Intervarsity Press, 1998
ISBN : 0-8511.0896-2
‘PRAYER IS AN UNNATURAL ACTIVITY’, according to Bill Hybels in his book ‘Too busy Not To Pray’ . First published in 1989 and now in its tenth revised and expanded edition this book has proved inspirational to many thousands of readers.
Are you weary of praying? Do you feel that your prayers are ineffective? Do you wonder if God is really listening? If your answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, this book can give you the tools to transform your relationship with God!
Bill Hybels is a successful and accomplished Christian writer whose books are effortless to read. He draws from his own experience with confronting honesty: ‘For many years, even as senior pastor of a large church, I knew more about prayer than I ever practised in my own life.’
With only 157 pages the book is split into four sections, the first showing that, ‘God wants to hear from you. Your adventure of prayer begins with God’s willingness to listen. God calls us to come into his presence. He has told us that he is with us and within us, that he is willing to hear from us, and that he can, and will, respond to us.’
The second section explains how God invites us to talk with him and how we should pray. ‘God doesn’t want us to pile up impressive phrases. He doesn’t want us to use words without thinking about their meaning. He wants us simply to talk to him as to a friend or father - authentically, reverently, personally, earnestly’. We are shown how to pray like Jesus prayed, how to develop a good pattern for prayer and finally to the kind of mountain-moving prayer we may believe beyond us.
In the third section Bill helps us to understand the barrier that may exist between prayer and God. Recalling his own experience he says, ‘When I look back over the years of my spiritual life, I see certain seasons where I prayed eagerly and often. I was filled with joy and the anticipation of God’s blessings. Supernatural things happened in my life, in the lives of people I prayed for, and in the church. And then, for who knows what reason, my prayer life would begin to wind down until I had almost given up on praying. Prayer would seem dry, tedious and pointless.’
Lastly we learn how to allow God to speak to our hearts, how to hear God’s voice and develop the courage to do what he tells us to do. ‘You have no idea how much richer and fuller, how much more exciting and more effective your life will be once you make the decision to be still, to be aware and to obey God’s leadings. At the back of the book are questions and reflections for study which is great for home groups etc.
Before I read this book I would begin to pray, but soon find my mind wandering and I realised I had been using empty phrases. My words had sounded shallow and hollow. This book showed me how to change my prayer life like a breath of fresh air.
I would thoroughly recommend it for anyone who may feel their prayer life is not what it should be or could be. In fact I would recommend the book to everyone no matter where your prayer life may be. It will give you confirmation that you are on track or give you an understanding of other people’s lives and where you may be able to help.
Karen Smith