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Book Review- The Hidden Life of Prayer

Most books on prayer are convicting. The authors don’t have to work too hard to give us the Bible verses, make some helpful observations, and point us to simple application. On the other hand, I have found it somewhat rare to find books on prayer that also provide clear, practical instruction. Perhaps this is due to people being afraid of imposing standards or practices that are not mandated in the Scriptures. At any rate, I am very excited when I can find a book that does both: provide conviction and instruction.

The Hidden Life of Prayer by David McIntyre is one of those books. It is not a long book. It weighs in as a paperback at about 120 pages. However, whatever is lacked in volume it brings in substance. Think of it as a cup of espresso for the discipline of prayer.

McIntyre (1859-1938) was a minister in Scotland. His daily faithfulness precedes this volume. It is helpful to remember that this book was an outflow of a life that was bathed in prayer and the ministry of the word.

The outline is simple. The content, each chapter, is helpful and convicting.

The Life of Prayer: This deals with the priority of the Christian having their life orientated and characterized by prayer. Very convicting.

The Equipment: This gets practical. The essential equipment for a praying life: a quiet place, a quiet hour, and a quiet heart. Again, very convicting and helpful.

The Direction of the Mind: Who and what do we think about when we pray? Who are we talking to? And about what?

The Engagement: Worship. This is what we are doing in prayer.

The Engagement: Confession. As we come to God in prayer we are to be confessing our sin. This bids us back to Christ in the gospel.

The Engagement: Request. We make our requests known to God because of who he is and what he has promised.

The Hidden Riches of the Secret Place: What is the benefit of prayer to the soul? Such things as confidence, happiness, answered prayer and usefulness. In short, he is talking about the blessings of prayer.

The Open Recompense: The fact that God answers prayer must motivate believers to pray and watch earnestly for him. The author brings in many friends from church history to help make his case.

As I mentioned above the author brings in a lot of quotes from church history. He highlights particularly convicting quotes from other believers who were faithful at their post. This balance is really helpful; for, he himself is a quote machine. To continually sprinkle in sound bytes from giants in prayer is as convicting as it is helpful.

In terms of difficulty or writing style, it is not hard. Whether you are a new Christian or a professor at a Bible College, this book will help your prayer life. Myself, I keep it at arm’s length. I also have it in the rotation of books I recommend potential leaders read.

Discounted copies are available at Amazon.

 

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