Dr. Herbert Lockyer was born in London in 1886, and held pastorates in Scotland and England for 25 years before coming to the United States in 1935. In 1937 he received the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Northwestern Evangelical Seminary. In 1955 he returned to England where he lived for many years. He then returned to the United States where he continued to devote time to the writing ministry until his death in November of 1984.
It has been many years since I have read this book, and I found that it was a wonderful of a read as I remembered it. I enjoy Lockyer's writing style. He has a very personal way of writing. It is almost like sitting across the table from a friend and having an uplifting and encouraging conversation. And this book is on one of my favorite subjects. So combining the two was a wonderful reading experience.
I read through this book as part of a class that surveyed the practice of prayer in the Scriptures. This book reads more like a devotional book than an academic compendium, especially as some of the prayers of the Bible are omitted and merely referred to in Lockyer's comment sections. In what it seeks to accomplish, the book is valuable, though many may find it helpful merely to use as a reference rather than to read it from beginning to end.
This is a book for the ages. I have found more clarity in prayer and intimacy with the words I lift to Him and receive from Him after walking with this book through the prayers of the Bible. I highly recommend it! Take your time through it. Soak in each prayer for what it offers your heart and mind. There is no rush. It took me almost a year to finish it. I used it as my daily devotional. God bless you and be with you as you learn what prayer pleasing to the Lord sounds and looks like.