sincerity.

The issue of unanswered prayer gets addressed several times. A patient reading of the meditations on unanswered prayer will be helpful, but may feel insufficient. But I think a single sentence can provide much to meditate on this issue and will bear good fruit.

[Dane Jöhannsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most helpful guides on the topic. This book will enrich your prayer life. Can be used as a 31 day devotional. There is a useful 2 page 31 point guide to prayer in the back.

[Jordan Litts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding practical application on prayer.

[Harry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Books on prayer can be useful, some however seem to over complicate it. For me, this book falls more into the latter category than the former. It consists of 31 brief chapters which I found to be repetitive at points. Some chapters were confusing particularly the one about praying in the Spirit. Others were fine. It concludes with 31 marks of true prayer - 31 no less! The final word at the end - 'Lord teach us to pray'. When the disciples made this request, Christ responded with 6 key points. 31 is overwhelming & discouraging. We need to labour in prayer, but this doesn't mean prayer has to be laborious. Are we to tick off the 31 point checklist to ensure that we have prayed correctly? Based on this book by Messrs Beeke, I am not sure how many people would actually engage in "true prayer."

[T.K. CHAPMAN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirty-one short readings to encourage you in prayer. Each reading gives one or more Bible verses dealing with prayer, and then spends about three pages expounding on that particular aspect. Though the chapters are short, they're certainly not lacking in depth. This book could be used for your own devotional reading, or shared with a younger believer wanting more understanding of prayer. One thing you should not do with this book is try to use it as some kind of legalistic checklist regarding your prayers. That's not the purpose and will only lead you to unprofitable navel gazing. Instead, look to Christ, and seek communion with God.

[Phillip Bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and helpful read.

I was very pleased with this book. It was well written. Using the words of the Bible the author painted a very beautiful picture for a honest conservation with God. The book was written to be read one chapter at a time - then use use these thoughts in your prayers. I was so taken by the book that I read it straight through. I am now in the process of reading it again on chapter a day.

[Jacob London · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is impressive what Beeke was able to say in just a few pages per chapter. It seemed that each meditation was packed full of scripture, exhortation, analogy, as well as application. Essentially this book acts as a crash-course in healthy prayer with each meditation focusing on one aspect of prayer. Overall it was a convicting and interesting read.

I have given it four stars because often the meditations were too short, and could use a little more meat on the bones.

[Rob Mongeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging

Prayer is a challenge for everyone and in our natural tendency we seek to allege it, find a 1 2 3 steps in making it simple. This book isn't doing this, it makes it even more challenging, yet without discouraging us, but re-impassioning us for it. The author shows us how very little we actually know about prayer. And guide us devotionally through 31 aspects of prayer. We can easily start transforming our prayer life by simply taking one aspect every day of the month, month after month.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent little book on how and why we as Christians are to pray. Practical and insightful. This book is structured as a 31 day devotional but I found myself reading ahead as we as going back to read a specific day over again. I started with audio and had to come back to the book to highlight and take notes. We used this as a resource for our women’s Bible study. Content: clean, Christian

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book on Prayer

In 31 short but powerful chapters, Beeke outlines the importance of prayer and how to pray. Grounded in Scripture, but highly practical, this book was a delight to read

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Three stars because it had an emphasis on “true prayer”. It was a little abstract for me. Most people just need to pray like the prodigal son spoke to his father and know that God reacts to us in the same way.

[Lindsey Stomberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a perfect little devotional size, but even more importantly it was overflowing with so much wisdom concerning prayer and meditation upon God's Word. It is one of those books that you could read two or three more times and get more out of it each time you read.

[Mike Studdard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative

[Seth Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuine.

[Douglas Domer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and helpful for improving your prayer life.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about prayer!

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

short daily meditations - helpful aspects of prayer to consider.

[Peter Kiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I get it, I'm bad at praying

[Felipe Sabino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good!

[RJ Gernant · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great and insightful gem of a book on prayer. Learned so much. Recommend.

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really practical and helpful snippets on prayer. At only a page-ish a piece, each meditation is short enough to read one per day, but packed full of great content.

[Justin Blackwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great study on how to develop your prayer life!

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will buy a hard copy. Took me longer to get through than anticipated because I often had to go back and re-read, meditate, and reflect (and sometimes repent!) Highly recommend.

[Brandy Sexton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific! One of my favorite resources on prayer. Very short, practical, and deep!

[Michael Schmid · Rating 4 out of 5]

31 short and helpful chapters on different aspects and topics related to prayer.

[Kristin Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent resource for prayer!!

[Seth P · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful devotional on prayer that was both theological and experiential!

[Mathew Nix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series of meditations on prayer are insightful, helpful, and well-written. My only complaint with the book is with the author's choice of using the King James translation of Scripture for all Bible texts quoted. I have no problem with the KJV, I just found the sudden switch to and from old English jarring to the flow of a book that is otherwise excellent and very clear to the modern reader.

[LaRosa Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you become a Christian, one of the first things you are typically taught is the discipline of prayer. After learning how to read and study the Bible, the knowledge of how to pray is one of the most important weapons that a believer has at their disposal for achieving spiritual growth. Having been a Christian now for what is going on two decades, I have to admit that prayer, if not practiced regularly, is a tool that can quickly become rusty and difficult to use. With that in mind, I wanted a refresher on the basics of prayer, both as a personal exercise, as well as to have the resources available to teach others how to pray effectively. That is when I found James and Joel Beeke’s short book titled Developing a Healthy Prayer Life: 31 Meditations on Communing with God.

As the title suggests, this book is all about teaching you how to have a healthy prayer life through thirty-one fairly short devotional readings. Since the premise of this book was meant to be absorbed slowly, as opposed to being read in a single sitting, I opted to add this book to my morning time of Bible reading and prayer. After finishing my Bible reading, I would flip open Developing a Healthy Prayer Life and read one of the meditations on prayer. Once finished, I would then try to add the principle learned to my prayer that morning. The book started off as I thought it would by asking the questions “What is Prayer” and “Who Should Pray?” The answer to who? Simply stated, sinners are to pray; therefore, since we’re all sinners, we’re too sinful not to pray to God. From there, you move into several postures for prayer, such as praying: believingly, privately, submissively, humbly, boldly, thankfully, etc. Each meditation walks you through an important aspect of prayer, that, even as a seasoned Christian, it was helpful for me to be reminded of. Personally, being reminded to pray for contentment and without being driven by lust were important to remember.

Although I was reading this primarily for my own benefit, I read this with others in mind as well. Is this a book that I would give to a new/young Christian? After finishing the book, my answer is decidedly yes. While I wish the book used a more modern Bible translation (like the ESV), instead of the KJV, that is not enough to deter me from recommending this book. The truths of prayer provided in this book are the tools that are necessary for any Christian to have, especially for someone who is just learning how to pray. I plan on making this book a part of my family worship, as well as a tool I use in discipling others. If you’re looking for a simple handbook on prayer, Developing a Healthy Prayer Life is definitely it. This is a book I plan on coming back to quite often, to keep my own prayer life well equipped.