A Way to Pray: A Biblical Method for Enriching Your Prayer Life

by Matthew Henry, O. Palmer Robertson (Editor)

Most evangelical Christians know of Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible , but few are as familiar with his A Method for Prayer, with Scripture Expressions Proper to Be Used under Each Head . It is sent out in the confidence that God will continue to honour his own Word, as it is redirected back to him in the form of heartfelt prayer.

Genres: Prayer, Theology, Christian Living, Christianity, Christian

328 pages, Hardcover

Published November 3, 2020

About the author

Matthew Henry was an English non-conformist clergyman. Henry's well-known Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (1708–1710) is a commentary of a practical and devotional rather than of a critical kind, covering the whole of the Old Testament, and the Gospels and Acts in the New Testament.

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Precious prayers. This is a great resource for those who desire to mature in their prayers. Throughout the book, I could tell that Matthew Henry had a heart for teaching the people of God. There is an index for searching the prayers in the book and summaries in the back that give guidance for prayer structure and topics.

[S. Paterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. I much prefer this modernized edition by O Palmer Robertson. Comes in a solid hardback from Banner of Truth.

I used six book darts for the different prayers and each day just took on the next one in each section.

[Drew Norwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource. Matthew Henry takes the words of Scripture and forms them into prayers of all sorts and for all occasions. The prayers are categorized by the different elements of prayer as Henry delineates them: praise, confession, petition, thanksgiving, and intercession. Plus, there are several short prayers, prayers for particular occasions, and prayers built from the clauses of the Lord's Prayer.

I read the new edition published by Banner of Truth, which has an updated title (the original title was A Method For Prayer) and also updated language and an introduction from O. Palmer Robertson.

[Brock Larson]

Great resource on letting Scripture guide our prayers.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alongside the Bible, there are some books that have been used by saints over the centuries to shape our spiritual lives. Matthew Henry’s A Way to Pray is a hidden gem, and is a beautiful, Biblical method for enriching your prayer life.

Revised and Updated

Originally published 300 years ago, it has now been revised and updated by O. Palmer Robertson. This book takes passages of Scripture and puts them in the context of everyday prayers. Praise, confession, petition, thanksgiving, and intercession are presented as different chapters. And in each chapter, there are subheadings to further arrange the prayers.

As an example, there are various prayers for mealtime. There are also prayers for particular occasions, including births, marriages, and deaths.

Recall God’s Word

I was ashamed that even the chapter on “Shorter Forms of Prayer” had prayers that were longer than my typical times with God. Spending time with this book will help you better recall God’s Word, and give you the words you need as you form your own prayers.

Housed in Banner of Truth’s beautiful and iconic cloth-bound binding, this is a book that belongs beside your Bible. A black ribbon marker is included to keep your place when working through the prayers.

Overflow into Prayer

This book is perfect for preachers looking to strengthen their prayers from the pulpit. It’s a book for new believers to help teach you how to pray. It’s a book for older saints to be rebuilt with powerful prayers. It’s a book that parents can use to teach their children how to pray. It’s a book for children to train their tongues to pray God’s Word.

Matthew Henry is most known for his Commentary on the Bible, and it is clear that his knowledge of God’s Word overflowed into his prayer life. This book will help you do the same.

I received a media copy of A Way to Pray and this is my honest review.

[Shawn Trautman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a marvelous book on prayer that has greatly helped me. I am only sad that I have not read this sooner in my Christian life. This is an updated, and edited version of Matthew Henry's "A Method for Prayer". Though the title makes the book sound as though it is an instruction manual for prayer, it is really more of a prayer journal. As I read the book I felt as though I was looking over the shoulder of a great man of faith in his prayer closet.

The book divides up prayers into several categories, Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving, ect. Under each section passages of scripture that fit that topic are arranged and written out, with occasional comment from the author. As a result this book is a tutorial on how to pray God's Word back to Him. At the same time providing a useful index of verses to be prayed in certain circumstances. This is a book that I will be returning to very often in my devotion and prayer life.

[Ethan McCarter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent aid in how to utilize Scripture in your prayer life. Matthew Henry is renowned for his commentary on the entire Bible, but his work on prayer is all too neglected. The book is highly devotional in nature, it is warm-hearted, and doxologically profound. Certainly it is an aid to the Christian's prayer life. The organization is well presented with different sections describing prayers of intercession, prayers for preparation for the Lord's Supper, prayers of thanksgiving, and so forth. The only quibble I had was some of the editing choices. Some of the prayers seemed overly doctored to make them flavoured to a modern audience. There's nothing wrong with the updates mind you, but they seem a bit out of place. Nonetheless, it is an excellent work on prayer and in growing the Christian in this neglected area of the spiritual life.

[Matthew Prydden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't so much a book to read through as a book to pray through. I found taking small sections at a time and using them as an aid to my daily prayers particularly helpful. I sincerely doubt that anyone could use this book as a help to their prayer life but not benefit from it.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best prayer books in print.

[Graham Kanagy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fav book on prayer yet

[Isaiah Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A master class in praying the Scriptures. More of a reference book than the kind of book you'd typically read cover-to-cover, though.

[Ivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting, and good for the most part. I feel like certain aspects of the trinity were under emphasized, and there was some odd wordings. It's possible the word was just not used as we typically use in reformed theology, but page 31 has some wording that would be mistakenly read as God being sanctified... by those that draw near to God. I think it was poor word choice, or a less common definition was being used, but it makes for an interesting moment.

[Dustin Battles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to pray more scripturally? Add this book to your collection. This is one of a very few books that I would buy for every person that I meet, if I could. Stellar because of its content and organization, despite being 300 years old. My only complaint is that the prayers are written from the perspective of "we" instead of "I" or "me."

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this over a space of 10 months, letting the written prayers be my own. This book was especially helpful in showing me that the words of the Bible can be beautiful when prayed back to God.