Life-Changing Prayers

by Michael Youssef

They were just ordinary people--a loyal servant, a woman who desperately wanted a child, an old man who still had hope, and a young teenager who couldn't quite believe God's great love. Ordinary people who prayed extraordinary prayers to an extraordinary God. They weren't always eloquent. They weren't always the type of person you might think God would listen to. But they trusted God and his plans for their lives, and that made all the difference.

Life-Changing Prayers tells their stories and shares their desperate, hopeful, and gratitude-filled prayers, inspiring and emboldening readers to ask God for the desires of their own hearts. Anyone who desires to pray life-changing prayers, as well as anyone whose prayer life has grown stagnant or nonexistent, will find here the encouragement to pray confidently and expectantly to the God who always hears--and always answers.

Genres: Christian Non Fiction, Nonfiction, Prayer

208 pages, Paperback

Published July 31, 2018

About the author

Michael Youssef is the founder and president of Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide ministry that leads the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ through the creative use of media and on-the-ground ministry teams (www.LTW.org). His weekly television programs and daily radio programs are broadcast in 25 languages and seen worldwide, airing more than 13,000 times per week. He is also the founding pastor of The Church of The Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Youssef was born in Egypt, but in 1984, he fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. He holds numerous degrees, including a PhD in social anthropology from Emory University. He has authored more than 35 books, including recent popular titles The Barbarians Are Here and Jesus, Jihad and Peace. He and his wife have four grown children and eight grandchildren.

Reviews

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Youssef’s new book, Life Changing Prayers has been one of the best surprises of my summer!

I suppose, (like most Christians) I feel guilty at times that my prayer life isn’t more vibrant than it actually is. Perhaps that is why I tend to avoid books on the subject of prayer—as I expect the author to wag his or her long parental finger at me—should-ing or ought-ing me with all that I am presently not doing.

How refreshing to read a book that does quite the opposite!

In his book, Life Changing Prayers, Michael Youssef uses heroes and heroines from the Bible with people we can relate to; ordinary people with struggles and failures just like ours.

Then he takes those stories and uses them to gently coax us into following their winning examples of faith, prayer, and perseverance.

I loved every word of Hannah, A Prayer of Brokenness.

(I suppose because I relate so well to her story.)

In the section on sorrow Dr. Youssef says, “You may understand from your own experience how Hannah feels… It may seem that your trial is unending and your prayers are unanswered, even as your sorrows mount to the sky. Remember, you have a provider who is limitless, a protector who is all-powerful, a promise that is unchanging, and possessions that are unfading. Hannah’s sorrow is deep as she prays this prayer of brokenness, but her sorrow will not last forever. God is about to bring joy into her life.”

And who can’t relate to the story of Jonah?

Please! Haven’t we all “done a runner” with God at some time in our lives? But listen to the encouragement this book offers to every discouraged prodigal.

“Was there ever a more reluctant and disobedient prophet in the Bible than Jonah? You may identify with Jonah. You may think, Jonah and I have a lot in common. I’ve made such a mess of God’s will for my life. When God tells me go, I stop; when He tells me stop, I go like sixty…”

But Dr. Youssef reminds us that Jonah prayed God’s words back to Him from the belly of that whale—and we can, too.

“That is what Jonah did. Out of his watery grave, he prayed the Scriptures back to God. Whenever you are in the belly of the beast, and you don’t know how you should pray, pray the Scriptures. Pray His promises: “Lord, You promised that I can cast all my cares on You, for You care for me. You promised that You would carry my grief and sorrows. You promised to give me the garment of praise in place of my garment of sorrow. You promised that You would never leave me nor forsake me. You told me not to fear, because You are with me. You promised to strengthen me and help me, to uphold me with Your right hand. You promised never to give me a spirit of fear but a Spirit of power and love and self-control.”

There is so much more…

Stories and encouragement from David, Eliezer, Daniel, Habakkuk, and Mary. I wish space permitted to list them all. If your prayer life needs a boost then I highly recommend this hopeful book. It has a down-to-earth comfortable style, that uplifts and encourages, as well as instructing.

I rated this book five stars on Goodreads and I will be recommending it to all my friends.

Life Changing Prayers is available now for preorder and will soon be available at all your major fine book retailers.

I want to thank Baker Books for sending me this complimentary copy in exchange for my review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I believe it is an ideal choice for home group, as well as church Bible studies. I am definitely giving my copy to the leader of our church’s Ladies Bible Study & Prayer Group as a suggestion for their Fall reading selection!

I thought I would close this post with one of my favorite quotes from the book:

“When we pray, we take a step away from this planet, with all of its distractions and sorrows and sufferings, and we set foot in the heavenly realm. We approach the throne of grace, and we commune directly, heart to heart, with God the Father. And when we bring the needs of our friends and loved ones and even strangers before His throne and lay them out for Him to see and to touch, we bring these souls close to the loving heart of God.”

And all God’s people said, “Amen!”

[Zacarias Rivera, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend Dr. Youssef's latest book. It is essential to our understanding of prayer. Although I have read many books on prayer, this is a welcomed addition to my knowledge and experience of prayer. Dr. Youssef challenges us vigorously to become people of prayer.

I love how Dr. Youssef exegetes the prayers of seven ordinary people in the Bible, and demonstrates how these prayers changed their lives. Through careful analysis of each prayer, coupled with real life experiences,  Dr. Youssef provides us with clear features, models, and patterns ("confession,  intercession,  and petition") that we can emulate and apply daily in order to see changes in our ordinary, quotidian lives. In addition, he refutes a  myriad of misconceptions about this sacred practice. 

Dr. Youssef encourages us, in our prayers, to be honest, humble, specific, committed, confident, persistent, obedient, saturated in scripture, sacrificial, to seek God's will, and be grateful. As he writes, "People who spend time with God every day can't help but be changed" (105) and "Prayer is a way of life, of staying spiritually alive. It is the spiritual equivalent of breathing" (188).
I am grateful to Baker Books for a complimentary copy of this book to review.

[Kacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book looks at powerful prayers of ordinary people in the Bible. I had a boatload of highlights throughout the entire book. "While God delights in using common, everyday people like you and me, there's one factor that made God's 'ordinary heroes' stand out from the crowd: they were people of prayer."

Definitely one worth reading again.

[Karen Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The people God uses, the people God chooses, are ordinary people who pray” (Life Changing Prayers, p. 11).

Seven people like you and me prayed, and their lives and the lives of generations were changed. In Life Changing Prayers, Dr. Michael Youssef examines the prayers of ordinary people – prayers that produced extraordinary results. Youssef examines a prayer for guidance, a prayer of brokenness, a prayer for mercy and justice, a prayer of confession and repentance, a prayer of despair, a prayer of complaint and ultimately of rejoicing, and finally a prayer or song of praise.

Intertwined within the stories of seven ordinary people who choose to believe God for extraordinary answers to their prayers are nuggets of truth about the holiness and majesty of our Creator. The Creator of the universe wants to spend time with you and me … quality time … alone time … holy time.

Eliezer’s Prayer

Abraham sends his servant, Eliezer, to find a wife for his son, Isaac, among his relatives. He prayed to the God of his master, Abraham, and asked that God would show Eliezer the woman He had chosen for Isaac. Eliezer crossed the desert to Nahor and stood by the town’s spring. He prayed a simple prayer – that the woman God showed him would give him a drink from her jar and also draw water for his 10 camels. God orchestrated his meeting with Rebekah. A simple request from an ordinary man for an almost unimaginable sign from God – 10 camels drink a lot of water! This answered prayer formed the God-ordained marriage of Isaac and Rebekah and built upon the foundation of the nation of Israel.

The prayer of Eliezer is an example of a principle that we see demonstrated throughout the Bible: faithful prayer + unconditional obedience = answered prayer (p. 30).

Hannah’s Prayer

Hannah was barren, and she was brokenhearted. For years, Peninnah, Elkanah’s second wife, ridiculed Hannah and shamed her because she had no children while Peninnah bore Elkanah sons and daughters. So distraught, Hannah stood before the Lord’s house in Shiloh sobbing and praying. She begged God to give her a son, and in her brokenness, she offered the very son she asked for to God. God honors that prayer and blesses her with Samuel. After he was weaned, she took Samuel to Eli, the priest, to serve God. God then blessed her with more children. God blessed Hannah in her brokenness and blessed the nation of Israel with the great judge and prophet, Samuel. He later anointed Saul, the first king, and David, the second king.

Youssef examines the five components of Hannah’s prayer: surrender, sorrow, supplication, song, and sacrifice.

Hannah loved little Samuel enough to give him to the Lord as a living sacrifice, a boy who would grow to be a great spiritual leader in Israel (p. 70).

David’s Prayer

David wasn’t a great father. His family was a mess. In fact, when David prayed to God in Psalm 28, he was hiding from his son Absalom, and the country was embroiled in civil war. David begged God to hear his cry for mercy and help. He made his request, confident that the Lord would hear. David told God that He was David’s rock, told Him his situation, and rejoiced when he focused upon the strength of God.

Hard work, struggle, suffering, wrestling with God – these difficult experiences are often the prerequisites to victory (p. 85).

Daniel’s Prayer

Daniel was in exile in Babylon and rose to leadership within King Darius’ kingdom. Daniel read the book of Jeremiah and learned that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years. He realized that the 70 years were coming to an end, so he begged God to forgive his sins and the sins of the nation of Israel.

… Daniel sets a pattern for prayer – confession, intercession, and petition – that the apostle James will prescribe centuries later in his New Testament epistle … (p. 108).

Jonah’s Prayer

God commissioned Jonah to go to the City of Nineveh to tell the people to repent. They were vicious enemies of Israel. Jonah knew how gracious God is, and he did not want to give Nineveh the opportunity to repent. As a result, Jonah took a boat going the opposite way – he chose to run away from the job God had given him. God sent a storm and an escort, a fish prepared just for Jonah. In the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed a prayer of thanksgiving. He knew that God would deliver him, and God did – to the shore outside Nineveh. More importantly, the people of Nineveh repented, and God delayed His perfect judgment.

God is glorified and souls are drawn into His kingdom when we praise God in the midst of tough times (p. 141)

Habakkuk’s Prayer

How long are you going to delay judging violence and injustice in the world, Lord? Habakkuk’s cry could be our cry today. God told him to watch as God raised up Babylon to take Israel into exile. God was going to send wicked people to punish Israel. This was God’s answer to Habakkuk’s cry? Sometimes, the answers to our prayers are not what we expected.

Once he had God’s answer, Habakkuk turned his focus from the problems he saw to the splendor of God and prayed a “psalm-like” prayer. Youssef noted that Habakkuk’s prayer included humility before God, adoration of God, and a focus on God’s work (p. 161).

“In wrath remember mercy.” And a prayer for mercy will always move the heart of God (p. 170).

Mary’s Prayer

A teenage girl living in poverty in Nazareth believed a promise, a promise so magnificent that her situation grew dim in light of that promise – she would give birth to the Messiah. Unmarried but pregnant in a land where the law said that she could be stoned, Mary trusted God and clung to His promise. Her prayer of praise “glorifies and magnifies the Lord … praises God for His grace … thanks God for His faithfulness” (p. 179).

"Glorify God in all circumstances. Magnify His name at all times. That is the essence of the prayer of Mary, the mother of our Savior. That is the key to power in prayer" (p. 184).

My Prayer

Almighty God, Creator of the universe, Father, You are holy, righteous, and loving. In Your lovingkindness and mercy, You led us into the prayers of these seven ordinary people to show us Your majesty, power, and patience with us. Thank you for Dr. Youssef’s commitment to you and for his sharing what he has learned about the power of prayer. Bless him, Lord, and use this book to release Your power through Your sons and daughters. Cause Your people to pray, Lord, like never before. Bring revival, Lord. Unleash Your power. We adore and cherish You and wait upon You. We are eager to watch You work again in a mighty way. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher for my honest review and thoughts.

[Connie Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the introduction of his new book Michael Youssef offers these encouraging words. "...God loves ordinary people. Most of the heroes in the Bible were ordinary people whom God used in extraordinary ways". He then goes on to explain that they stood out because they were people of prayer. Youssef shares the stories of seven of these ordinary but very extraordinary people and he relates how God heard and answered their powerful prayers. Eliezer, Hannah, David, Daniel, Jonah, Habakkuk and Mary all had different needs and concerns so their prayers were very different but they all knew that they had to pray believing; they had to pray with persistence and they had to pray expecting an answer.

I loved how the author related some of his own life experiences as he focuses on these seven people and their prayers. I appreciated that he used Bible scripture throughout the text and listed notes with bibliographical references at the end of his book to help further my understanding. I was both encouraged and uplifted by this book and some of this encouragement is offered in the conclusion when Youssef tells us that "All things are possible when God is at the center of our lives. Even when we feel like giving up, He can give us the strength to carry on".

I recommend "Life Changing Prayers" to anyone who wants to strengthen their prayer life and deepen their relationship with God.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Publishing and was under no obligation to post a favorable review. These are my honest opinions.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains a powerful message on the power of prayer!

Ultimately, the author advises the reader to look at prayer as a way of life.

He addresses issues that many a believer faces such as rushing through your time with God when we really should be enjoying and soaking in our time with Him. The author gives us a reality check in that, the Creator of the Universe is always available for us. Human resources like licensed counselors and crisis lines may have their limits and times when you cannot reach out for help but God is always ready and available to help us!

How do we reach God? Through prayer. How do we pray “life-changing prayers?” The author answers that question throughout this book.

He breaks down his message into a total of seven chapters that each focus on a Bible character (Hannah, David, Jonah, and Mary, to name a few). Though each character’s story is different, they are connected by one common trait—they were “ordinary” people who each prayed a prayer that changed their lives and made an impact on human history!

The author wraps up his message in the epilogue that teaches on the purpose of prayer. He opens the epilogue with mention of a British evangelist and early missionary worker in the Salvation Army. The person’s name was Rodney “Gipsy” Smith. The author says, “Gipsy Smith understood that the purpose of prayer is not to change God but to allow God to change us. The purpose of prayer is to bring God’s power into our lives, to open us up to God’s blessings and God’s power to change us.”

And that concludes my review of Michael Youssef’s book! It’s a powerful, wonderful read that will encourage the heart of the reader.

I highly recommend it and think that it deserves a five-star rating.

*I, (Alexis A. Goring), received a complimentary copy of this book (Life Changing Prayers: How God Displays His Power to Ordinary People) from the author’s publisher for me to read. My opinions in this book review are my own.

[Aurelia Mast-glick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taking the prayers of seven Biblical characters: Eliezer, Hannah, Jonah, Habakkuk, David, Daniel and Mary, Michael provides a formula maybe for a good prayer life.

Let me start with a quote from the chapter on Mary, a prayer of praise for the way God was blessing her. And in reality, in her day and culture, blessed is probably not the way most people would have described her life. And yet, she gave thanks and praised God in the midst of that. That says a lot for Mary and I think it says a lot for her parents as well, especially since Mary is believed to have been a pretty young teenager.

"Show me a person whose prayer life is focused on magnifying the Lord, and I will show you a person who is contented and full of joy. Show me a person whose prayer life is consumed with glorifying God, and I will show you a truly happy person. Show me a person whose prayer life is focused on seeking the righteousness of God, and I will show you a truly satisfied Christian."

I think that quote says a lot. Full dedication to prayer as a two-way street is powerful.

I will have to say that I while there were some really good points in this book, it didn't really resonate with me. Possibly because in the first chapter, the prayer of Eliezer, I got the first vibe, rightly or wrongly, that if we prayer correctly with the right fervency and persistence and with the right ingredients, then our prayers will always be answered. I guess I seem to prayer incorrectly too many times then, because it doesn't seem that my prayers are always answered. Yes, you could make an argument that they have been answered with a no or with healing in heaven, etc. but... So that vibe made me a bit more critical of the rest of the book and I couldn't fully engage in it. I do really like the quote I shared and think there is so much truth and value in those couple of sentences.

I received this book from Baker Books and was not required to write a positive review.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

2018, Baker Books

193 pages

“Michael Youssef is the founder and president of Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide Ministry that leads the way for peole living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ through the creative use of media and on-the-ground Ministry teams.” Life Changing Prayers

I found this book was written for me, an ordinary person, like Eliezar, Hannah, David, Daniel, Jonah, Habakkuk and Mary. You say, wait a minute - these are not ordinary people. But Michael Youssef shows us how they were ordinary people that God used in extordinary ways, a statement he uses often. Each of them was a person of prayer. Each of them prayed differently and we are shown a breakdown of their prayers, a pattern for me to follow. This book is written with simplicity so that everyone can understand how to use their patterns of prayer. You know, we ordinary people.

I would recommend this book to the scholar and to the non-scholar. I have been a believer and studier of the word for thirty-eight years, and I have served as a missionary for over 20 years. I have learned from this book. Thank you, Michael Youssef. I recommend this book to you.

I would give this book 5 stars out of 5.

The Life Changing Prayers Launch Team has provided me a complimentary copy of Life Changing Prayers for the purpose of review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required or influenced to give anything but an honest appraisal.

[Julie D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book on prayer is really helpful, without being judgemental, on making our prayer life more vibrant. Dr. Youssef encourages us through the stories of different people of the Bible and points out that these people were not perfect, nor was their prayer life, but they still had a powerful relationship with God.

Along with these stories from the Bible, he brings true life experiences and challenges into the book to help us in our prayer life. This helps to make this book even more relatable because he shares the struggles we have in our lives and how we can make prayer as important as it should be when dealing with our concerns.

I like how he really went through the prayers in a deep way to help us gain a better understanding of these prayers of the people in the Bible and also showed us how God answered those prayers. It gave me more insight into prayer and how prayer is so vital to my Christian walk and relationship with God.

I enjoyed this book and thought Dr. Youssef did a great job of making it easy to read. I think it's a book that many will enjoy and it will bring prayers into the place of our lives that they should be.

*This book was provided to me for my honest review by Baker Publishing Group

[Wesley Roth · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Life-Changing Prayers" was the first book I have read by Dr. Michael Youssef. It was a great read. I appreciated his teaching about the various "ordinary people" of the Bible and how they prayed, and how their prayers can be a model for our prayers today with God.

I liked Dr. Youssef's commentary on certain prayer warriors in the Bible: Eliezer, Hannah, David, Daniel, Jonah, Habakkuk and Mary. I found myself highlighting key ideas or key scripture references in each chapter. In each person's life Dr. Youssef points out, "faithful prayer + unconditional obedience = answered prayer."

Surprisingly to me, the chapter on Habakkuk was most valuable to me. As the author notes, "The central theme of the book of Habakkuk focuses on the prophet's effort to grow from a place of doubt and impatience with God to a place of complete trust in Him, despite God's apparent delay in answering prayer." That chapter was very relate able to me at this current junction in my life.

This book will help me in my prayer life as I remember these ordinary people of the Bible. I would recommend the book to others seeking a deeper prayer life with our Lord God.

Disclosure: *This book was provided to me for my honest review by Baker Publishing Group.

[Mary Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Michael Youssef’s book, Life Changing Prayers, he takes the reader through the stories of seven primarily Old Testament people whose prayers helped them deal with their life circumstance. Most of the stories are of people in great need: Hannah, David, Daniel, Jonah, and Habakkuk. Youssef doesn’t treat their needs superficially. He is careful in his exegesis but equally careful in his applications of the primacy of prayer for ordinary people today. He says, “The seven people I have profiled in this book were ordinary people who experienced an extraordinary relationship with God through prayer. There is nothing about the prayer life of [each of them] that is beyond our ability to achieve. These individuals were not spiritual superheroes. They were ordinary people whose lives were transformed by the quantity of time they spent in fellowship with our awesome and amazing God” (Michael Youssef, Life Changing Prayers: How God Displays His Power to Ordinary People, Baker Books, 2018, p. 189).

[Nancy Larimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life Changing Prayers is well written and teaches the believer how to pray . It uses examples of people in the Bible like Eliezer, Hannah, David, Jonah, Habakkuk and Mary. Eliezer was persistent in prayer. Hannah prayed with an openness to God about her desire to get pregnant and have a child. David prayed with mercy and justice. Jonah prayed with despair for Ninevah. He did not like the immoral lifestyle there and found it hard to go and speak to the people as God wanted him to do. Habakkuk prayed with an openness about his concerns about his country. Mary prayed a song of praise. The author also shared other personal examples to encourage people to pray. The book is well written and encourages the people to keep praying. The book was given to me for review purposes only by Baker Books. I am a blogger and I am not obligated to give a positive review.

[Travis Heystek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I thought that Michael did a good job bringing prayers of the bible to light in an approachable way. Personally I would like to have seen a little more theology or explanation of the prayers themselves, I just felt like something that was lacking in spots. My two favorite chapters were the chapters on David and Habakkuk. I think Habakkuk is an interesting character of the bible because we don’t know much about him. There were a few bite size pieces of information that I took from this book that was something new, but for the most part it was a review. In fairness, prayer is a topic I’ve read about a lot in the past 3-5 years. So, that being said, on my personal library I’d give this book a 3 out of 5 star rating. For me it was worth reading, but probably won’t get a reread, although I may revisit some of my highlights. It is, however, a book that I would high recommend for someone just getting started in prayer.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have already read several books by this author and was impressed with his knowledge and writing skills on the history of religion in the Middle East and generally. He was born in Egypt and grew up there as a Coptic Christian; today Dr. Youssef leads a megachurch in America. As such he has a native's understanding of the workings of the Middle East, Christianity, Islam and the beneficial effects of prayer. In this book, the author shares several individual stories of how their lives were changed as a result prayer. Dr. Youssef provides encouragement to anyone who desires to pray including those who pray regularly as well as those whose prayer life has become dormant or non-existent. He hopes these examples will inspire his readers to rely on prayer as a means to improve their lives. As with all of his books that I have read, this one is well researched and written to hold your interest as he logically presents facts and his analysis.

[Francine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am changed

My prayer life is forever changed. Although there is no right or wrong way to talk to God, I want to follow the example of these 7 ordinary people who had extraordinary prayer lives. I am going to spend my prayer time glorifying God, interceeding for the lost and seeking joy through humility, all in Jesus name so His will is done in me! And I will seek to keep my communication line open with God open 24/7, not just during my quiet time. I want to read everything this author has written. His gentle heart and extraordinary Christian understanding are evident in every book I have read by him so far. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me, Dr Youssef. God bless your ministry.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Youssef has taken some of the well-known characters of the Bible and analyzed their answered prayers in ways that will have every Christian clamoring to read and study this book. There are sentences from every page that are memorable and could be made into a saying to remember for the day. I enjoyed how he broke down the prayers into parts and encouraged his readers to pray likewise in order to receive answers to prayers. My prayer life is already changing as a result of reading this short and inspiring book.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Baker Books in exchange for my honest review.

[victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a great fully insight writing, encouraging, inspiring and compelling to read with also challenging and reminding us of why we are pray. This book will giving us to learn about inspiration and faith to find out for yourself to become an ordinary people of the Great of God with this will helping you to go on the next level of the prayer. I highly recommend to everyone must to read this book. “ I received complimentary a copy of this book from Baker Books Reads Book Blogger for this review”.

[Cheri Swalwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life Changing Prayers by Michael Youssef was a wonderful book. God used the words on the pages to speak into my life and to encourage me to continue praising God and praying until the answer God promised comes. I loved reading in depth about David, Hannah and Eliezer, someone I had barely known about, to name but a few. I highly recommend this book to all who want encouragement to deepen their prayer life without feeling judged or condemned for starting where they are.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review.

[Ashlie Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book to encourage you in your prayer life, this is a great book. It ties your prayer life back to Biblical times and encourages you to pray as people like Daniel, Jonah, and Mary. This book helps us see that prayer can change your life when you choose to pray and know that God will listen and answer. God doesn’t listen to those who are perfect or don’t have problems, but he listens because he loves you.

[Britney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction got me all fired up and then the first chapter really let me down. The first few chapters seemed unorganized--the author kept going off on little tangents--and it was hard for me to get through them. But once I made it to chapter three, it seemed to get better. I really liked looking at the prayers of ordinary people. The book was very practical. He didn't tell you what to pray, but rather how to pray more effectively.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The real purpose of prayer is to allow God to be glorified and magnified in our lives" (186).
Prayer is important to a relationship with God. But many either don't know how to pray or are intimidated by it. Youssef gives us seven instances from the Bible when an ordinary person prayed to God and He heard their prayers. Here he breaks down the prayers in the ways we can consider in our own prayers.

[Malvina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very encouraging book that looks at biblical prayers and suggests you follow by example, not just ask, ask, ask. Good to read over the Easter weekend.

'...there’s one factor that made God’s “ordinary heroes” stand out from the crowd: they were people of prayer. Prayer changes lives, moves mountains, and alters the course of history. The people God uses, the people God chooses, are ordinary people who pray.'

[Truly Trendy PR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life-Changing Prayers: God Displays His Power to Ordinary People by Michael Youssef is an insightful read that is full of personal stories from relatable people that are encouraging and inspiring. This compelling read about taking prayers on to the next level through inspiration and faith. I highly recommend Life-Changing Prayers

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't even bring myself to finish this book. I was hopeful and very interested through the introduction, but as I started reading it got so repetitive and off topic I couldn't even focus on what the chapter was about. I also found several passages to be incredibly condescending and obnoxious, after that I just refused to continue reading.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prayer is one of the most misunderstood and over-complicated parts of our Christian lives. This book goes through several Biblical examples of prayers of faithful people that we can learn from and emulate. We often forget how powerful our humble prayers can be when they are prayed with sincerity, trust, and faith.

[Robert V. Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. The author presents prayers from different "ordinary" people from the Bible and discusses how those prayers can help us when we pray. He also did a great job of integrating current issues into the conversation. I have read the book twice and now my wife is reading it and enjoying it. We plan on getting copies for family members as well.

[James Keogh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how Youseff laid this book out and tied in subtle, yet powerful prayers from people in the Bible. Some I already knew about, like Jonah, but the book was written with a different perspective giving me new insights into the biblical characters and my own prayer life with God.

The book is a short read @ 190 pages.

[Lucienne Ouellette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing prayers

This book will remain in my library it has so many gems that can be meditated on. I would recommend this book f or anyone having problems with their prayer life.

[Suzy Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

A review of beautiful prayers by ordinary people in the Bible with some great insights and suggestions for personal prayer.

[Alyssa Fabik · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book on pray talks about many different styles of prayer in the bible. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it!!