Praying with Eyes Wide Open

by Sherry Harney, Kevin G. Harney

Often we view prayer as an activity reserved for a certain time, in a certain place, offered in a specific way. But Scripture encourages us to pray continually. This exhortation is an opportunity for prayer to permeate every aspect of our lives--when we're alone or in a crowd, when it's quiet and when it's chaotic, when we feel like it and when we don't.
Praying with Eyes Wide Open shows us how to make continuous prayer a natural part of our lives rather than something on our daily spiritual checklist. It helps us encounter God in new ways as we learn to
- open our eyes to see his presence and the world around us
- open our ears to hear his voice
- open our hearts to experience freedom and power as we pray
- and open our lives as we pray for and with others
Anyone desiring a richer, more transformative prayer life will welcome this fresh take on conversing with our Creator.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Faith, Prayer, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

Published June 6, 2017

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

We may think of prayer as something we do at a specific time, perhaps with our morning devotions. Harney wants us to experience prayer through the flow of life. Her passion “is to see ordinary followers of Jesus grow into natural prayers who talk to God, listen to God, and interact with God at all times, in all places, through all circumstances.” (12)

She suggests we pray with our eyes wide open. She means that both literally and figuratively. Literally, with our eyes open we will be more aware of God's creation and people. Figuratively, we will be more aware of God's presence and His work among us.

She studied Scripture and found that nowhere are we commanded to close our eyes when we pray. She gives many examples of Bible characters who prayed with open eyes. She also found examples of lifting hands rather than folding them. And she found that the Bible records people kneeling, standing, and sitting when praying, depending on the circumstances.

Harney really helps us understand our attitude towards prayer depends a great deal on what we believe about God. She provides Scripture to help us understand how God feels toward us. She encourages us to pray with our ears open so we can be aware of the many ways God speaks to us. She wants us to pray with our hearts wide open, seeing who God is and praying with passion. And she wants us to pray with lives wide open, allowing the Holy Spirit to work in and through us.

Harney has included many personal stories as illustrations of her teaching. She also gives many practical suggestions for prayer, including prayer prompts and ideas for putting her teaching into practice.

I have read many books on prayer. I really like this one from Harney. She gets to the root of our attitude toward prayer, a result of our attitude toward God. She is convincing in her encouragement to pray at all times and in all places. I highly recommend this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has improved my prayer life. The authors provide Biblical examples of how prayer is not about posture, but about the heart. They discuss the characteristics of God and how knowing and accepting God will make us want to spend more time with him in prayer. It will also make us want to seek God's will for our daily lives and to be the people God wants us to be. I was always taught to pray with my eyes close and head down. This books shows us, again with examples from the Bible, that there are many ways to pray and that God wants to hear from us all day long. God is always listening and will answer our prayers. Whether you feel the need to improve your prayer life or just want encouragement to spend more time with God, I recommend this book. I did win this book as part of a goodreads giveaway.

[Gary Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

You might be thinking, "Why another book on prayer?" Because this one is among the best, and I have read dozens. In fact, it will be my "go to" book on prayer whenever anyone asks me for a book on prayer--this will be my first recommendation. Some books focus on experience. Some are richly academic and biblically based. Sherry Harney's book mixes both, perfectly. She is gifted in prayer, and there are so many inspiring examples that have no explanation but God. But this book is also biblically astute--the best of both worlds. If, like me, you've read more books on prayer than you can count and have gotten a little cynical that there's any more to learn, I challenge you to read this book and I prepare you to be surprised. It is devotional, inspirational, instructional, motivational and delightful. And if you're a pastor or teacher, you'll get lots of great illustrations to use in future talks or sermons.

(I was privileged to read an advance copy which is why I'm able to offer a review before the book has been released for publication)

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prayer is like kissing, you don't have to do it with your eyes closed.  Joking aside, part of prayer is cultivating an open, and attentive posture before God. This is in essence what Sherry Harney's Praying With Eyes Wide Open is about: learning to attend to your environment, circumstances, and the voice of God. On a practical level, the biblical injunction to 'pray without ceasing' (1 Thess. 5:17), means you have to learn to pray with eyes wide open, especially while operating an automobile or heavy machinery, but Harney has more to say. She describes how purposefully opening our eyes, ears and selves to God in prayer, brings new dimensions to our prayer lives.

Sherry, with her husband Kevin,  lead Shoreline Community Church in Monterey California and cofounded Organic Outreach International (a network which resources churches and families for outreach). Sherry has coauthored books with her husband and written study guides for authors like Dallas Willard, Gary Thomas, John Ortberg, Ann Voskamp, Max Lucado, Bill Hybels, Christina Caine, and Mark Batterson.  She is a sought after speaker on prayer, spiritual formation, outreach, and leadership.

Praying with Eyes Wide Open isn't just about open eyes. Harney advocates praying with eyes wide open, ears wide open, hearts wide open and lives wide open. These four open postures provide the framework for the book.

In section one, praying with eyes wide open, Harney commends open-eyed prayer, that allows us to attend to and see our environment (e.g. people, relationships, pain, beauty, and joy). Section two, praying with ears wide open, discusses cultivating our ability to hear the voice of God and the Spirit's gentle leadings as we enter into conversation with Him. Section three, praying with hearts wide open, describes how trusting in God's love for us frees us up, to be honest, and vulnerable in prayer. Harney also discusses in this section, how to engage in spiritual warfare and give your worries to God. Finally, section four, praying with lives wide open explores the rhythms of praying for and with others, for big things and small, and trusting that when we pray, stuff happens.

Each of the sixteen chapters ends with a suggested prayer practice to try for a week, meaning that the book is designed for those on a sixteen-week prayer journey (with a small group or personally). However the practices are simple enough to double up on if you would like to read through this in less time (I don't have the attention span for reading a short book in sixteen weeks).

I am pretty bad at keeping my eyes closed in prayer anyway but Harney makes a good case for using open-eyed (or ear, heart, life) prayers to cultivate an attentiveness to what is really going on around us. I particularly appreciated her suggestions on praying with ears wide open, asking God good questions, and listening for answers (79-80).  But certainly, I can learn to cultivate openness and attention in each of four realms that Harney names. This book makes me hunger for more intimacy in my own prayer life (as any good prayer book should do).  I give this book four stars.

Notice of material connection: I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for my honest review

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting book that opened my eyes to new ways of talking to God and the positive effects this will have. She talked about praying with your eyes open, but also many more topics related to prayer. I never thought much about praying with my eyes open before, except to feel guilty if I started looking around during prayer time at church. I did pray sometimes as I drove or during other times where it was better or safer to have my eyes open, but I never really thought about the benefits. The author points out that praying continually, sometimes with eyes open, allows us to develop a deeper relationship with God because we can spend more time with Him. It's also incredibly important to view God as He truly is, someone who's incredibly loving, forgiving and patient with us. If we see Him that way, we'll want to spend time with Him. If we view Him as an angry or aloof God, we either won't want to pray or we'll pray out of duty.

She described different ways God speaks, such as through the Bible, other people, circumstances, etc. If you want to hear from God, she suggested some steps to take, such as removing distractions and asking God to speak. She described some hindrances to hearing His voice, such as being too busy or never learning to recognize God's voice. She also talked about different kinds of prayers. I really liked a story she heard from Brennan Manning about a priest visiting his uncle in Ireland who looked into the morning light for 20 minutes, then began to skip along the shore of the lake with a big grin on his face. When his nephew asked him why he looked so happy, he said that his "Abba is very fond of me." Sherry said for years she missed the fact that God liked her and was fond of her, even though she knew He loved her. I think that's something I didn't really get for a long time either, until I read the Shack and then was reminded here. This book had a lot of great information and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in prayer.

I received this book free from Baker Books in exchange for a honest review.

[Prairie Sky Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Praying With Eyes Wide Open: A Life-Changing Way to Talk with God”. With a title like this you can’t help but be intrigued, don’t you think? Written by Sherry Harney with Kevin G. Harney, and published by Baker Books in 2017, this book definitely lives up to the promise on the title. . . The concepts presented were life-changing for me, and I’m guessing they will be for you too.

“Praying With Eyes Wide Open” is divided into four sections, each with four chapters. Because the chapters are quite short, one or two can easily be read in just a few minutes. In addition, the writing style is easy to follow and packed with personal and biblical anecdotes that are compelling enough to really highlight the truths being presented.

You may be wondering, “So just what does praying with eyes wide open mean?” Well, I think I’ll let Sherry explain: “Praying with eyes wide open can become a lifestyle. This means shifting our thinking about prayer and at times literally keeping our eyes open when we pray. By making this small shift, we discover that we can pray at all times and in all places. When we do this, we will find ourselves praying more... (It) also allows us to see what is happening around us and engage in prayer in new ways... When we pray this way, our time with God is limitless and the power of God is unleashed in surprising new ways.”

I am still striving to incorporate into my life the things I’ve learned from “Praying With Eyes Wide Open”. Although it’s not easy, I can say with certainty that these concepts are powerful! If the idea of engaging in prayer with God in a fresh new way touches your heart, please don’t hesitate to give this book a try. It really is “A Life-Changing Way to Talk with God”!

I am grateful to have received a copy of this book from Baker Books Bloggers, free of charge, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Praying With Eyes Wide Open: A Life-Changing Way to Talk with God, Sherry Harney defies Christian legalism and dares us to take our prayer experience to a new level by praying with our eyes open - both literally and figuratively. In the introduction, she tells us that when we pray with our eyes wide open physically, "we become more aware of creation, people, beauty, and the needs around us." She also reminds us that "As we pray this way, our opportunities for prayer multiply." Figuratively, Sherry states that praying with eyes wide open "encompasses praying with greater awareness of God's presence, power, and work in the world."

This book is a combination of a road map for a deeper, more meaningful prayer life, personal anecdotes that demonstrate the strength of praying with greater passion and clarity, and exercises to help you on your personal prayer journey.

Divided into four sections (eyes wide open, ears wide open, hearts wide open, lives wide open), Praying With Eyes Wide Open reveals the power in continual prayer, how to have deeper conversations with God, the truth about our relationship with God, how we are to address Him, what types of prayers God expects from us, and how big or little our prayers have to be in order to be heard.

I found Sherry's gentle approach to be welcoming even for those of us who have been scolded or felt inadequate in our attempts at having a consistent prayer life. I would recommend this book to anyone who yearns for a deeper connection with God or for those who struggle with the legalistic norm for traditional prayer. 4/5 stars.

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary print copy of this book from Baker Books for the purpose of this honest review. All opinions are my own.*

[Just Commonly · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It is not that we have to pray continually; it is that we get to pray continually."

Praying With Eyes Wide Open by Sherry Harney with Kevin G. Harney is informational, insightful and invigorating. If you need a book on prayers, be it examples, or with biblical references or use it like a devotional, this is one to consider. This book reminded me of when I first prayed with eyes wide open, in a literal sense. I was on a trip overseas with a group, and during the training process, we had discussed the parameters of prayers for us in a foreign land. The following quote pretty much summed up why prayers, in any stance are just as important.

"It is not a right posture but a right attitude that says, I am always ready to pray."

With the reminder, Praying With Eyes Wide Open also allowed myself to dig deeper, that ignites our love for our Creator, but also feel and see that He alone is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.

How will you react? How will you start on a prayer journey with your eyes wide open? For seasoned followers, as well as new believers, the book's premise will satisfy all, and make a prayer warrior out of you. The understanding, and the helpful guides will start you on that ride, and allow readers to want to pray continually, and especially with eyes wide open. Remember:

"Something happens every time we pray."


This review first appeared on Just Commonly blog.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Praying with Eyes Wide Open

A Life-Changing Way to Talk with God



by Sherry Harney with Kevin G. Harney

Baker Books

Christian

Pub Date 06 Jun 2017

I am reviewing Praying With Eyes Wide Open through Baker Books and Netgalley:

In this book the author reminds us that prayer is not only meant to be done at a certain time or place, that infant we should live a life of prayer.

Praying With Eyes Wide Open can become a lifestyle, if we shift our way of thinking about prayer, and at times literally pray with our eyes wide open. Praying with our eyes open allows us to see what is happening and engage in prayer in new ways.

We are encouraged to pray with our eyes wide open, as well as out loud with other believers.

The author points out too that our Theology has an impact on how we pray.

We are reminded too that there is power in prayer.

We are encouraged too, to pray with our ears wide open. We are reminded that God is speaking, sometimes in whispers and sometimes loudly.

The author points out too, that God is listening to us when we speak to him.

We are reminded too of the importance of praying with our hearts wide open. The authors go on to point out that God not only loves us, he likes us as well. We are encouraged too that God wants us to be honest in our prayers.

We are encouraged too, to replace worry with prayer.

I give Praying With Eyes Wide Open five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

[Gini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Praying with eyes wide open? For some, I guess, that idea borders on scandalous. But fear not, this book has lots more than that in it. It might have been the day I read the first few chapters of this book, but they just did not speak to me. Nothing. I was ready to put it down. But, instead I picked it up again.

Sections 2, 3, and 4 of this book sang to me like the first section didn’t. I am glad now that I came back to it. So, what’s the deal with the first few chapters? I suspect since I have read so many books on prayer, that it was too familiar. Or maybe it was the weather or something. The rest touched on several areas from a fresh perspective and I found that very helpful, a joy to read. Uncle Seamus skipping by the lake which she borrowed from Brennan Manning filled my imagination. Her son offering a lady his ice cream dessert in a restaurant made me grin. Her prayer guide on page 164 will become a fixture on my frig after I make about 5000 copies. Ok, maybe a few less than that, but such a simple idea works.

So, after a rough start I can say I am glad I finished this book. What makes this book different than many I have read is the tone and the helpful ideas she provides at the end of each chapter. I may even give that first section another chance.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.

[Diane Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Praying with Eyes Wide Open” by Sherry Harney is a wonderful book which goes deeper into the subject of prayer. This book really was an eye opener (no pun intended) for me! I was always taught to pray with my eyes closed. Sherry Haney shows how important prayer is and why it is important to pray with our eyes open. This makes it very easy to pray at all times, which is something we all should be doing! The book is divided into 4 sections. The sections include Praying with Eyes Wide Open, Praying with Ears Wide Open, Praying with Hearts Wide Open and Praying with Lives Wide Open. Sherry shares true stories about her own prayer life in each chapter. I got a lot more out of this book than what I intended to. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that would like to strengthen their prayer life. I received this book from Baker Books for my honest opinion.

[antony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, inspiring, indepth and broad.

Easy to read, inspiring, indepth and broad. This is a book for people new to prayer and also for people who already hav a prayer life.

This book shows you how prayer is not just something to do at night before you go to bed and not something to do once a week at your church. This is a book that shows you how to pray without ceasing .

I make it a practice to read a number of books each year about prayer. I find it helps me with keeping my prayer life fresh, dynamic and engaged with the Lord. Some books are descriptions of rote methods and not so motivating, this book is not one of those. This is one of those books that you keep putting down to offer prayer, this is one of those books that has you making plans to pray at certain places and at certain times.

[Laura Danby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came to me at a perfect time. I had actually ended up sitting next to Sherry on a plane flight and she had given this book to me after we started chatting and realised we were both Christians. A month later I went through some of the hardest trials of my life. This book has helped me reconnect with God. Her personal anecdotes and stories of her own prayer experiences were so faith-building to read. This book is also filled with scripture and what the Bible reveals about how we should pray. I am so grateful for this book and the time that it came to me. I would recommend this to anyone who want to have a more meaningful prayer life with God. She makes the seemingly impossible command of “pray continually” a reality.

[CarrieLou Estigo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The lady that wrote this book came to my church last year and spoke about Organic Outreach. At that event, she shared how she prays with her eyes open, and that she wrote a book about it. I’m glad I was able to snag a copy of her book at the event.

This book was wonderful to read especially in this time of quarantine. It speaks on how prayer, no matter how big or small, is important. I loved how she wrote about her own experiences and shared how many times her prayers were answered. It made me think how blessed she was, and that her faith and love for God was strong. It challenged me to pray and dive into scripture more frequently throughout the day. I highly recommend this book, as it shows how powerful prayer can be.

[Gwen Rainey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads and I was thoroughly enjoying this book and discovering the idea of keeping my eyes, and mind, open, then someone seems to have stolen my copy! Hopefully they will return it when they finish it, but so far it has been very good. Although I have frequently prayed with open eyes, I had never considered the implications of how it affects the way we interact with God. Good lessons, so far.

[Olivia Waite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on prayer! It was so encouraging to “unlearn” some of the previous assumptions I held on prayer (some as simple as assuming prayer must primarily be done with eyes closed). Devoting time to learning about prayer in reading this book and praying after learning something new has been so fruitful. I believe and understand that prayer has power, that God listens to my prayers and answers, and that God wants us to come to him in prayer. I see 1 Thes. 5:17 with new understanding now.

[Brenda Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book on prayer. I will read again. I won this book through Goodreads.

[Michelle Le Gallais · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Very practical and simple steps to open up the communication with God. Fabulous! Thoroughly recommended

[Melissa Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harney taught me how to pray again and has put me on a new trajectory for my faith. I will be giving this book to each of my friends!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing. This book makes me think of Enoch - whose walk with God must have included this type of prayer. Prayers that fill the heart and focus the eyes with what is truly important.

[Alli Sepulveda · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good!!!

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overall message. I took away ideas to stay closer with God throughout the day, but it was a little repetitive and could have gotten to the point more concisely.