*As part of our focus in the South Sound for 2008, we are committing ourselves to developing deeper prayer lives. To help, I am reading one different book per month on the topic of prayer, and then writing a review for the congregation. The following is the first of the year...
Prayer Series – Review #1
“We’ve looked at several important aspects of prayer: God’s gracious invitation to us to come to him as to a Father; his incredible power to do more than we ever dream of asking; the attitudes Jesus said we must cultivate in order to pray effectively; the categories we need to be sure to include in our prayers; the reasons our prayers are not always answered the way we wish. This information about prayer is important, but will do us no good if we never slow down long enough to pray. And most of us are far too busy for our spiritual health.” (page 97)
In Too Busy Not to Pray, Bill Hybels presents a compelling argument for us to rethink our prayer lives. Originally published in 1988, he addresses the problem head on: we ARE busy (a reality), but no matter how full our life as a Christian seems to get, we cannot afford for our prayer lives to diminish. I find it ironic that 20 years later technology has rapidly advanced, the pace of life has quickened, and our ability to stay connected to information has become amazingly efficient. As Hybels wrote this book, he probably typed it on a 486 DX computer, owned a pager, and made occasional calls on a cell phone that was roughly the width of a 2x4! Fast forward to today – let’s admit and embrace the opportunities and challenges that come with a busy life. However, let’s not allow it threaten our prayer lives – one of our lifelines in building an intimate relationship with God.
You will find this book incredibly practical. It is not a call to prayer that seems ancient, monastic, or medieval. His ideas are within reach for all of us. Also, he doesn’t employ convictions designed to help us feel guiltier about our lives. On the contrary, the book practically addresses the nature of God, the nature of prayer, how to talk to God, how to listen to Him, how to be a busy person who moves, shakes, gets things done, AND stays connected to our real source of strength: God our Father.
Daren Overstreet, January 2008
“We’ve looked at several important aspects of prayer: God’s gracious invitation to us to come to him as to a Father; his incredible power to do more than we ever dream of asking; the attitudes Jesus said we must cultivate in order to pray effectively; the categories we need to be sure to include in our prayers; the reasons our prayers are not always answered the way we wish. This information about prayer is important, but will do us no good if we never slow down long enough to pray. And most of us are far too busy for our spiritual health.” (page 97)
In Too Busy Not to Pray, Bill Hybels presents a compelling argument for us to rethink our prayer lives. Originally published in 1988, he addresses the problem head on: we ARE busy (a reality), but no matter how full our life as a Christian seems to get, we cannot afford for our prayer lives to diminish. I find it ironic that 20 years later technology has rapidly advanced, the pace of life has quickened, and our ability to stay connected to information has become amazingly efficient. As Hybels wrote this book, he probably typed it on a 486 DX computer, owned a pager, and made occasional calls on a cell phone that was roughly the width of a 2x4! Fast forward to today – let’s admit and embrace the opportunities and challenges that come with a busy life. However, let’s not allow it threaten our prayer lives – one of our lifelines in building an intimate relationship with God.
You will find this book incredibly practical. It is not a call to prayer that seems ancient, monastic, or medieval. His ideas are within reach for all of us. Also, he doesn’t employ convictions designed to help us feel guiltier about our lives. On the contrary, the book practically addresses the nature of God, the nature of prayer, how to talk to God, how to listen to Him, how to be a busy person who moves, shakes, gets things done, AND stays connected to our real source of strength: God our Father.
Daren Overstreet, January 2008
1 comment:
Thanks Daren!
I just finished a study on humilty and was thinking about my next QT series. This book sounds perfect as I often find myself feeling "too busy to pray".
Post a Comment