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Prayerpoints: Praying God's Promises at Your Point of Need
Think about it . . . you feel more alive, whole, and centered when you're firmly connected to God and anchored in his Word. You cling to him, give him your best moments, and talk with him nonstop. But then, there are times when you just don't know how to sincerely express yourself through prayer. You're at a loss for words, and a sense of helplessness takes hold of your heart.
God desperately wants to hear from you! PrayerPoints lets you take what you're feeling right now, quickly connect your needs to God's Word, and then pray through his promises as they relate to your specific need.
Don't abandon your prayer life because you can't find the right words to say. Let PrayerPoints guide your thoughts, direct you to the heart of Scripture, and move you to a place of wholehearted, all-out, amazing relationship with God.
God desperately wants to hear from you! PrayerPoints lets you take what you're feeling right now, quickly connect your needs to God's Word, and then pray through his promises as they relate to your specific need.
Don't abandon your prayer life because you can't find the right words to say. Let PrayerPoints guide your thoughts, direct you to the heart of Scripture, and move you to a place of wholehearted, all-out, amazing relationship with God.
336 pages, ebook
First published November 1, 2015
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February 25, 2016
This is a very nice book as far as its aesthetic value is concerned. I like very much the compact size and the faux leather appearance. The cover is also imprinted with a verse of Scripture (Psalm 145:18) and some trees along the spine. The copy I received also contains a small dust cover which covers about 2/3 of the book and repeats the title of the book and other important information. I like the dust cover and I am typically loathe to dispense with certain features of a book such as dust covers; however, if I am to use this book as I think it is intended to be used, I will have to dispense with the cover.
Inside there is a nice ribbon like book mark to give it an even deeper appearance of biblical spirituality. One might even mistake this small book for a Bible.
So much for appearances. Let's move on to the more important aspect of a book: content. First, the book is, to be sure, a collection of prayer points arranged topically so that seemingly whatever problem the reader is having, there is a prayer at her fingertips. So, are you feeling empty? There's a prayer for you. Are you feeling overwhelmed? There's a prayer for you. In a car accident? There's a prayer for you. Are you struggling with worldliness? There's a prayer for you. Just imagine you are having some sort of trouble in life and there's a prayer for you in this book: emotional, physical, relational, spiritual--they are all there. Sometimes the topics seem a bit contrived, but they are there.
Therein, however is the main problem with this book: it presupposes that the only times we will (or need to) pray are when life really, really sucks. There are no prayer points in the book for times of joy, blessing, gratefulness, for thankfulness, finding a job, for having friends, for good health. There are no prayers of thanksgiving for Jesus, for the cross, for resurrection, or for God's provision. Why is there an assumption that the only time we pray is when things are not going well?
Second, there is nothing terribly wrong with the prayers as such. They are thoughtful and worded well, generally refer the reader back to Scripture, and stay close to the topic being addressed. Sadly, this presents another point of criticism: the topical arrangement of the prayers and associated Scriptures. The Bible was not written topically. Don't get me wrong, because I understand well the point and I understand well that Christians 'use' the Scripture in this way far too often and far too comfortably. It's like we are afraid of the big picture/story the Bible is painting for readers so we break it up into small, seemingly comprehensible, pithy statements we can absorb in a single gulp.
But this is not how the Bible was written and I will continue to mark down every book I review that uses Scripture in this way. It's not even fair or right to do this to books of the Bible that lend themselves to this sort of game--say, for example, the Psalms or the Proverbs. Even those two books were written/edited with a singular purpose in mind and it seems to me that it is unfair to yank passages out of that context to make a point about to pray when you've been in a car accident. In my opinion, this does damage to Scripture and to the intentions of the authors who wrote the books we call Scripture. I have no problems with praying the Scripture and I think we should pray the Scripture, but what I have in mind is something substantially different from the manner in which most books use Scripture.
Third, if I recall correctly, nearly every single prayer in the book contains some version of the words 'Lord...I claim your promise...' I do not come from a tradition of Christianity that has embraced this way of praying so I'm not saying it is necessarily wrong to 'claim' a 'promise' that is in Scripture. (The editor used many different variations of this phrase such as 'seek,' 'claim,' 'embrace,' 'long for,' 'hold on to,' 'cherish,' and so on and so forth. Frankly it became kind of boring after a while.) It might just be me, but I think there is a better way to pray. I didn't see Jesus saying this was how we are to pray when we do. Again, this is not to say it's 'wrong', it's just to say that I have not been taught to pray in this way and it may sound awkward to some people who are learning to pray for the first time using this book. Which takes us back to point two which is the way we understand the point of Scripture. Are those promises we are 'claiming' promises in context? Are they in line with God's plans and purposes in this world? We must be very careful, in my opinion, when praying in such a way.
On the other hand, it's a book of prayers that someone wrote, collected, and published. It's terrible difficult to be critical of a book of prayers because prayers are not generally offered to other people for review purposes. Prayers are meant to be prayed, not reviewed, and as such they are offered to the Father. So my review here is of a 'book', not of the prayers per say. Whatever else may be said about these books, I say this: if they draw the reader into a meaningful prayer life with the Father, then who am I to criticize? If the out of context Scripture references draw someone into a meaningful reading of entire books of the Bible, then who am I to criticize? At the heart of this book is someone's thoughts and prayers written with the Lord in mind. This is a good thing.
Someone, somewhere is going to benefit from this collection of prayers. Of that I am sure. And with that in mind, I am glad Tyndale published a book of prayers. For this reason, I happily award the book three stars. One star is deducted for the way it 'uses' Scripture and another star is deducted because of the overall gloomy feel to the book, i.e., the lack of prayers for the good times. We do not always have to be in a funk in order to pray and that's what I think this book lacks the most.
3/5 stars
Important Book & Author Things
Where to purchase Prayer Points: Praying God's Promises at Your Point of Need: Amazon (Imitation Leather, $13.99)
Author:
On the Web:
On Twitter:
Academic Webpage:
Editor: Ken Petersen, General Editor
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Pages:
Year: 2015
Audience: 324
Reading Level: High school
Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of this book via the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my fair and unbiased review.
Inside there is a nice ribbon like book mark to give it an even deeper appearance of biblical spirituality. One might even mistake this small book for a Bible.
So much for appearances. Let's move on to the more important aspect of a book: content. First, the book is, to be sure, a collection of prayer points arranged topically so that seemingly whatever problem the reader is having, there is a prayer at her fingertips. So, are you feeling empty? There's a prayer for you. Are you feeling overwhelmed? There's a prayer for you. In a car accident? There's a prayer for you. Are you struggling with worldliness? There's a prayer for you. Just imagine you are having some sort of trouble in life and there's a prayer for you in this book: emotional, physical, relational, spiritual--they are all there. Sometimes the topics seem a bit contrived, but they are there.
Therein, however is the main problem with this book: it presupposes that the only times we will (or need to) pray are when life really, really sucks. There are no prayer points in the book for times of joy, blessing, gratefulness, for thankfulness, finding a job, for having friends, for good health. There are no prayers of thanksgiving for Jesus, for the cross, for resurrection, or for God's provision. Why is there an assumption that the only time we pray is when things are not going well?
Second, there is nothing terribly wrong with the prayers as such. They are thoughtful and worded well, generally refer the reader back to Scripture, and stay close to the topic being addressed. Sadly, this presents another point of criticism: the topical arrangement of the prayers and associated Scriptures. The Bible was not written topically. Don't get me wrong, because I understand well the point and I understand well that Christians 'use' the Scripture in this way far too often and far too comfortably. It's like we are afraid of the big picture/story the Bible is painting for readers so we break it up into small, seemingly comprehensible, pithy statements we can absorb in a single gulp.
But this is not how the Bible was written and I will continue to mark down every book I review that uses Scripture in this way. It's not even fair or right to do this to books of the Bible that lend themselves to this sort of game--say, for example, the Psalms or the Proverbs. Even those two books were written/edited with a singular purpose in mind and it seems to me that it is unfair to yank passages out of that context to make a point about to pray when you've been in a car accident. In my opinion, this does damage to Scripture and to the intentions of the authors who wrote the books we call Scripture. I have no problems with praying the Scripture and I think we should pray the Scripture, but what I have in mind is something substantially different from the manner in which most books use Scripture.
Third, if I recall correctly, nearly every single prayer in the book contains some version of the words 'Lord...I claim your promise...' I do not come from a tradition of Christianity that has embraced this way of praying so I'm not saying it is necessarily wrong to 'claim' a 'promise' that is in Scripture. (The editor used many different variations of this phrase such as 'seek,' 'claim,' 'embrace,' 'long for,' 'hold on to,' 'cherish,' and so on and so forth. Frankly it became kind of boring after a while.) It might just be me, but I think there is a better way to pray. I didn't see Jesus saying this was how we are to pray when we do. Again, this is not to say it's 'wrong', it's just to say that I have not been taught to pray in this way and it may sound awkward to some people who are learning to pray for the first time using this book. Which takes us back to point two which is the way we understand the point of Scripture. Are those promises we are 'claiming' promises in context? Are they in line with God's plans and purposes in this world? We must be very careful, in my opinion, when praying in such a way.
On the other hand, it's a book of prayers that someone wrote, collected, and published. It's terrible difficult to be critical of a book of prayers because prayers are not generally offered to other people for review purposes. Prayers are meant to be prayed, not reviewed, and as such they are offered to the Father. So my review here is of a 'book', not of the prayers per say. Whatever else may be said about these books, I say this: if they draw the reader into a meaningful prayer life with the Father, then who am I to criticize? If the out of context Scripture references draw someone into a meaningful reading of entire books of the Bible, then who am I to criticize? At the heart of this book is someone's thoughts and prayers written with the Lord in mind. This is a good thing.
Someone, somewhere is going to benefit from this collection of prayers. Of that I am sure. And with that in mind, I am glad Tyndale published a book of prayers. For this reason, I happily award the book three stars. One star is deducted for the way it 'uses' Scripture and another star is deducted because of the overall gloomy feel to the book, i.e., the lack of prayers for the good times. We do not always have to be in a funk in order to pray and that's what I think this book lacks the most.
3/5 stars
Important Book & Author Things
Where to purchase Prayer Points: Praying God's Promises at Your Point of Need: Amazon (Imitation Leather, $13.99)
Author:
On the Web:
On Twitter:
Academic Webpage:
Editor: Ken Petersen, General Editor
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Pages:
Year: 2015
Audience: 324
Reading Level: High school
Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of this book via the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my fair and unbiased review.
December 29, 2015
Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book through the publisher from Tyndale Blog Network, in exchange for an honest review.
PrayerPoints is an excellent book that gives pieces of scripture for some of the emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual challenges we face everyday. These challenges are listed alphabetically through the book, but there is also a Scripture Index and Topics Guide in the back of the book to help you find these easily. Each word (or topic) offers a short paragraph explaining that specific challenge we may face, a few pieces of scripture giving peace about that challenge, and then a prayer to close.
There is over 300 pages in this compact book, but don't mistake it for the typical "coffee table" book. This would be a perfect book to have with you on the go, whether picking up the kids from school or sports or waiting for an appointment. It is a breath of fresh air to open, and either study a few words at a time or one word a day. It can also be used for a daily devotional.
The book's intent is to help people pray, and to be in the Word. Some days, we are so lost in the confusion of things that we can't get the words out to pray. New believers may not know how to pray, and this would be an exceptional resource for them. It would also be a wonderful resource to an experienced person in prayer, as it describes some things we may not have gone through in life yet. It helps us understand what certain family or friends may be going through and feeling.
The cover of the book is beautiful and has an imitation leather bounding, but has these gorgeous trees etched into the leather. It would be a perfect gift for someone, but it is also a gift for yourself to enjoy. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It's versatility offers something for everyone, and may have just the right scripture you may need to hear that day.
This post originally appeared on my blog on December 29, 2015 at: http://raisingsamuels.blogspot.com/20...
PrayerPoints is an excellent book that gives pieces of scripture for some of the emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual challenges we face everyday. These challenges are listed alphabetically through the book, but there is also a Scripture Index and Topics Guide in the back of the book to help you find these easily. Each word (or topic) offers a short paragraph explaining that specific challenge we may face, a few pieces of scripture giving peace about that challenge, and then a prayer to close.
There is over 300 pages in this compact book, but don't mistake it for the typical "coffee table" book. This would be a perfect book to have with you on the go, whether picking up the kids from school or sports or waiting for an appointment. It is a breath of fresh air to open, and either study a few words at a time or one word a day. It can also be used for a daily devotional.
The book's intent is to help people pray, and to be in the Word. Some days, we are so lost in the confusion of things that we can't get the words out to pray. New believers may not know how to pray, and this would be an exceptional resource for them. It would also be a wonderful resource to an experienced person in prayer, as it describes some things we may not have gone through in life yet. It helps us understand what certain family or friends may be going through and feeling.
The cover of the book is beautiful and has an imitation leather bounding, but has these gorgeous trees etched into the leather. It would be a perfect gift for someone, but it is also a gift for yourself to enjoy. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It's versatility offers something for everyone, and may have just the right scripture you may need to hear that day.
This post originally appeared on my blog on December 29, 2015 at: http://raisingsamuels.blogspot.com/20...
January 21, 2016
There are a plethora of little books with a paragraph or so of information, verses, and a prayer (see the Touchpoints series also published by Tyndale), and Prayer Points: Praying God’s Promises at Your Point of Need is not much different. Alphabetically organized for “any need or problem you wish to address” (v), each point offers a general description, three verses perceived as “God’s Promise,” a sample prayer, and a sentence or two for further guidance. There are two indexes: topical (each entry is categorized as either emotional, physical, relational, or spiritual) and scriptural (the topical index repeated but with the verses included with each entry listed underneath, meaning it cannot be used to find an entry based in biblical order of scripture). The book itself looks like a small journal, bound in imitation leather with an embossed spine and ¾ dust jacket.
As with any of these types of books, entries range from encouraging to utterly unhelpful, relevant and pointed to completely out of context. Not all “promises” listed are promises at all (some rather situation specific in scripture), but it’s difficult to come up with over 170 entries and find a “promise” for each one without forcing some into the mold. It’s about as expected. The primary translation used is New Living Translation, while also using English Standard Version, New International Version, and Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase The Message, which I wouldn’t use as “quoting the Bible.” Whichever best fits the promise language model is that which is used as a reference.
I can see this being beneficial for some, but those looking for depth and more relevant application need look elsewhere.
*This book was provided by Tyndale House Publishers for review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I offered or provided any compensation.
As with any of these types of books, entries range from encouraging to utterly unhelpful, relevant and pointed to completely out of context. Not all “promises” listed are promises at all (some rather situation specific in scripture), but it’s difficult to come up with over 170 entries and find a “promise” for each one without forcing some into the mold. It’s about as expected. The primary translation used is New Living Translation, while also using English Standard Version, New International Version, and Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase The Message, which I wouldn’t use as “quoting the Bible.” Whichever best fits the promise language model is that which is used as a reference.
I can see this being beneficial for some, but those looking for depth and more relevant application need look elsewhere.
*This book was provided by Tyndale House Publishers for review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I offered or provided any compensation.
February 15, 2016
I really like these little "pocket" books. They are the perfect size for slipping into a purse or briefcase so that they are handy anytime you might need a boost, spiritually speaking.
This little book is really nice. The cover is a faux leather and really feels nice and smooth. There is a scripture verse included on the cover and some imprinting along the spine edge that actually wraps the spine and goes onto the back of the book. There is a ribbon marker which is nice. I do wish there had been a presentation page because it makes gift giving so much easier. A table of contents at the front of the book would have been handy, instead we find a prayer topic guide placed at the back of the book. The prayers touch on many, many topics. Thing is it seems to be a book of prayers for the bad times, there are no prayers for thanksgiving in the good times. While I suppose I should have expected that because of the title, sometimes are need isn't always hardships but joyous occasions that we need to know how to thank God for. Overall this is a lovely little book, perfect for whenever you need a little help to know what to pray in the trying days that life might throw your way.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review.
This little book is really nice. The cover is a faux leather and really feels nice and smooth. There is a scripture verse included on the cover and some imprinting along the spine edge that actually wraps the spine and goes onto the back of the book. There is a ribbon marker which is nice. I do wish there had been a presentation page because it makes gift giving so much easier. A table of contents at the front of the book would have been handy, instead we find a prayer topic guide placed at the back of the book. The prayers touch on many, many topics. Thing is it seems to be a book of prayers for the bad times, there are no prayers for thanksgiving in the good times. While I suppose I should have expected that because of the title, sometimes are need isn't always hardships but joyous occasions that we need to know how to thank God for. Overall this is a lovely little book, perfect for whenever you need a little help to know what to pray in the trying days that life might throw your way.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review.
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March 8, 2016This little book has prayers that are arranged by subject for various topics in a particular person's life. For example one of the prayers the book contains is regarding dieting and what they post there are several scriptures related to the proper care of a human body. By doing this the individual reader can go to various subjects and find a prayer or some information about that subject that comes from Scripture.
I must admit that I found this particular book very helpful in some areas however I also feel that well that is good information it is very brief. While I enjoy prayer books and devotional books I would definitely recommend that the reader of this particular book use this as a map but not necessarily as a personal guide.
*I received this book in exchange for my honest review from Tyndale Blog Network
I must admit that I found this particular book very helpful in some areas however I also feel that well that is good information it is very brief. While I enjoy prayer books and devotional books I would definitely recommend that the reader of this particular book use this as a map but not necessarily as a personal guide.
*I received this book in exchange for my honest review from Tyndale Blog Network
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