An Insider's Guide to Praying for the World by Brian C. Stiller

Prayer is an essential aspect of our Christian life. We'd like to pray for the nations but sometimes we just lack the right information.

Stiller has provided us with a prayer guide for many nations. There are a limited number of nations included in this book as he lists only those he has visited. While the collection is limited, the information included is interesting as he gives his own personal stories and reflections.

For each nation, Stiller has included a list of surrounding countries so the nation can be located. He then gives a brief history of the country. He adds a personal story and Scripture. He suggests several items for prayer and includes a written prayer.

In addition to nations, Stiller has also included some topics, such as caring for the vulnerable, prison ministry, the ministry of World Vision, the World Prayer Movement, and more.

I found the personal stories to be interesting. I am not sure, however, how essential they are to praying well for a country. I learned some interesting facts about countries, such as Indonesia being the largest Muslim country in the world. I found that Thailand has a king who has served since 1946 and that it was never colonized nor ruled by a Western power. Reading about the role of Belgium in the distinguishing the Hutu and Tutsi was enlightening.

This is probably the most interesting prayer guide I have ever read. The personal aspect was interesting but overall I felt the book was limited in its scope. There are many places in the world desperately needing prayer that are left out of this collection. I would suggest this book could be used as a devotional for a year, using a chapter a week. It would help one get in the habit of praying for nations. One could then move on to a more comprehensive world prayer guide.

You can read an excerpt here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Brian C. Stiller (D.Min.) is the Global Ambassador of the World Evangelical Alliance, which serves 600 million evangelical Christians. He travels extensively, fulfilling various ministry functions. He and his wife live in Newmarket, Ontario. You can find out more at www.brianstiller.com.

Bethany House Publishers, 288 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.