40 Questions About Prayer

40 Questions

by Joseph C. Harrod

Relevant questions about prayer answered from the whole witness of Scripture Praying is often the most common yet least understood practice of Christian spirituality. In 40 Questions About Prayer, scholar and teacher Joseph C. Harrod shares biblical insight on the nature and practice of Christian prayer. Harrod's emphasis on searching the Scriptures results in a trustworthy, practical guide to a vital aspect of Christian belief and behavior, equally appropriate for seminary courses, Bible studies, and personal understanding.

The accessible question-and-answer format of 40 Questions About Prayer allows readers to explore the issues they care most about, such as these:

- Does prayer change God's mind?

- Does God hear the prayers of unbelievers?

- What does it mean to pray in Jesus's name?

- How does prayer affect evangelism, spiritual awakening, and revival?

- What does it mean to pray "without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17)?

- Do physical postures affect prayer?

296 pages, Paperback

Published August 16, 2022

Reviews

[Peter Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several of Kregel’s “40 Questions” books, and, by and large, I have found them to be informative and useful. I have just read 40 Questions on Prayer by Joseph C. Harrod – which no one should be surprised is on the topic of prayer.

Harrod begins by stating his bedrock definition of prayer comes from John Bunyan, “Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God hath promised, or, according to the Word, for the good of the Church, with submission, in Faith, to the will of God” (19). The answer to the questions are given with this definition in mind.

As with each volume, each chapter begins with a question followed by the answer and ends with a summary of the chapter and reflection questions which can be used for personal reflection or group discussion.

The book is divided into sections of question of general questions, prayer and theology, pray in the Scripture, prayer in practice, and prayer in historical context.

I found two sections to be especially strong and helpful – that on praying the Scripture – both to guide our expression and content of our prayers, and the history of the understanding of prayer and praying. There seems to be a “chronological snobbery” – a C. S. Lewis put it – that continues on – the idea that what is said and taught and believed and seen as good today is where we ought to put most or all of our attention. Harrod points out that there is much value in the historical studies of prayer.

One problem I had was his exegesis of Genesis where Harrod say that the three men who visited Abraham is a theophany of God as three men – that the Trinity temporarily appeared as men (198). If for no other reason, the text says this is not the case – Genesis 18:33 says that the Lord – one of the three men – left. Here is a Theophany. However the other two men were not members of the Trinity – Genesis 19:1 says that the other two men were angels.

Overall, this is an excellent book for anyone wanting to know more about prayer. There are some areas where I wish there was some greater detail in some areas – but this isn’t an academic thesis. The identity of the three men in Genesis 18 needs to be corrected.

Well worth buying.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, Kregel.com, and Goodreads.com.]

[Kevin Halloran]

As you know by now, I love reading and teaching about prayer. So when I saw a new volume on prayer by Dr. Joseph Harrod in the helpful series 40 Questions from Kregel, I browsed the table of contents to see if it was worth picking up. It intrigued me enough to get a copy.

If you’re new to the series, the 40 Questions books provide good accessible introductions to theological topics from scholars.

Harrod divides the questions into five sections: 1) General Questions about Prayer, 2) Prayer and Theology, 3) Prayer in Scripture, 4) Prayer in Practice, 5) Prayer in Historical Context. I enjoyed the variety of questions and even the section that didn’t catch my attention at first (the fifth section).

Even after spending a lot of time thinking and reading about prayer, I found this to be enjoyable and insightful. It’s worth mentioning that many systematic theologies do not have a section on prayer; so having a book that weaves together several crucial elements of prayer is appreciated.

This volume is good as a reference for students, pastors, and others who want to study prayer from a wide variety of angles. It’s not necessarily for a casual Christian reader, although there is something for them. You don’t have to read cover to cover, but can flip around and read the 5-8 pages on the question that interests you. The resources in footnotes are a great jumping off point for going deeper on certain topics. My favorite chapters included the questions on God’s sovereignty and prayer, the two chapters on Paul’s prayers, and praying the Bible.

Chances are you haven’t thought this widely about prayer, and I bet you’ll find Harrod’s work helpful. (Heads up, I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.)

[Samuel Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for Harrod's spiritual disciplines class. It is a great resource to help answer many questions about prayer, which I am more than sure I will run into as I go into minsitry and which I myself had.