We
may think of prayer as something we do at a specific time, perhaps
with our morning devotions. Harney wants us to experience prayer
through the flow of life. Her passion “is to see ordinary followers
of Jesus grow into natural prayers who talk to God, listen to God,
and interact with God at all times, in all places, through all
circumstances.” (12)
She
suggests we pray with our eyes wide open. She means that both
literally and figuratively. Literally, with our eyes open we will be
more aware of God's creation and people. Figuratively, we will be
more aware of God's presence and His work among us.
She
studied Scripture and found that nowhere are we commanded to close
our eyes when we pray. She gives many examples of Bible characters
who prayed with open eyes. She also found examples of lifting hands
rather than folding them. And she found that the Bible records people
kneeling, standing, and sitting when praying, depending on the
circumstances.
Harney
really helps us understand our attitude towards prayer depends a
great deal on what we believe about God. She provides Scripture to
help us understand how God feels toward us. She encourages us to pray
with our ears open so we can be aware of the many ways God speaks to
us. She wants us to pray with our hearts wide open, seeing who God is
and praying with passion. And she wants us to pray with lives wide
open, allowing the Holy Spirit to work in and through us.
Harney
has included many personal stories as illustrations of her teaching.
She also gives many practical suggestions for prayer, including
prayer prompts and ideas for putting her teaching into practice.
I
have read many books on prayer. I really like this one from Harney.
She gets to the root of our attitude toward prayer, a result of our
attitude toward God. She is convincing in her encouragement to pray
at all times and in all places. I highly recommend this book.
My
rating: 5/5 stars.
Sherry
Harney is the leadership development director at Shoreline Community
Church in Monterey, California, and the co-founder of Organic
Outreach International. She speaks regularly about prayer, spiritual
formation, leadership and organic outreach for local, national, and
international groups and events.
Kevin
G. Harney is lead pastor of Shoreline Community Church and the author
of several books, studies and articles.
Baker
Books, 224 pages.
I
received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My
comments are an independent and honest review.
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