Book Recommendation:
Handbook for Praying Scripture by William Varner
Years ago I was struggling to stay focused during my private times of prayer. As hard as I tried, my mind would wander. I was aware of several resources from the liturgical denominations and other Christian traditions, but I did not want to only pray other people’s prayers.
Those are the opening lines in William Varner’s preface to his wonderful resource Handbook for Praying Scripture. I have felt the same way and I bet you have too. Except my most recent experience was only a few months ago, not years. And without any knowledge of my then current struggle, a friend gave me this book.
You NEED this book. Not because I have intimate knowledge of your private devotional life or because I have received a special word from the Lord. I know you need this book because it will enhance your prayer life, no matter how strong it may be at this moment. Here’s why.
Varner has taken the familiar prayer elements like Adoration, Thanksgiving, Confession, Affirmation, Petition, Intercession, and Benediction and ordered them into a pattern you can follow in your daily worship of prayer to God Almighty. He has identified appropriate Scripture for each element, providing models of how that Scripture can be personalized in your prayers. In the middle of it all, he has added the Disciples’ Prayer, or Lord’s Prayer as most of us know it.
Lest you worry about your prayer life becoming a cold ritual, Varner includes seven different moments of reflection in the day’s pattern. Each day brings a different set of prompts, allowing you to express what God is specifically doing in your life as you commune with him in prayer. Varner provides two schedules from which you can choose - a monthly cycle of thirty-one days and a weekly one of seven days.
But wait. There are even more reasons why you need this book. As if a monthly and a weekly schedule were not enough, Varner provides three richly filled appendices you can incorporate into your prayer life. Appendix 1 shares with us the historic creeds and common prayers used throughout church history. They are excellent reminders of the unity of the body throughout all of salvation history and the eternal, unchanging nature of our God. Appendix 2 contains specific scripture references for some of the major events and seasons of the church calendar. Appendix 3 is a topical reference of scripture you can use to pray for the trials, troubles, or concerns in your life at that particular moment. The topics are wide-ranging. Evangelism, Grief, Marriage, and Rest are a few of the twenty-four various categories.
I repeat, YOU NEED this book. My prayer for you is the same as the one written by my friend, inside the front cover of the copy given to me. “My prayer is that this resource will be a useful tool in your life as you seek to honor and serve God, and grow closer to Him in prayer.”
Copies are available in Southside Books for you to preview and purchase.
Those are the opening lines in William Varner’s preface to his wonderful resource Handbook for Praying Scripture. I have felt the same way and I bet you have too. Except my most recent experience was only a few months ago, not years. And without any knowledge of my then current struggle, a friend gave me this book.
You NEED this book. Not because I have intimate knowledge of your private devotional life or because I have received a special word from the Lord. I know you need this book because it will enhance your prayer life, no matter how strong it may be at this moment. Here’s why.
Varner has taken the familiar prayer elements like Adoration, Thanksgiving, Confession, Affirmation, Petition, Intercession, and Benediction and ordered them into a pattern you can follow in your daily worship of prayer to God Almighty. He has identified appropriate Scripture for each element, providing models of how that Scripture can be personalized in your prayers. In the middle of it all, he has added the Disciples’ Prayer, or Lord’s Prayer as most of us know it.
Lest you worry about your prayer life becoming a cold ritual, Varner includes seven different moments of reflection in the day’s pattern. Each day brings a different set of prompts, allowing you to express what God is specifically doing in your life as you commune with him in prayer. Varner provides two schedules from which you can choose - a monthly cycle of thirty-one days and a weekly one of seven days.
But wait. There are even more reasons why you need this book. As if a monthly and a weekly schedule were not enough, Varner provides three richly filled appendices you can incorporate into your prayer life. Appendix 1 shares with us the historic creeds and common prayers used throughout church history. They are excellent reminders of the unity of the body throughout all of salvation history and the eternal, unchanging nature of our God. Appendix 2 contains specific scripture references for some of the major events and seasons of the church calendar. Appendix 3 is a topical reference of scripture you can use to pray for the trials, troubles, or concerns in your life at that particular moment. The topics are wide-ranging. Evangelism, Grief, Marriage, and Rest are a few of the twenty-four various categories.
I repeat, YOU NEED this book. My prayer for you is the same as the one written by my friend, inside the front cover of the copy given to me. “My prayer is that this resource will be a useful tool in your life as you seek to honor and serve God, and grow closer to Him in prayer.”
Copies are available in Southside Books for you to preview and purchase.