Book Review: A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

For the last 10 months I have been sing “A Diary of Private Prayer” by John Baillie to help guide and grow my prayer life. Baillie’s prayer classic not only provides a morning and evening prayer for 31 days, but also space to grow in one’s prayer life.

Here’s why I like this book:

1) It affirms God as the one we come to in prayer, and His agenda trumps my agenda. Praying to God seems obvious, praying God’s agenda for most people, not so obvious.

2) It recognizes the need to pray for others, not just myself. Not just the people I know, but the people I need to know to pray for — unnamed faces, but critical issues in the eyes of God — the poor, the lost, those in need.

3) It builds a pattern of prayer day and night that can be built into one’s life. I”m more morning person, but because it’s just a page to pray. I have time. I make time to pray morning and evening.

4) It improves my prayer life. I find myself praying these prayers, and saying God that’s who I want to be — one who follows Your will, one who builds his life on Your word.

The one potential downside, it is in more of a King James English. Not my cup of tea in prayer, but that too has led me to appreciate the use of language in prayer. In this case, to provide a prayer time that slowly looks at the words and even more learns to listen for Your spirit.

Part of the appeal of this book is his use of the : For that signals an invitation to personalize prayer for missionaries around the world or sins deep within my heart. He provides an initial thought, and I have opportunity to go deeper.

So why keep using the same prayer book for 10 months? Because the prayers Baillie shares are qualities I want God to build in my life. To work hard, to love well, to learn much, to grow in faith and so much more.

Baillie not only lifts up the virtues, he provides time to be honest with my vices. Both drive his prayer classic. Most of all its the work and wonder of God that Baillie lifts up and builds up as I use this prayer guide each day.

He also paints a bigger picture. I learn to pray not only for myself and my needs, but for friends, for family, for this incredible world God created and loves. Praying these prayers provides a good beginning each day, and an invitation to a good night’s sleep each night.

I give A Diary of Private Prayer 5 out of 5 stars. This great gift from a friend has helped me grow in my walk with God, helped me to become better at prayer, to sense God’s work in my life, and to make me a better leader today and God willing to impact eternity.

Book Review: Praying with the Grain by Pablo Martinez

How your personality affects the way you pray is the tagline that goes with Praying with the Grain by Dr. Pablo Martinez. That connection with prayer and personality is what attracted me to read this book.

The first chapter does the best job of looking at prayer and personality. Martinez is a Christian psychologist. His personality approach is that from Carl Jung. The application to prayer looks at the introvert to extrovert continuum, thinking to feeling continuum and the sensation to intuition continuum.

Not being an expert in psychology nor Carl Jung, I appreciated that Martinez wrote in every day language and gave insight into how each personality engages in prayer. Introverts find it easier to pray on their own. I knew that, but never really had given that much though how that plays out. Dr. Martinez helped clarify those issues in understanding my prayer life and those of different personality types. Extroverts find it difficult ot pray. Thinkers are able to focus their thoughts in prayer, while feelers are challenged with the whole discipline of prayer.

As he writes about Christian prayer, his intent is to relieve the burden or guilt of one’s prayer life and to pray with the grain, the way God has wired you. For myself this was the book’s greatest benefit.

In addition he includes chapters in the book that deal with the suggestion that prayer is a psychological illusion. (It’s not.) He also focuses on the question: Are all prayers alike? They are not. He does a great job in his closing chapter of contrasting Christian meditation with  Eastern meditation.

Throughout the book there were quotes I underlined and wanted to save. There are prayer classic quotes from Teresa of Avila to .C. S. Lewis to Richard Foster. Martinez own words are worth quoting. Here are some of my favorites in the book:

“Prayer is primarily an expression not of my inner well-being, but of my love towards God. I do not pray when I feel well; I pray because I love the Lord.”

“In one sense, prayer is a pleasure to enjoy, but in another sense, it is a discipline to be practiced because it belongs to the essential armor of the Christian soldier.”

“Prayer ought to be the result of an inner spiritual life: not just the search for a magnified tranquilizer.”

“When a believer sees prayer only or primarily as the instrument by which to obtain things from God, they have not understood the very essence of prayer.”

“Prayer enables us to rebuild the very foundation of our existence, and gives back to a person th etrue purpose of their life: relationship with God.”

“Prayer is the eyewash that clears up our vision and enables us to perceive the reality about ourselves.”

“Prayer fulfills a central purpose in the Christian life: it makes possible our progressive likening to the image of Christ.”

I recommend this book for those who want to take a closer look at their own prayer, and to grow deeper in their relationship with God. Affirming and describing how this happens is the strength of this book.

If I could have made one suggestion to Martinez, it would have been to go even deeper into the personality factors and prayer. He gives a great general description and its well worth reading, I was hoping for a bit more. The book was originally published under the title Prayer Life published in 2001. This edition is an update and revision.  For this reason I give Praying with the Grain 4 out of 5 stars. If you would like to read an excerpt from the book, click here.

My thanks to Kregel Publishing for a free copy to review. I was not required to give a positive review. Most of all thank you to Dr. Martinez for helping me (and hopefully you) to grow in my prayer life, especially to see it’s not what I get from God, but how I grow in my relationship with God.

Soul Food for Friday: Prayer Quotes for Getting Hold of God

“The meaning of prayer is that we get hold of God, not the answer.” – Oswald Chambers who launches this week’s Soul Food for Friday with quotes on prayer that seek to lead us to grow deeper in this gift God gives in coming to Him in prayer. Jesus tells us to ask, seek  and kock in Matthew 7 and Luke 11.  In other words, He invites us to pray.

“When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don’t pray, they don’t.” – William Temple

“Prayer and helplessness are inseparable. Only he who is helpless can truly pray. Your helplessness is your best. prayer.” — Ole Hallesby

“Peace comes not because your prayer has been answered exactly as you prayed it, but because you shifted your focus and the burden of responsibility on to Him.” — Christopher Parkening

“The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between my knees and the floor.” — Chuck Melton

“Pray to God in the storm — but keep on rowing.” — Danish Proverb

“Just pray for a tough hide and a tender heart.” — Ruth Graham

“You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him.” — Teresa of Avila

“Prayer is climbing up into the heart of God.” — Martin Luther

“A day without morning and evening prayers and personal intercessions is actually a day without meaning or importance.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“The greatest tragedy in life is not unanswered prayers, but unoffered prayer.” – F. B. Meyer

“Prayer is a declaration of dependence on God.” – Philip Yancey

“We pray besst when we are no longer aware of praying.” — Cassian

“Prayer does not equip us for great works — Prayer is the greater work.” — Oswald Chambers

“Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our pesons, but they are helpless against our prayers.” — Sidlow Baxter

“We are too busy to pray, and so we are to busy to have power.” — R. A. Torrey

“Prayer is the contemplation of life from the highest point of view.” — William James

“Prayer may not change things for you, but it for sure changes you for things.” — Samuel M. Shoemaker

“I assure you, where prayer focuses power falls.” — Howard Hendricks

“Prayerless leaders are like ship captains without compasses; they can make their best guess at which direction to go, but they have no assurance they are heading the right way. Prayer keeps leaders focused on the one absolutely consistent factor in life — God.” — Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby

“Prayer opens our lives for God so his will can be done in and through us, because in true prayer we habitually put ourselves into the attitude of willingness to do whatever God wills.” — Harry Emerson Fosdick

“The purpose of prayer is to find God’s will and to make that will our prayer.” — Catherine Marshall

“Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think of a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger. Pray not for crutches but for wings.” — Philips Brooks

“I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” — Abraham Lincoln

“To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.” – Karl Barth

“You do more then pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” — John Bunyon

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.” — Corrie ten Boom

“Prayer is the way to both the heart of God and the heart of the world — precisely because they have been joined through the suffering of Jesus Christ … Praying is letting one’s own heart become the place where the tears of God’s children merge and become tears of hope.” — Henri Nouwen

“Prayer is the way to die to our own wishes and surrender everything to God.” — Scot McKnight

How do we learn to pray? “By praying … If you want to pray better, you must pray more.” — Mother Teresa

So what quotes motivate you to pray? What is God leading you to pray for today?

Soul Food for Friday: Grace and Prayer

Last Friday I had a chance to hear my favorite author and writer, John Ortberg at Point Loma Nazarene University speak at their Pastor Appreciation Day (some days it pays to be a pastor).

2 quotes he shared stuck out that I have been chewing on all week, one about grace, one about prayer. Both influenced by Dallas Willard.

Dallas Willard says this about grace, “Grace is opposed to earning, not to effort.” Good way to build upon Dietrich Bonhoeffer‘s concept of not living a life of cheap grace, and to utilize life building, life changing grace. Or as I like to say, “Grace is not about earning God’s love, but experiencing and expressing His love to Him and to others.”

The other quote that stuck out from last Friday came from John Ortberg, though I’m sure he would say it’s heavily influenced by Dallas Willard on prayer: “The goal of prayer is an awareness that every word is spoken in the joyful presence of God.”  Chewing on that one, I’m learning that prayer is more then that time when I bow my head, start off with Dear God and end with Amen. God is present in every conversation. He hears every word. All of a sudden the light bulb went off, every word is spoken in the joyful presence of God. Sure has helped my prayer life and conversations this week, hope it feeds your soul as well.

The Other Jeremiah 29 Verse to Remember

Reading through the Bible this year led me to Jeremiah 29. In the middle of  a tough book to read, comes a chapter of hope. Though Judah is now in exile, the Lord paints a picture of hope for His exile people.

When most people think of Jeremiah 29, they think of verse 11, I know the plans that I have for you, declares theLord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. (GOD’S WORD Translation)

When my family has been in times of transition, this is a verse we remember, we share, we pray, we claim. When we moved to California, it was the verse we quoted in the mailings we sent out that let people know our new address and our new home. In other words, this is a great verse to remember.

Coronado Bridge at NIght

But it’s not the only verse one should remember from Jeremiah 29. We should also remember and even more act upon Jeremiah 29:7, Work for the good of the city where I’ve taken you as captives, and pray to the Lord for that city. When it prospers, you will also prosper.  (GOD’S WORD Translation)

Pray for the city. We sometimes forget the city we live in, the city we love, the city where we make our living is not our final destination. In a certain sense, we are exiles here. Heaven is ultimately our home.

Yet in Jeremiah 29:7, God calls us, invites us, even more commands us, to work for the good of the city … and pray to the Lord for that city. God cares for your city, for my city, for this world we live in.

This verse calls me forth to serve in my community. It’s easy to stay inside the church, as a pastor I have plenty to do. But God calls me into the city as well. One way I answer that call is Tuesday Playground Duty at a local school. My job is to keep the kids safe. Last time it also involved a lot of hugs. I was told most of the kids don’t have an adult male they get to interact with, my role as Tuesday Duty guy seeks to provide for the welfare of the city.

When we pray, we usually pray for our needs — the sick to be healed, the lost to be found. But Jeremiah 29:7 is also an invitation to pray for the economy and the welfare of our city and world.

Jeremiah 29:7 reminds me to serve and to pray. One reason I love my church is how we have grown in a life of service in our community, in seeking to contribute to the welfare of our city. This year we are seeking to give 100 gifts to the city of La Mesa. But we also pray that God will guide our city, state, national and world leaders to follow God’s wisdom, His love for those in need, and for the welfare of our communities to make a difference in our world.

Jeremiah 29:11 is a great verse to remember. So is Jeremiah 29:7. Good news is we can remember them both.

How are you working for the good of the city? What are you praying to the Lord to happen in your city today?

Leadership Lessons from Ephesians: A Leader’s Prayer

Reading through the Bible in a year has led me to Ephesians 3 where Paul has an incredible prayer that he prays for God’s people. One of Paul’s gifts that isn’t always appreciated is the incredible prayers that he prays.

We think of Paul as the grace guy, the reach the Gentiles guy. He’s that and more. He’s a prayer warrior who raises up prayer warriors.

Ephesians 3:14-21 is his prayer, and my favorite part is when he says in Ephesians 3:20, Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.

That verse inspires me to pray, “Lord, stretch my imagination.” If God can do more than I can ask or imagine (and He can!), then I pray stretch my imagination.

Walt Disney is credited with coming up with his imagineers. Go to a Disney park and you see the power of imagineers at work. It’s one of my favorite parts of going to a Disney resort.

But go t0 a church where people live out love for God and for their community and world, those imagineers are ones stretched by God impacting eternity.

Where are you praying, “Lord stretch my imagination today?”

Great Read: A Diary of Private Prayer

Seems kind of funny to say that a book on prayer is a great read, but “A Diary of Private Prayer” by John Baillie is that and a whole lot more. I received the book as a gift just over 2 months ago. It has become a treasured tool to guide my prayer life, and even more to grow in my prayer life.

Dr. John Baillie from what I can tell was a Scottish theology professor, preacher, and author who had a heart for prayer and a desire to help others grow.

In the past 2 months, I’ve prayed through the book twice. It has morning and evening prayers for 31 days plus one special Sunday morning and evening page.

Here’s why I like this book:

1) It affirms God as the one we come to in prayer, and His agenda trumps my agenda. Praying to God seems obvious, praying God’s agenda for most people, not so obvious.

2) It recognizes the need to pray for others, not just myself. Not just the people I know, but the people I need to know to pray for — unnamed faces, but critical issues in the eyes of God — the poor, the lost, those in need.

3) It builds a pattern of prayer day and night that can be built into one’s life. I”m more morning person, but because it’s just a page to pray. I have time. I make time to pray morning and evening.

4) It improves my prayer life. I find myself praying these prayers, and saying God that’s who I want to be — one who follows Your will, one who builds his life on Your word.

The one potential downside, it is in more of a King James English. Not my cup of tea in prayer, but that too has led me to appreciate the use of language in prayer. In this case, to provide a prayer time that slowly looks at the words and even more learns to listen for Your spirit.

So what book has helped you grow in the practice of prayer? What do you find yourself praying about today?

Psalm 61 No Matter Where You are God’s Listening

Reading through the Bible this year, I am working my way through the Psalms. I’ve made it to the Psalms in the 60′s. I don’t hear many people quote from those Psalms. Usually it’s Psalm 23 or 27 or 46 or 51 or 119 or ????

But here’s to Psalm 61:1-2, ¹Listen to my cry for help, O God. Pay attention to my prayer. ²From the ends of the earth, I call to you  when I begin to lose heart. Lead me to the rock that is high above me.

Psalm 61 is a psalm of David, seems like he was king at the time and the weight of leadership and life is heavy upon him. That’s the beauty of verse 1, when life weighs David down, he goes to God who can lift Him up.

Verse 2 reminds me David believes God not only knows the way to lift David up. David knows God is the one who can lift him up. Lead me to the Rock, that solid foundation, that immovable object, that power that I need.

To assure himself and to praise God, David reminds himself and us in verse 3, You have been my refuge, a tower of strength against the enemy. Great principle at play here. Remember what God has done to be renewed in what God is going to do, and in David’s case what You need Him to do.

In the rest of the psalm David commits to worship God all His days, and seeks God’s favor at work in the king’s life in every generation. In verse 6 he writes, Add days upon days to the life of the king. May his years endure throughout every generation.

It’s the last phrase throughout every generation that point me to Christ. Great leaders point people to Jesus with their prayers, through their problems, in their perseverance. Great leaders in their life reflect the One who is the life.

What I love about this psalm which for me is typically an obscure psalm is David’s idea no matter what God is listening, and I can connect with Him in prayer. In that connection David reminds me how God brings past, present, and future together in Christ. That connection fuels my leadership and keeps me on-purpose.

What reminds you to stay connected with God in prayer?

Do You Believe in Prayer?

In the midst of a drought, your church organizes a prayer meeting to pray for rain. When you go to pray, do you take an umbrella? Story is told of one congregation that did that, and only the pastor showed up with the umbrella. He sent everyone home to come back the next night, umbrella equipped, ready to pray.

In Acts 12, Peter has been arrested and along the lines of the story is waiting execution. The church prays. We are not told exactly what they pray, but safe to say, it’s for his release. James has already been killed. Herod had gotten a good response for that action, so he follows up with Peter’s arrest.

Then as the church prays, God acts. An angel comes, Peter’s set free. He comes to the house where the prayer meeting is. He knocks on the door. A servant named Rhoda is so excited to see Peter, she doesn’t let him in. She does let the “prayer warriors” know God has answered their prayer.

Lake Tahoe Road Trip Desert View

Good Hollywood ending, would have they all lived happily ever after. Instead their response is, “You’re crazy.” (Acts 12:15). I find great comfort that God’s grace is greater then my prayer faith, and that He acts according to His will, not my will. I also find it comforting I am not the only Christ follower to underestimate His answers to my prayers.

Over the years, I have learned prayer is not for changing God’s mind, but for transforming our lives. Would you really want God to do everything you ever prayed for? In the words of that great theologian Garth Brooks, “Thank God for unanswered prayer.” Thank Him for the answered one as well. No is an answer, not a popular answer, but often the best one. Even better a Yes from God typically trumps the yes I was seeking.

God is a master of working on His time, not mine. When life drives me crazy, prayer drives me to Him. Prayer in faith is important, seeking God’s will is essential. Whatever you face today, keep on praying. He’s already working the answer. His love and grace never let go, His mercy and kindness are new every morning.

What prayers lessons is God teaching you these days? How are those lessons affirming your own belief in the power of prayer?

What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do

When you come to a fork in the road, take it. I can’t remember who said it, I just remember the quote. And sometimes when it comes to making a decision, you need more than taking the road lesson traveled or picking up a “fork” along the way.

That’s why I am learning from Jehoshaphat and his leadership. In reading through the Bible in a year, I came across 2 Chronicles 20 and Jehoshaphat is looking for direction. He doesn’t know what to do, but he knows who does. His wisdom is clear: When I don’t know what to do, I look to the One who does. Jehoshaphat knows 3 directional signals to realign His GPS (God Positioning System) as it is recalculating.

Thanks to Mowrys for "Road Trip View"

1. Know who God is. 2 Chronicles 20:6, Lord God of our ancestors, aren’t you the God in heaven? You rule all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess power and might, and no one can oppose you. (GOD’S WORD) Jehoshaphat not only knows God’s name, he knows God’s history. He knows God’s character as Savior of Israel. He knows God is in control and has the final say.

2. Know to seek God’s direction. Jehoshaphat remembers Solomon’s prayer, and prays it back to God in verse 9, We will cry out to you in our troubles, and you will hear us and save us. The crowds are clamoring for action, Jehoshaphat is praying to God. Even more he is teaching them to pray. People panic, leaders pray.

3. Know what God has said. Jehoshaphat remembers God’s command to Israel entering the promised land to leave the Moabites, Amonites and Edomites (people of Mount Seir) alone. Israel in this case had done what God had said, these people had not. This leads to his “we don’t know what to do” comment. Yet instead of jumping with the people’s response, he prays what God has said until he gets God’s response. Jehoshaphat is the king, the appointed leader, but he waits the appointed time until God shows him what to do.

When you don’t know what to do. you do what you know. Know who God is. Know to seek God’s direction. Know what God has said. All 3 are needed. All 3 build on each other. All 3 lead to prayer until God gives direction, until the Spirit prompts what to do.

For Jehoshaphat his answer comes from the Spirit speaking to and through Jahaziel. He finds out where they are. He learns of their plans, and he’s told to watch and wait. How’s this for battle strategy? Vs. 17, You won’t fight this battle. Instead, take your position, stand still, and see the victory of the Lord for you, Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be frightened or terrified. Tomorrow go out to face them. The Lord is with you.

So when you don’t know what to do, what do you do?