In the second half
of life, Thomas Keller and his wife realized how important prayer was
for them. Both were diagnosed with serious illnesses. When he was
diagnosed with thyroid cancer, his wife asked him to pray with her
every evening. Perhaps because of the timing, they realized the
importance of praying regularly at night and have been doing it every
since. Their experience is an excellent introduction to this useful
volume.
Keller points out
that prayer occurs in all cultures. It may differ in presentation,
Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians pray differently, but they all
pray. Even atheists have admitted that they pray. Prayer is a facit
of most people's lives. From this perspective, Keller examines the
various aspects of prayer.
In Part One,
Desiring Prayer, he discusses the need for prayer with an delightful
illustration of Flannery O'Connor's struggle with prayer. Part Two,
Understanding Prayer, discusses the many varieties of prayer both in
religious and non-religious traditions. Part Three Discusses how
theologians like Augustin, Luther, and Calvin taught about prayer and
the methods they used. Part Four, Deepening Prayer, uses
illustrations from John Owen, C.S. Lewis and others to discuss
meditation and the experiential aspects of prayer. Part Five, Doing
Prayer, is about learning how to pray. I thought one of the best
parts of the book was the last chapter which is a guide for daily
prayer.
I highly recommend
this book. It not only gives a broad overview of the history and
cultural differences of prayer, but it leaves you with a plan for
your own spiritual development through daily prayer.
I reviewed this book
for Net Galley.
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