Dumbfounded Praying

by Harold M. Best, Eugene H. Peterson (Foreword)

Dumbfounded Praying is a book of no-limits, uninhibited praying-dumfounded praying. It is a confessing book, an idea book, a wrestling and praise-filled book, and like the Psalms, intensely personal, but certainly not private. These prayers are for everybody who is thirsty and hungry, who doubts, who might be unsure of the value of prayer; they are for anybody who wants to question, confess, praise, lament, imagine, and speculate. This book is open to all who love the richness of speech with God and want his everlasting richness to flood their minds, hearts, and circumstances in return. Prayer is more than a narrow, tidied list of ""proper things"" to talk to God about. Nothing is off-limits with God, for he intimately knows what fills our minds, stirs in our hearts, and frames our circumstances. God invites us to talk everything over with him, honestly, fearlessly, even imaginatively. Out of sheer love, God has eternally befriended himself to us and asks us into his confidence and in turn invites us to confide freely in him. God wants us to know that while we would rather talk than listen, he always listens before he talks, and when he does, it is always with his Word, strongly yet sweetly offered to us by his Spirit and made eternally sure by his Son. This Word is inevitably filled with mercy, love, grace, forgiveness, correction, and unblemished wisdom. ""Everyone will wrestle with these prayers--even as we rejoice in them--for they tug out truths about ourselves that we don't want to face. However, God will use these pieces powerfully in our lives to mature us as saints and, meanwhile, will reveal to us illimitably sweet Truths about the Triune's healing Love, redeeming forgiveness, and mysteriously multiplying Grace. You need this book--as do we all!"" --Marva Dawn author of Being Well When We're Ill and Keeping the Sabbath Wholly ""It is rare to find someone so dexterous in the art of music and at the same time so eloquent, subtle, and poignant with words. With their searing honesty and biblical depth, these prayers take us--with all our foibles and faithlessness--deep into the heart of our triune God, whose love provokes, embraces, and transforms every prayer we utter."" --Jeremy Begbie Thomas A. Langford Research Professor of Theology, Duke University ""As they plead and praise, prod and provoke, Harold Best's prayers come to God in a spirit of broken-hearted gratitude. Their concerns run the gamut from the fresh, revelatory language of children to the incomprehensible vastness of the universe. With profound insight into the depths of the human heart and with a keen ear for the language of the scriptures, Harold Best talks with the triune God about his deepest fears, his strongest hopes, and his greatest longings. We, his readers, are privileged to hear such rich conversation."" --Roger Lundin Blanchard Professor of English, Wheaton College Harold M. Best is Emeritus Dean/Professor of Music, Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, and a past president of the National Association of Schools of Music. He is the author of Music through the Eyes of Faith and Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts. He remains active at the national level as a speaker and workshop participant in the areas of curriculum, worship, church music and the arts.

218 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Harold M. Best is emeritus professor of music and dean emeritus of the Wheaton College (Illinois) Conservatory of Music.

Prior to joining the Wheaton faculty in 1970, Dr. Best served as professor of organ and theory at Nyack (N.Y.) Missionary College. During his last two years at Nyack he served as Chairman of the division of music. Dr. Best received the B.S.B. form Nyack College, the M.A. from Claremont Graduate School, and the D.S.M. from Union Theological Seminary. His retirement in May 1997 was celebrated with the publication of a Festschrift, "The Oil is our Worship, The Water is our Service".

Dr. Best is the author of numerous articles on the relationship of Christianity to the fine arts, issues in arts education, and curriculum. His book Music Through the Eyes of Faith was published by HarperSanFrancisco in 1993. He composes in a wide range of media and styles, and his publications include both choral and organ compositions. He is also active at the national level as a lecturer, consultant and workshop leader.

Dr. Best is active at the national level of music and higher education. He is Past President of the National Association of Schools of Music and past Chairman of the Commission on Accreditation. In connection with this, he also serves regularly as a lecturer, evaluator and consultant in accreditational and curricular matters. In addition, he is a member of the ASCAP Standard Awards Panel.

At the local level, he is past President of the Board of Directors of the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus and is Chairman of the Wheaton Municipal Band Commission.

Besides his professional work in music, Dr. Best has restored a 1954 Studebaker coupe and a 1956 Hawk and is presently at work on a 1953. He enjoys constructing radio-controlled airplane models, and furniture refinishing.

Dr. Best and his wife, Juel, have three children and four grandchildren. They are members of the Glen Ellyn Covenant Church where he was choir director from 1971 to 1996.