10 Prayers You Can't Live Without by Rick Hamlin

Rick encourages us by reminding us we can't fail at prayer. Trying is doing.

Rick is executive editor at Guideposts. He's talked to lots of people about prayer and shares many of their stories (and his own) here.

He has attempted to break down prayer into categories he has found most helpful. He doesn't expect us to pray the way he does. He does hope to expand out thinking about prayer.

Here are a few concepts about prayer I learned from this book. Prayer can be a way of processing history or processing news, putting it back into the hands of God. It is important for children to hear their parents pray. Include interruptions right into your prayers. Prayer is a conversation you can have all day. Concentrate on expressing gratitude for what you already have, not what you are fervently wishing for.

Here are a few quotes to give you an idea of Rick's thoughts. “If I could only pass on one piece of advice about prayer, this would be it: Pick a time and place for prayer and try to do it every day.” (26) “When you're not sure what to pray or how to pray say a prayer for someone else.” (48) A lesson from The Lord's Prayer: “It's as though Jesus is urging his disciples, here's what you should do when you pray: Be direct. Make it simple. Don't be long-winded. Cover all the bases. Forgive. Relinquish. Pray for others as you pray for yourself.” (72)

Rick affirms that there are certainly more than ten kinds of prayers. “I believe there are as many prayers as there are people in the world,” he writes. (237) Pray, he advises, and don't say you don't know how. “You were made to pray.” (238)

If you like the kinds of encouraging stories that appear in Guideposts, you'll like the stories Rick tells in this book.

Questions for Reflection have been added at the end of the book so this would a good book for a prayer group discussion.

For some touching prayer requests and people's answer to prayer, visit http://www.guideposts.org/ourprayer

Rick Hamlin is the executive editor of Guideposts magazine where he has worked for more than twenty-five years. He has published a memoir and three novels. He is a contributor to the best-selling devotional Daily Guideposts and blogs about prayer at Guideposts.org. Rick and his wife life in New York City.

Guideposts, 246 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from a publicity group for the purpose of this review.