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Prayers from the Cloud: 100 Prayers through the Ages
Deepen your prayer life by drawing on the prayers of thoughtful Christians throughout history.
What should we do when our prayer lives become repetitive, superficial, or nonexistent? Pete James invites us to spend time with a “cloud of witnesses”—thoughtful Christians who have prayed to God in remarkably varied times, places, and circumstances. In Prayers from the 100 Prayers through the Ages, readers will find a diverse collection of prayers accompanied by meaningful insights into the authors’ lives and historical contexts, beginning in the first century and continuing up to the present. By reflecting on these texts from believers across the ages, readers will find encouragement and inspiration as they deepen their capacity for engaging in the lifelong practice of prayer. We learn to pray by praying—and this book shows us how.
What should we do when our prayer lives become repetitive, superficial, or nonexistent? Pete James invites us to spend time with a “cloud of witnesses”—thoughtful Christians who have prayed to God in remarkably varied times, places, and circumstances. In Prayers from the 100 Prayers through the Ages, readers will find a diverse collection of prayers accompanied by meaningful insights into the authors’ lives and historical contexts, beginning in the first century and continuing up to the present. By reflecting on these texts from believers across the ages, readers will find encouragement and inspiration as they deepen their capacity for engaging in the lifelong practice of prayer. We learn to pray by praying—and this book shows us how.
232 pages, Paperback
Published January 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 9, 2025
Down through the ages, people of faith have written prayers and hymns that still speak to the hearts of people. While God welcomes our extemporaneous prayers, there are times and places when we may find the words of others helpful as we seek to engage with God in prayer.
Pete James, a Presbyterian pastor, adjunct professor, and trustee for Gordon-Conwell Seminary, has provided us with a timely resource for prayer. Titled "Prayers from the Cloud," it offers us "100 Prayers Through the Ages." The cloud referred to in the title is the great cloud of saints, followers of Jesus beginning with Polycarp and ending with Henri Nouwen, with 98 more in between.
James notes in his preface that he found prayer to be a challenge as he was not a contemplative person by nature. I think many of us can sympathize. Seeking help, as an avid reader of history, he discovered the value of "reading old prayers." After retirement, he discovered a book titled "2000 Years of Prayer," and when he started reading he reports that he was hooked. Then in 2022, he started sending prayers to a cousin who was recovering from back surgery while quarantined with COVID-19. That began a journey that led to the production of this book.
Prayers from the Cloud includes one hundred prayers taken from figures from the history of the church beginning with the second century and continuing into the twentieth. James provides a brief introduction to the person and then on the facing page we find a prayer or a hymn. Some are just a few lines and others are a bit longer, but they all fit on a page. Thus, this book should meet a need on the part of many who seek assistance in their prayer life.
Pete James, a Presbyterian pastor, adjunct professor, and trustee for Gordon-Conwell Seminary, has provided us with a timely resource for prayer. Titled "Prayers from the Cloud," it offers us "100 Prayers Through the Ages." The cloud referred to in the title is the great cloud of saints, followers of Jesus beginning with Polycarp and ending with Henri Nouwen, with 98 more in between.
James notes in his preface that he found prayer to be a challenge as he was not a contemplative person by nature. I think many of us can sympathize. Seeking help, as an avid reader of history, he discovered the value of "reading old prayers." After retirement, he discovered a book titled "2000 Years of Prayer," and when he started reading he reports that he was hooked. Then in 2022, he started sending prayers to a cousin who was recovering from back surgery while quarantined with COVID-19. That began a journey that led to the production of this book.
Prayers from the Cloud includes one hundred prayers taken from figures from the history of the church beginning with the second century and continuing into the twentieth. James provides a brief introduction to the person and then on the facing page we find a prayer or a hymn. Some are just a few lines and others are a bit longer, but they all fit on a page. Thus, this book should meet a need on the part of many who seek assistance in their prayer life.
August 5, 2025
This diverse selection of prayers is a beautiful collection and a testimony to the diversity and applicability of the faith. James's bios for the authors of the prayers are sweet and succinct but are also a lot more than just informational, he really captures the essence of the person and gives you more about what they were like than just information about who they were. My only slight qualm with the book is that their organization feels haphazard, and there's nothing like a topical guide or index to help you find prayers again or to guide you in using them, even though they absolutely cover the whole gamut of human emotions and experiences. The usability of the book is maybe sacrificed some for the beauty of it (and it is a beautiful book and layout), but that's such a minor thing to be concerned with when the collection as a whole bears continual rereading and reuse.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews