Going Higher With God in Prayer by A W Tozer

Prayer is the most essential thing in a Christian's life, Tozer said. “Prayer is the greatest privilege ever granted to men.” (126) True prayer is experiencing the power and presence of God.

Prayer is also the hardest thing for a Christian to do. True prayer means obedience and requires getting your heart right with God. Tozer preached much on prayer and Snyder has collected material to challenge us to be proactive in effective prayer.

This is not a fluffy book on prayer. Tozer lived a generation ago and some of his teaching may be a surprise to contemporary Christians. He was clear and bold. God does not listen to every prayer, Tozer said. The unsaved have no voice with God. And not every prayer is answered. There are particular conditions for our prayers to be heard and answered by God.

Tozer takes to task those who do not realize the necessity of prayer in doing God's work. He is critical of the modern church, saying, “...remember the Church is in Babylonian captivity...” (85) He reminds us the purpose of our prayer should be the same as the purpose for our lives. “We do not live one way and pray another.” (76)

Two aspects of Tozer's teaching really spoke to me. One was his arguing that our entire life is to be prayer. “Our whole life ought to pray.” (102) Prayer is not something I do at a particular time and place but is rather the way I live. The other teaching was on the folly of asking God to do something when I am entirely capable of doing it myself. “Don't waste your time asking for things you can do yourself. Just do them.” (106)

His teaching helps us understand why our prayers are unanswered and helps us overcome difficulties in prayer. He teaches how to pray in preparation for attacks from the devil. He reminds us what prayer does for us. “It is vastly more important that I should be changed on the inside to suit God than that I should have the power to change an external thing.” (92).

I've covered just some of the important teachings in this book. I highly recommend every Christian read it. Tozer's bold preaching is not the feel good message we often hear today. This book is a challenge to true and effective prayer, to experience God working through our prayers. If you are seeking a transformed prayer life, read this book and be challenged.

You can read an excerpt here.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) was a self-taught theologian, pastor, and writer whose powerful words continue to grip the intellect and stir the soul of today's believer. He authored more than forty books. The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy are considered modern devotional classics. Get Tozer information and quotes at www.twitter.com/TozerAW.

Reverend James L. Snyder (www.jamessnyderministries.com) is an award-winning author whose writings have appeared in more than 80 periodicals and 15 books. He is recognized as an authority on the life and ministry of A.W. Tozer. His first book, In Pursuit of God: The Life of A.W. Tozer, won the Reader's Choice Award in 1992 by Christianity Today. Because of his thorough knowledge of Tozer, James was given the rights from the A.W. Tozer estate to produce new books derived from over 400 never-before-published audio tapes. James and his wife live in Ocala,
Florida.

Bethany House, 176 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)