Why Pray?

by John DeVries

Prayer is asking God for what we need or want-and so much more! Many people have at one time or another found their prayer life unsatisfying. But prayer should be so much more! Prayer is one of the most exciting and powerful privileges of faith. In Why Pray?, you will learn through forty insightful readings how prayer transcends words to become a satisfying relationship with God.

Genres: Christian, Read For School, Nonfiction, School, Prayer, Religion, Faith

245 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 13, 2014

Reviews

[Mary Kay Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life Changing

I read this book over a longer period than 40 days. Some lessons were so good that I want to “chew “ on them for a week or so before moving on. I’ve bought several copies to share with others

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Emily Josabeth Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aside from a few things that I thought were a little weird (like hiring a person to pray, or going to another country to live there and just pray), this was an interesting book.

I beleive a lot of what it says is true.

As Christians we're kind of "out of shape" in the exercise of prayer. It's not just for us, to make us feel better. It's actually very prowerful and we should practice it better, with faith and knowing how capable our God actually is.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book that is set up as a 40 day prayer devotional. It is actually a book that was recommended for my older kids, but I got a lot out of it. The author tells a lot of wonderful stories of the ways he and others have seen God answer prayer in wonderful and miraculous ways. These stories are great examples of the various purposes of prayer he highlights.

I was encouraged by the book and especially by his suggestion to pray for specific people and households. He gives a lot of specific ways of focusing prayer.

I was turned off a little by day 38 however. I still need to process his thoughts there. He gives a premise that care must be given and received equally. While I understand the point he is trying to make, it rubbed me the wrong way. I really feel like there are sometimes when some people just can't give care, especially not in a fully reciprocal way. And I think it is dangerous to say that you should only give care, if others can reciprocate.

Also, while I appreciate the specific ideas he gave, I wish there wasn't quite so much emphasis that feels like "this is the best way to pray and you should all do what I do" - there are many great principles and his way is certainly preferred to not having a way - I just looked at it as a great resource of ideas and examples to learn from and live by.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. My prayer life was so self centered and more like a wish list and a cry for help as a last resort then a relationship. I veered away from praying against demonic activity and praying for miracles/ believing He’d do them because of my fear of the Charismatic Movement not realizing that is God’s Call on our lives and right given to us through heirs of God Himself. I love this book and would highly recommend it to any of my friends!!

[Joanna Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this as part of our homeschool bible study time, but I found instead of it teaching my kids it was really teaching me.
It is a great quick, daily reader that is extremely helpful in guiding how to pray and why you should.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the days were more relevant than others, at least for my daughter and I, but we appreciated the practical approach combined with examples and stories. It seemed to be a little less fluff-filled than other devotionals.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encouragement and inspiration aimed at families to make your home a House Of Prayer Everyday (HOPE).

[RJ Gernant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sit in His Lap

Great word pictures for applicability. Will definitely re-read again for more insights. Recommend for starting prayers for neighbors and missions.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book.

[Brianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at prayer and its importance and a guideline on how to make prayer an everyday occurrence in your home.

[Janel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a "deeper" book regarding prayer. This is definitely more a devotional style, with lots of stories and real-life examples of prayer on the mission field and other areas.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

For our homeschool: I enjoyed most of the book. The last few day's of material were more geared toward the parent but it was assigned to the student so it didn't see to fit well.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book centered around India and how God moved in a mighty way. I really loved this book because it gave me lots of inspiration to seek God more. I highly recommend it.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this little book and I will reread it sometime soon. The author makes some very good points and gives some very good directions in helping with your prayer life.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful little devotional about why praying is important and the impact it can have.

[AnnaScott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book! It encouraged me to completely revamp my prayer life. It thoroughly explained why prayer is important and gave specific things to do while we pray and things to pray for. This is one that I will definitely be reading again soon!

[Kay Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent! It had superb teaching and practical applications along with interesting stories. What a wonderful tool! I would recommend it to anyone!

[Robin Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent word pictures and stories of his mission work in India to back up his lessons on prayer. A great little book!

[Jacqueline Wallace]

This is an excellent book on prayer. I recommend it for everyone. It got me thinking and acting on several points. God is in this!

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

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