Let's Bust a Recap : A Praying Life

On Tuesday, I shared about my non-fiction pick for September; today, I want to discuss my non-fiction pick for October. A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller was published in 2009, and when my friend Teresa recommended it as one of the best books on prayer she had ever read, I immediately added it to my wishlist. Not long afterwards, I received it in a book exchange I participated in during my two seconds on the Instagram. This is the same book exchange in which I received two Jen Wilkin books and may I just comment on how funny it is to me that during a public book exchange with strangers on the internet, I received three Christian non-fiction books from three different people? This was not a Christian book exchange and I did not follow strictly Christian book accounts when I was on Instagram. In fact, I wouldn't even have been able to tell you before the book exchange that the three people who sent me books were Christians! As my fictional friend Katie Weldon would say: What a God-thing.

Anyway, my friend Teresa was right: this is the best book on prayer I've ever read. (Admittedly, I haven't read all that many books exclusively on prayer, but hey, of the ones I have read, this is the best.) In A Praying Life, Paul Miller introduces us to prayer that regularly and consistently hopes, trusts, and expects God to act. J.I. Packer describes this book as "honest, realistic, mature, wise, deep" and Paul David Tripp says it's "a book on prayer that actually makes you want to pray!" Miller employs my favorite non-fiction writing tactic wherein he weaves together personal stories with practical advice to convey his message. His material comes alive as you read about how he has personally struggled to pray and how his circumstances have shaped his prayer life. I found this book illuminating from the very first page to the very last and while it may sound dramatic to say that this book revolutionized my thinking about prayer, that's exactly what it did. 

As someone who came to know Jesus as Savior at a very young age and was raised in church by loving Christian parents, prayer has been an uphill climb my whole life. I have a hard time staying consistent in it, and I have often struggled with the question "What's the point?" There is a constant temptation to wait to pray until I have my act together, and Miller combats this tendency right out of the gate by pointing to the Pharisee who would stand in the square and pray aloud contrasting him with the sinner who cried out for mercy. The Pharisee seemingly has it all together in his prayer, but Jesus says the sinner is the one who goes home justified before God. The reminder that I must come to God like a child, the invitation to come messy, to trade my heavy burden for Christ's light one was a balm for my soul. None of what I read in Miller's book was new information, but somehow the way he connected the dots made me think about prayer in a way I never had before. In one instance, Miller describes his morning prayer time including interruptions from his autistic daughter and having a conversation with his wife in the midst of it. Instead of giving up or scrapping that particular time as a prayer failure, he showed how those interruptions and distractions directed his prayer time. The idea that letting what seem to me to be distracting thoughts actually open up a way for me to invite God into even more areas of my life was something I hadn't really considered. 

Another section of the book I really appreciated was Miller's handling of lament. Instead of just pointing the reader to the Psalms and encouraging them to pray the Scripture (which he does), Miller writes about times in his life where he was in crisis and shares what his prayers of lament about specific situations actually sounded like. 

Miller also gives very practical advice on keeping a prayer journal and making prayer cards to aid in praying, and I know this is a book I will come back to for those commonsense tips and as a boon when I'm feeling discouraged about my failure to pray better. A Praying Life is a book I can't commend highly enough. It is encouraging, practical, and real, and I've already recommended it to people in my life. 

When was the last time a new book gave you a fresh perspective on an old subject?