online diary for the masses

I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. I actually finished another book. It’s only been like 4 months. I’ll wait for the applause to die down before I continue.

[pauses]

As you may or may not be able to tell from the picture, my most recent book completion was Philip Yancey’s latest, Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference? I planned on starting this review off by linking to the scores of reviews I’ve written for Yancey’s other works I’ve read, but it turns out I’ve only written reviews for two of them. Book review volumes one and eight, you may recall.

I’ve said before that I’m a big fan of Philip Yancey, and that if he’d ever return my emails then I’d gladly share a conversation over coffee with him, or even pay a visit to his Colorado house. Something I really appreciate about him is that he writes with a great deal of honesty and asks questions that many Christian authors leave alone. This is evident by many of his books’ titles: What’s So Amazing About Grace?, Reaching for the Invisible God, Where is God when it Hurts?, Disappointment with God, and Church: Why Bother? His (again) honest writing style makes it hard for someone to read one of his books without relating to at least some of the things he’s saying. Prayer is no exception to this rule.

In this book, Yancey explores a whole slew of questions that you have no doubt come across in your personal time with Jesus over the years. Why pray? What’s the deal with unanswered prayers when Jesus seems to promise that when we ask it shall be given? Does prayer actually change God’s mind? It is refreshing to read that you aren’t (by any stretch of the imagination) the only person who has wrestled with these questions.

As usual, the approach Yancey wisely takes in answering these and other questions is chock-full of both experience and research. If the hundreds of references to authors of yore aren’t proof of his research, then may I suggest you consult the “Prayer Resources” section in the back of the book, in which he suggests 59 (if I counted correctly) books and collections on prayer, written as if he’s actually read them. (I know, he probably didn’t read every single one, but I bet he read most of them).

If you’ve read my book reviews before you’ll know that I rarely actually talk much about what the book says. True to form, I won’t do that here either. I will, however, recommend this book, but not as highly as I’d recommend some of his other works. It really just depends on where you’re at. If you’ve been wrestling with prayer a lot over the years, then this is your book. If you’ve got a healthy, vibrant prayer life, then add me to your people for whom you intercede, and read this book if you feel like it. If you’re one of my readers who is heavily into the IHOP scene, then I doubt you’d read this even if I recommended it, because you’d rather read Bickle. That’s fine.

Of all the words and thoughts portrayed in this book’s 334 pages (including the “thanks” section, which I always read), there is a single idea that I’ll really be taking away from having read it: Prayer is less about getting what we want, saying the right stuff or even hearing what the Father has to say, and it’s much more about time spent with our Creator. It’s said a whole lot more eloquently in the 300 page version, but if you want the one-sentence-D.O.-summary of the book, there you have it.

Thank you, Philip, for spending the time necessary to write that book. If you’d like to take the time necessary to get in touch with me, you can contact me. Also, thanks to Jessica Paup for providing me with this book (and thanks to HPPC for providing it to her).