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Wasted Prayer: Know When God Wants You to Stop Praying and Start Doing
Faith without obedience is dead. Prayer without action is wasted. What would your life look like if you stopped praying about God’s will and just did it instead? How would your church look if it spent as much time serving as it spent praying about serving? The truth is, sometimes when you think you’re praying, you’re really just procrastinating. And when you think you’re asking that God’s will be done, you’re really telling him no. In times that call for action, prayer can be disobedience in disguise. Wasted Prayer uncovers the ways we use prayer to dodge responsibility for the work God has assigned us. Complete with punch-in-the-gut biblical exposition that will help get you off your knees―and out of your chair― Wasted Prayer will provide you with the jolt you need to start living like a Christian, instead of just praying like one. It’s time to stop praying and start doing.
208 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2014
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45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 22, 2017
If you want to avoid truth, avoid this book
I picked this book because the title intrigued me. Reading Mark Batterson's endorsement motivated me (reading Mark's books changed my life and reached the heart of my daughter). How can a Christian who is earnestly seeking God waste prayer? Read this book. It is life changing and sheds light on a very important truth that we (or rather I) need to face. And MUST adhere to.
I picked this book because the title intrigued me. Reading Mark Batterson's endorsement motivated me (reading Mark's books changed my life and reached the heart of my daughter). How can a Christian who is earnestly seeking God waste prayer? Read this book. It is life changing and sheds light on a very important truth that we (or rather I) need to face. And MUST adhere to.
April 20, 2023
A very good book that teaches you not to use prayer as an excuse for not taking action....
September 1, 2014
Book Description:
Faith without works is dead. Prayer without action is wasted.
What would your life look like if you stopped praying about God’s will and just did it instead? How would your church look if it spent as much time serving as it spent praying about serving?
The truth is, sometimes when you think you’re praying, you’re really just procrastinating. And when you think you’re asking that God’s will be done, you’re really telling him no. In times that call for action, prayer can be disobedience in disguise. Wasted Prayer uncovers the ways we use prayer to dodge responsibility for the work God has assigned us.
Complete with punch-in-the-gut biblical exposition that will help get you off your knees—and out of your chair—Wasted Prayer will provide you with the jolt you need to start living like a Christian, instead of just praying like one.
It’s time to stop praying and start doing.
Review:
Wasted Prayer is a pretty fast read, just shy of 200 pages, and filled with wisdom. The kind of wisdom we should already have in our lives, but we tend to forget. I'll be honest, when I saw the title of this book, I balked. Seriously, how can we have wasted prayers? Well, we can, and I am as guilty as the next person.
Let me tell you about one of my wasted prayers, just one mind you. A fellow church member, who happens to be a teacher, asked me if I might be interested in helping her with her classroom. It sounds like a great idea. There are lots of parents that can't make it to special events, parent/teacher conferences, programs, etc. and they are wanting a few people that can be there for these kids. That is a super short description, but trust me it is going to be good. This teacher friend of mine knows that I am not big on teaching kids at church or being in the nursery, so when she asked me I said, "Let me pray about it."
Sounds fine doesn't it? Sounds resonable too, right? Well, after reading Wasted Prayer, I now know that it was a prayer for the Religious Cycle, a reactionary prayer, even a procrastination prayer. You just have to read this book if you can relate.
Greg Darley used several biblical examples of the Discipleship Cycle, a more proactive approach. The Good Samaritan parable was one of them, and it's very fitting. I don't want to give too much away, but the Samaritan just reacted. He didn't have to run home and pray for several days. Another example he gave, to which we can all relate, is that if your house was on fire would you rather your neighbor fall to his knees and pray that it stopped? Or would you prefer he grab his water hose and help put it out.
There are lots of times that we should just react, but we say a procrastination prayer instead. This book opened my eyes to Wasted Prayer, and I hope to have learned from it. There are lots of books out there about prayer, but this one is a must read.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Faith without works is dead. Prayer without action is wasted.
What would your life look like if you stopped praying about God’s will and just did it instead? How would your church look if it spent as much time serving as it spent praying about serving?
The truth is, sometimes when you think you’re praying, you’re really just procrastinating. And when you think you’re asking that God’s will be done, you’re really telling him no. In times that call for action, prayer can be disobedience in disguise. Wasted Prayer uncovers the ways we use prayer to dodge responsibility for the work God has assigned us.
Complete with punch-in-the-gut biblical exposition that will help get you off your knees—and out of your chair—Wasted Prayer will provide you with the jolt you need to start living like a Christian, instead of just praying like one.
It’s time to stop praying and start doing.
Review:
Wasted Prayer is a pretty fast read, just shy of 200 pages, and filled with wisdom. The kind of wisdom we should already have in our lives, but we tend to forget. I'll be honest, when I saw the title of this book, I balked. Seriously, how can we have wasted prayers? Well, we can, and I am as guilty as the next person.
Let me tell you about one of my wasted prayers, just one mind you. A fellow church member, who happens to be a teacher, asked me if I might be interested in helping her with her classroom. It sounds like a great idea. There are lots of parents that can't make it to special events, parent/teacher conferences, programs, etc. and they are wanting a few people that can be there for these kids. That is a super short description, but trust me it is going to be good. This teacher friend of mine knows that I am not big on teaching kids at church or being in the nursery, so when she asked me I said, "Let me pray about it."
Sounds fine doesn't it? Sounds resonable too, right? Well, after reading Wasted Prayer, I now know that it was a prayer for the Religious Cycle, a reactionary prayer, even a procrastination prayer. You just have to read this book if you can relate.
Greg Darley used several biblical examples of the Discipleship Cycle, a more proactive approach. The Good Samaritan parable was one of them, and it's very fitting. I don't want to give too much away, but the Samaritan just reacted. He didn't have to run home and pray for several days. Another example he gave, to which we can all relate, is that if your house was on fire would you rather your neighbor fall to his knees and pray that it stopped? Or would you prefer he grab his water hose and help put it out.
There are lots of times that we should just react, but we say a procrastination prayer instead. This book opened my eyes to Wasted Prayer, and I hope to have learned from it. There are lots of books out there about prayer, but this one is a must read.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
September 11, 2014
“Let me pray about that”
Have you ever said those words to someone? Have you ever said those words and either forget to pray about what you committed to pray about (No, I have never done that…)? What about committing to pray for the decision because you actually did not want to commit to volunteering for X or contributing to Y or going to Z.
Yeah, me neither.
Odds are, if you have ever been in the Christian context for some time you have used those words as a call to pause. A call to pause and consider the will of God and the next step of action. Praying for a lightening bolt to strike and mark the way. Little do we know that God wants us to stop praying and start doing.
At least that’s what Greg Darley’s “Waster Prayer” is challenging us to consider.
Darley is quite clear from the beginning. This is not a book on salvation, for salvation is a gift from God and can never be earned by us. This is a book on discipleship and following Jesus our Messiah. Obedience to Jesus and building for the Kingdom of God necessitates that we stop praying and start doing.
Praying without ceasing is a very important point to Darley’s argument. Our lives need to be cultivated in such a way that we are constantly communicating with God and creating a real relationship with him. We become more focused on our relationship with him instead of fixating on a transaction.
A powerful argument Darley uses is the stories found in the Bible. There are so many individuals both within the OT and NT that acted when God called them. They did not pause to pray for a week, instead they were obedient to God’s call. They jumped, even when it was scary. But they jumped out of already having a real relationship with God.
Sometimes we need the nudge from God and remain faithful to his leading, even when it seems unclear. Even when it seems risky, sometimes God’s call is one for an adventure that will lead us down precarious situations only to end up right where he wants us to be. Stop procrastinating by praying.
Prayer without action is wasted.
---
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Have you ever said those words to someone? Have you ever said those words and either forget to pray about what you committed to pray about (No, I have never done that…)? What about committing to pray for the decision because you actually did not want to commit to volunteering for X or contributing to Y or going to Z.
Yeah, me neither.
Odds are, if you have ever been in the Christian context for some time you have used those words as a call to pause. A call to pause and consider the will of God and the next step of action. Praying for a lightening bolt to strike and mark the way. Little do we know that God wants us to stop praying and start doing.
At least that’s what Greg Darley’s “Waster Prayer” is challenging us to consider.
Darley is quite clear from the beginning. This is not a book on salvation, for salvation is a gift from God and can never be earned by us. This is a book on discipleship and following Jesus our Messiah. Obedience to Jesus and building for the Kingdom of God necessitates that we stop praying and start doing.
Praying without ceasing is a very important point to Darley’s argument. Our lives need to be cultivated in such a way that we are constantly communicating with God and creating a real relationship with him. We become more focused on our relationship with him instead of fixating on a transaction.
A powerful argument Darley uses is the stories found in the Bible. There are so many individuals both within the OT and NT that acted when God called them. They did not pause to pray for a week, instead they were obedient to God’s call. They jumped, even when it was scary. But they jumped out of already having a real relationship with God.
Sometimes we need the nudge from God and remain faithful to his leading, even when it seems unclear. Even when it seems risky, sometimes God’s call is one for an adventure that will lead us down precarious situations only to end up right where he wants us to be. Stop procrastinating by praying.
Prayer without action is wasted.
---
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
July 24, 2014
‘Wasted Prayer’ is written by Greg Darley. If you’re unfamiliar with Mr. Darley, he is an entrepreneur, speaker, writer, & has a degree in Theology. His basic premise is that there are times when God wants you to stop praying & start doing.
Many readers many disagree with my feelings towards this work. However, in the interest in honesty, I didn’t particularly care for it. Mark Batterson wrote the forward so I was intensely optimistic being that I have a tremendous amount of respect for him.
I also understand that the author’s intent was to launch a call to action as in ‘faith without works is dead’. I appreciate that he noted early on that this book was intended to be read by seasoned Christians. My concerns lie with that statement.
Many will read it that are not seasoned Christians. They may misunderstand & get a different message than the one intended. Essentially, Greg Darley is assuming that Christians can discern between the point that they’re received the answer for their prayers & when they should stop asking God about it.
In my opinion, that is easier said than done. Throughout the New Testament, we’re urged to pray about everything. Prayer cultivates an intimate relationship with Jesus. Even after the answer is received, should we really stop praying about it?
I honestly understand the author’s perspective. Many people cop out per se & keep prayer because they don’t wish to act. We need to be the body, the hands & feet of Christ in the world. I wish the author had concentrated on that principle. Instead, it seemed that he spent more time defending his position than telling us the why’s of it.
As always, give it a try & draw your own conclusion. This one just wasn’t for me.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.
Many readers many disagree with my feelings towards this work. However, in the interest in honesty, I didn’t particularly care for it. Mark Batterson wrote the forward so I was intensely optimistic being that I have a tremendous amount of respect for him.
I also understand that the author’s intent was to launch a call to action as in ‘faith without works is dead’. I appreciate that he noted early on that this book was intended to be read by seasoned Christians. My concerns lie with that statement.
Many will read it that are not seasoned Christians. They may misunderstand & get a different message than the one intended. Essentially, Greg Darley is assuming that Christians can discern between the point that they’re received the answer for their prayers & when they should stop asking God about it.
In my opinion, that is easier said than done. Throughout the New Testament, we’re urged to pray about everything. Prayer cultivates an intimate relationship with Jesus. Even after the answer is received, should we really stop praying about it?
I honestly understand the author’s perspective. Many people cop out per se & keep prayer because they don’t wish to act. We need to be the body, the hands & feet of Christ in the world. I wish the author had concentrated on that principle. Instead, it seemed that he spent more time defending his position than telling us the why’s of it.
As always, give it a try & draw your own conclusion. This one just wasn’t for me.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.
April 16, 2016
I found this book to be personally challenging. I regard myself more as a 'thinker' rather than a 'doer' and this can spread over into my prayer life. I can be asking God for the answer for something when in fact I am that answer.
Darley is in no way limiting the importance of prayer. Prayer as a means of relationship with the Lord underpins our walks. Jesus provides that example. He started each day in prayer with the Father and then stepped out into action. Accordingly, we should follow a similar lifestyle. As Darley says at the end, "Following Jesus has always been about action." We see plenty of examples of this in the Bible.
Darley proposes that we often use prayer as a cover for procrastination, for pride, for isolation, rather than acting. Discipleship involves doing, whether it's getting help to fix a recurring struggle or stronghold, to forgiving someone, to tithing, or to moving to the other side of the world to share the gospel.
Full of good Biblical examples of people being obedient to the Lord's call/challenge this was a quick read but as I mentioned earlier personally challenging. Interesting I've found myself this year saying yes immediately to small opportunities presented to me and am benefiting significantly as a result. As Darley encourages, "Jesus wants to get us to the place where we can accept a calling to change the world." He uses Peter as an example of saying yes to the small things. Jesus asked to borrow his boat, toss a fishing net on the other side of the boat, and then asked him to follow Him as a disciple.
Highly recommended.
Darley is in no way limiting the importance of prayer. Prayer as a means of relationship with the Lord underpins our walks. Jesus provides that example. He started each day in prayer with the Father and then stepped out into action. Accordingly, we should follow a similar lifestyle. As Darley says at the end, "Following Jesus has always been about action." We see plenty of examples of this in the Bible.
Darley proposes that we often use prayer as a cover for procrastination, for pride, for isolation, rather than acting. Discipleship involves doing, whether it's getting help to fix a recurring struggle or stronghold, to forgiving someone, to tithing, or to moving to the other side of the world to share the gospel.
Full of good Biblical examples of people being obedient to the Lord's call/challenge this was a quick read but as I mentioned earlier personally challenging. Interesting I've found myself this year saying yes immediately to small opportunities presented to me and am benefiting significantly as a result. As Darley encourages, "Jesus wants to get us to the place where we can accept a calling to change the world." He uses Peter as an example of saying yes to the small things. Jesus asked to borrow his boat, toss a fishing net on the other side of the boat, and then asked him to follow Him as a disciple.
Highly recommended.
August 1, 2014
Wasted Prayer by Greg Darley; Know when God wants you to stop praying and start doing.
The basis of this book is great. Sometimes, we use prayer as a way to procrastinate. We feel God calling us to do something, to change something in our life, but we say "I'll pray about it" and keep putting it off. When we really know that we've already been told the answer. I think we are all guilty of that.
This book goes in depth on why when we know (and we all know when we just know!) what to do that we need to just do it! There are a lot of verses and stories to help us see how God sometimes commands us to at instead of pray.
I did feel like a book on this topic was a lot. I couldn't get into the whole book as I felt like I got the gist of it all within the first few chapters. The rest seemed to just reiterate what the beginning said.
The basis of this book is great. Sometimes, we use prayer as a way to procrastinate. We feel God calling us to do something, to change something in our life, but we say "I'll pray about it" and keep putting it off. When we really know that we've already been told the answer. I think we are all guilty of that.
This book goes in depth on why when we know (and we all know when we just know!) what to do that we need to just do it! There are a lot of verses and stories to help us see how God sometimes commands us to at instead of pray.
I did feel like a book on this topic was a lot. I couldn't get into the whole book as I felt like I got the gist of it all within the first few chapters. The rest seemed to just reiterate what the beginning said.
July 30, 2014
I received a complimentary copy of this from Book Look Bloggers.
The book has presented me with mixed feelings. I think although it may not be 100 percent on point, it is a great outlook on the topic. Prayer for most people is so special and intimate that I feel it should not be discarded. Faith is a touchy subject for anyone to venture into, so I am glad that this author took the leap. I would recommend this book to older ages as the younger ones will not connect well.
The book has presented me with mixed feelings. I think although it may not be 100 percent on point, it is a great outlook on the topic. Prayer for most people is so special and intimate that I feel it should not be discarded. Faith is a touchy subject for anyone to venture into, so I am glad that this author took the leap. I would recommend this book to older ages as the younger ones will not connect well.
September 14, 2014
Here is an excerpt from my review: "It's not that Darley doesn't want you to pray. Obviously, prayer brings you into a closer relationship with God. But it's when prayer leads to procrastination, isolation, and pride that it hinders us from fulfilling our God-given duties and possibly hindering others from fulfilling theirs."
You can read the full review here: http://cookscrapcraft.blogspot.com/20...
You can read the full review here: http://cookscrapcraft.blogspot.com/20...
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