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Daring to Draw Near: People in Prayer
Prayers are windows--windows on eternity. Through the prayers in the Bible we look into the profoundest issues of life and death, and the deepest longings of our own hearts. And we learn about the God to whom we pray, the one who wants to talk with us, the one who takes the initiative in our relationship with him. In this classic book on prayer, John White helps us listen to Abraham plead for Sodom and Gomorrah. We watch Jacob wrestle with the Angel of the Lord. We hear David confess his sin. We also see him dance before the ark of the covenant. We hear Hannah ask for a child. Finally, John White shows how Jesus' prayers on the cross present a model for facing our last hours as well. The ten prayers in this book will take you near to the holy one of the universe, the personal God of each person in the world.
162 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
44 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
John White
68 books49 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
John White was an Evangelical Christian author, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and a pastor of Church of the Way.
John White was an Evangelical Christian author, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and a pastor of Church of the Way.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 10, 2019
Excellent. This has greatly challenged how I think about prayer, and has strengthened my prayer-life.
This was chosen for reading/discussion for our BG "small group."
This was chosen for reading/discussion for our BG "small group."
October 16, 2019
I want to recommend this book to all my Christian friends!! If I had a bunch of copies I would start handing them out. Some friends of mine and some leaders at a retreat recommended it. My brother read it and told me he loved it, so I picked it up this summer. I worked slowly through it in my daily quiet times. Rooted in scripture and filled with richness on every page. I feel I grew closer to God this past summer, after a year of doubt and struggle. I will be returning to this book in the future, as there is so much more to glean from its pages. So many great metaphors for understanding God too. Gave me a new appreciation for the Old Testament. I used this book as an inspiration for my own prayer life. It is an older book, but it has timeless wisdom and scriptural insight. LOVE IT.
January 2, 2022
I read this book when I was in my teens, and its influenced my whole life.
It is an expositional sermon on key prayers in the bible. It teaches prayer, but more than that, more deeply that is, it teaches communion with God. It proves how our relationship with him is initiated and continued by him, as an act of Grace toward us.
It is an expositional sermon on key prayers in the bible. It teaches prayer, but more than that, more deeply that is, it teaches communion with God. It proves how our relationship with him is initiated and continued by him, as an act of Grace toward us.
September 2, 2016
I appreciated the structure of taking a glimpse at several examples of prayers in the Bible. Whenever someone asks me what book they should read to grow in prayer, I always recommend this one.
September 21, 2017
This is a wonderful book, not just on prayer, but on relating to God in general. I highly recommend it!
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August 30, 2018Read it for the first time today. It is part of my keeper collection. It should be read and re-read.
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November 22, 2020p. 14 // God is always speaking and God approaches all of us in the same way.
p. 17 // If you are his friend, he will share his thoughts and plans with you. If you are his partner, he will be concerned about your views on his plans and projects. Whatever else prayer might be, it is intended to be a sharing and a taking counsel with God on matters of importance to him.
p. 20 // God has never defended himself when I have come to him in my perplexity
p. 43 // there is a subtle emphasis in Moses’ his plea he could’ve spoken of God’s servants… And said he uses their covenant names
p. 46 // he not only wanted mercy for gods people, but God’s very presence among them.
p. 47 // feelings follow faith
p. 48 // he who has seen God’s glory reflects it.
p. 58 // Your sinfulness is never an excuse for your sin .... but wretched person that you are, sin overwhelms you. You do not know how you will ever overcome your weaknesses. It is important that you acknowledge this, not as an excuse, but as a recognition of your utter sinfulness.
p. 62 // The worst effects of sin is alienation, alienation from God, alienation from his people
p. 69 // where scripture and your experience clash, do not run from the tension. Let it become the energizer of earnest prayer. In the Christian life you will need more tension, not less, if you were to do the will of God.
p. 71 !!!!!!!!
p. 80 // spiritual growth may follow a similar course to physical growth. At earlier stages the Christian is more concerned about himself, his experiences, what other people think about him and what God’s word does for him. With spiritual maturity comes in increasing concern for others and for the honor and glory of God. To the degree that being mature spiritually, our prayers become theocentric, that is, God centered. ....It is intended to alert you to the lack of God centered Ness in your prayers. It may never have occurred to you that gods honor guards and reputation are subjects you should be praying about. The truth is that they should form the very basics of your prayers.
p. 86 // but however mature you may become, you will never cease to have grief some joys of your own. I have chosen to discuss Hannah‘s prayer after David’s to remind both myself and you that we shall never outgrow the need of childlike prayer for personal needs
Job chapter // intimacy vs familiarity. P. 109 intimacy cannot occur without respect
p. 106 // to know that we are small yet excepted and loved, and that we fit into the exact niche in life a loving God is carved out for us is the most profoundly healthy thing I know. It does not inhibit boldness or assertiveness when these are called for, and it certainly delivers us from silly, aggressive posturing and shouting. Knowing our real place in life we never need to feel threatened. Most of all we are left free to wonder of the glory and majesty of God, drinking and drabs of living water and knowing what we were created for
p. 113 // Broad worship. Narrow prayer. Attitude underneath should be rejoicing and reverence
p. 116 // ark was a portable shrine
p. 117 // music, song, laughter, dance, all were expressions of praise and joy to the Lord. They fit in a little with our more conventional idea of prayer, and heaven forbid that they should be the only form of prayer. Prayer can be broken weeping as well as joyful dancing. It can groan as well as sing. It can question, reason, plead, argue or bow in silence
p. 121 // but rejoicing without reverence becomes spiritual pornography and we live in such an age
Paul chapter // Fuel and fire. We cannot pray fervently without faith and hope.
p. 130 // in Daniel the word produced tension while in Paul it produced delight but the end result was the same: they prayed.
p. 131 // we cannot give thanks and remain the same. Our perspective changes as we open our minds to God through prayer. Hope is quickened.
p. 146 // in the loneliness of their responsibilities, leaders experience times in the yearning for human understanding and support can be almost unbearable
p. 147 // we crave human support because we have never truly learned to rest in God. He craved it because divine support was to be taken away
p. 149 // the unselfishness of his prayer "father, forgive them...." is what arrests us. we know that in physical pain we ourselves grow self-centered, asking for sympathy in subtle or not-so-subtle ways. similarly when we face injustice or cold lack of consideration from our fellows, we are absorbed with the way we are being treated. resentment, rage, bitterness and self-pity among other feelings, vie for center stage in our attention. we become wrapped in our pain, our misery, our bitterness.
p. 154 // it is far better to cry “why” than not to cry at all. It is better to protest in dismay than cursed at God and die. Implicit in the question “why” is a belief that someone exists who can hear and answer us.
p. 159 // death involves a choice. We cannot at the end choose whether we die, but we may choose how to do so.
p. 17 // If you are his friend, he will share his thoughts and plans with you. If you are his partner, he will be concerned about your views on his plans and projects. Whatever else prayer might be, it is intended to be a sharing and a taking counsel with God on matters of importance to him.
p. 20 // God has never defended himself when I have come to him in my perplexity
p. 43 // there is a subtle emphasis in Moses’ his plea he could’ve spoken of God’s servants… And said he uses their covenant names
p. 46 // he not only wanted mercy for gods people, but God’s very presence among them.
p. 47 // feelings follow faith
p. 48 // he who has seen God’s glory reflects it.
p. 58 // Your sinfulness is never an excuse for your sin .... but wretched person that you are, sin overwhelms you. You do not know how you will ever overcome your weaknesses. It is important that you acknowledge this, not as an excuse, but as a recognition of your utter sinfulness.
p. 62 // The worst effects of sin is alienation, alienation from God, alienation from his people
p. 69 // where scripture and your experience clash, do not run from the tension. Let it become the energizer of earnest prayer. In the Christian life you will need more tension, not less, if you were to do the will of God.
p. 71 !!!!!!!!
p. 80 // spiritual growth may follow a similar course to physical growth. At earlier stages the Christian is more concerned about himself, his experiences, what other people think about him and what God’s word does for him. With spiritual maturity comes in increasing concern for others and for the honor and glory of God. To the degree that being mature spiritually, our prayers become theocentric, that is, God centered. ....It is intended to alert you to the lack of God centered Ness in your prayers. It may never have occurred to you that gods honor guards and reputation are subjects you should be praying about. The truth is that they should form the very basics of your prayers.
p. 86 // but however mature you may become, you will never cease to have grief some joys of your own. I have chosen to discuss Hannah‘s prayer after David’s to remind both myself and you that we shall never outgrow the need of childlike prayer for personal needs
Job chapter // intimacy vs familiarity. P. 109 intimacy cannot occur without respect
p. 106 // to know that we are small yet excepted and loved, and that we fit into the exact niche in life a loving God is carved out for us is the most profoundly healthy thing I know. It does not inhibit boldness or assertiveness when these are called for, and it certainly delivers us from silly, aggressive posturing and shouting. Knowing our real place in life we never need to feel threatened. Most of all we are left free to wonder of the glory and majesty of God, drinking and drabs of living water and knowing what we were created for
p. 113 // Broad worship. Narrow prayer. Attitude underneath should be rejoicing and reverence
p. 116 // ark was a portable shrine
p. 117 // music, song, laughter, dance, all were expressions of praise and joy to the Lord. They fit in a little with our more conventional idea of prayer, and heaven forbid that they should be the only form of prayer. Prayer can be broken weeping as well as joyful dancing. It can groan as well as sing. It can question, reason, plead, argue or bow in silence
p. 121 // but rejoicing without reverence becomes spiritual pornography and we live in such an age
Paul chapter // Fuel and fire. We cannot pray fervently without faith and hope.
p. 130 // in Daniel the word produced tension while in Paul it produced delight but the end result was the same: they prayed.
p. 131 // we cannot give thanks and remain the same. Our perspective changes as we open our minds to God through prayer. Hope is quickened.
p. 146 // in the loneliness of their responsibilities, leaders experience times in the yearning for human understanding and support can be almost unbearable
p. 147 // we crave human support because we have never truly learned to rest in God. He craved it because divine support was to be taken away
p. 149 // the unselfishness of his prayer "father, forgive them...." is what arrests us. we know that in physical pain we ourselves grow self-centered, asking for sympathy in subtle or not-so-subtle ways. similarly when we face injustice or cold lack of consideration from our fellows, we are absorbed with the way we are being treated. resentment, rage, bitterness and self-pity among other feelings, vie for center stage in our attention. we become wrapped in our pain, our misery, our bitterness.
p. 154 // it is far better to cry “why” than not to cry at all. It is better to protest in dismay than cursed at God and die. Implicit in the question “why” is a belief that someone exists who can hear and answer us.
p. 159 // death involves a choice. We cannot at the end choose whether we die, but we may choose how to do so.
June 21, 2017
My sister gave me this book for my birthday, and I'm glad I've had the chance to read it! It was an enjoyable read that had a healthy outlook on how we relate to God through prayer. I was encouraged by many of the chapters, and felt that White did a great job of accurately portraying God's glory, as well as encouraging the reader to honestly evaluate their own approach to God. There were moments when I might disagree with his point of view on what constitutes a prayer (but this was expected because his denomination differs from my own), and sometimes I felt that he was reading in to emotions that may or may not have been directly expressed in the Bible, but I felt like his conclusions were generally sound.
September 1, 2017
Apart from the Bible, this book has influenced my understanding of God more than any other. I read it first in the late 70's, taught it to an elderly Sunday School group in the early 80's, and taught it again to middle aged women in the 90's. Each of those reading the book, including me, have argued, disagreed, or wrestled with parts of it However, we all came away from the book amazed by the desire God has to be in a relationship with us and how He has called us to prayer. To read it agin in 2017 has been a joy.
February 26, 2019
This book was given to me on my birthday 29 years ago and sat on the shelf untouched until a month ago when I woke in the night, walked right to it, pulled it from the shelf, and began to read knowing that now is the time that I am supposed to read it.
December 15, 2019
John White's books tend to be readable, relatable, and challenge how you think. He does that in this book. He goes through different prayers (or descriptions of prayer) of different people in the Bible and relates each to our own lives. I recommend it.
November 15, 2022
If I put into practice the insights John White discusses concerning the prayers of these ten people in the Bible, my prayer life will deepen and praises to God will certainly increase. Very inspiring.
August 14, 2018
I loved the concept, but his writing was not always clear. Praise the Lord that we may dare to draw near, though.
August 2, 2019
Good look at different prayers and how that should impact the way we pray!
December 6, 2022
Read this little book back in the early 80’s and enjoyed listening to the audiobook almost as much again these past two months.
July 4, 2023
Awesome book!
February 15, 2024
Very old -fashioned. Illustrations not relevant in today’s world.
March 2, 2024
An excellent book on the characters in the Bible and how their prayers can teach us more about prayer
December 14, 2024
Very thought provoking and humbling!
October 13, 2014
John White takes each of a number of prayers prayed by different Bible characters and draws some meaning for them for us to apply in our own prayer life. I found some of the chapters a bit heavy-going, but also appreciated some insights that came across as quite novel and helpful. His reflection on Hannah's prayer was one which helps us to be encouraged that the everyday desires of our hearts (in her case the desperate longing for a child) are important to God- and he meets us where we are in those moments of crisis and deep need. I liked what he said about the importance of having a prayer at the end of our lives, as Christians being able to "die well" even though that sort of talk is somewhat taboo. What I would have liked him to clarify is how you reconcile coming to,terms with death in this way when you are also keen to keep praying for God's physical healing. I also appreciated his chapter on Paul's prayer for the Ephesians, encouraging us to see whether our prayers for one another are big enough specific prayers and not just asking for a general blessing.
October 6, 2008
This book made me think of prayer in a whole new way and revealed more about who God is (even the parts that some people don't want to acknowledge - ie Judge). I LOVED this book--there a lot a misconceptions about prayer and he uses accounts from the Bible (Abraham, Jacob, Jesus, David, etc) to add much more depth/power to who God is and what prayer is. In a nutshell (which doesn't give it justice): prayer=1)humble recognition that it is HIs perogative to speak and our responsibility, pleasure, and privilege to listen 2) collaboration with Him in bringing His will to pass 3)Getting a larger view of Who He is (to know Him and be changed by Him) 4)Turning our hearts/desires toward God and receiving, in turn, HIs love 5)Intimate offering of ourselves in full adoration of God
September 4, 2007
This was my second time through, because it was that good! Each chapter's on the life of a different Bible figure, and I learned so much about the Scripture as well as about prayer. John White is fresh, honest, and extremely profound. I found it very readable and learned a lot from it. Each chapter took my prayer life deeper and made it richer . . . twice, now! I'll probably read it again in a few years.
January 20, 2012
this book as been sitting on my shelf for a longest time [bought this years ago at urbana missions conference]. finally began reading...and my, what a pleasant surprise! gave me a new, fresh perspectives on the way we should approach our prayer. i particularly liked the last chapter - deals w/ topic we might not necessarily be comfortable thinking about, but, must all face one day.
February 2, 2010
One of the best books I've read in quite a while, and I plan to read it again. Profound yet accessible, White approaches these prayers in the Bible with authority, sensitivity, and a very personal approach. I felt as if I was being discipled. Highly recommended.
June 24, 2013
Love this book so far! It's a deep read, and so applicable to life. The author takes characters in the Bible and the interactions with God as a model for our interactions and relationship with God. Very profound.
July 7, 2012
Read this book originally about 30 years ago. Looking back, it changed me forever. I just rediscovered it recently, and trust any thinking person will be amazed at White's insight. Truly on a level of C.S. Lewis. I change for the better each time I pick it up.
January 25, 2008
The author takes ten Biblical prayers, and expounds on them. Well-written, interesting, and quite thought-provoking.
September 11, 2010
This book took my prayers to the unfathomable level almost face to face with God.
August 25, 2012
One of my favorite books - easy to read, yet full of depth and insight.
December 26, 2015
A superb refreshing wee book that stimulated a lot of thought, and corrected a common interpretation of Jacob wrestling with God.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews