Customer Reviews

Daring to Draw Near: People in Prayer

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Much of the current attitude about prayer left me confused and discouraged, leading me to believe that prayer changes God and that I simply need to "pray harder" if I'm struggling. Mr. White's book, however, by looking at prayers recorded in the Bible, reaffirmed that our prayers are an important response to an unchanging God. Rather than taking a flippant view of the struggles behind some of these great prayers, he addressed them honestly and in context with other Scripture. Of course, it is good to have a clear understanding of prayer, but this book has played a role in my walk which has been even more important: it has encouraged me to pray more and more.

This is, without question, the best book on prayer I have ever read. It has dramatically altered the way I pray, both in terms of what things I pray about, and what I expect from God during the exchange. John White is a masterful writer who does not shy away from pointing out what our personal weaknesses might be in our prayer lives. He speaks truth boldy. While reading this book I often felt convicted and saw the need for a transformation of how I pray. Daring to Draw Near will show how our prayers should be more God-centered than they probably are, and that they should be more focused on prayers for "our people" and our community. We are challenged to be honest in our prayers about who God really is and about who we are and what we think. If you read this book, your prayer life (and the rest of your life) will never be the same.

I found it hard to make it through the first part of the book but after. I got to Hannah's prayer, a light clicked on. Daring To Draw Near helped me look at prayer differently. God is not a distant puppet master ignoring your prayers, but is a very real and present God, longing to hear from you.

Many books have been written concerning prayer, but this particular book does not deal with how to pray but deals with the consequences, or results, of those who took to heart praying to the Almighty God. As a result, they got their answers. This book helped look at prayer from a different angle. I am reading it again for the second time. That's how good the book really is. I highly recommend it.

This is my first time reading a book by John White and when my wife recommended it, I decided to give it a read. White's book, Daring To Draw Near (People in Prayer), was written in 1977 and is not so much a book about prayer, but more a study of actual prayers recorded in the scriptures.

He chose ten prayers, eight from the Old Testament and 2 from the New Testament. Several of his choices are familiar prayers from David, Daniel and Hannah, while some of White's choices are less prayer-like than others. White dedicates a chapter to each study and really gleans some amazing truths from each one. He states the following concerning why he chose to write his book in this format:

"This is a book about ten specific prayers recorded in the Bible, not about the topic of prayer. What we have lacked was the insight that comes from eavesdropping on some of the most significant prayers in human history. They are recorded for our learning and I felt they were being neglected."

A view of the chapter headings provides the reader with a snapshot of the content:

ABRAHAM: The Day God Grew Larger

JACOB: A Crippling in the Chasm

MOSES: Shining Faces

DAVID: Fellowship Restored

DANIEL: The Man Who Was Greatly Beloved

HANNAH: Whispers in Pleasure, Shouts in Pain

JOB: The Man Who Covered His Mouth

DAVID: The Lord and the Dance

PAUL: Praying For Others

JESUS: The Last Battle

White does an excellent job in covering a much deeper and wider range of prayer issues. He puts flesh and bones on subjects like our dependency on prayer, revealing the real God in prayer, moving beyond ourselves in prayer, the purpose of pain in prayer, being silent in prayer, praise in prayer, and companionship in prayer, to name just a few. This book should not be read quickly, but very slowly, digesting each section with a goal toward putting these jewels into practice. White very clearly cautions the reader not to just mimic the principles taught, but first allow them to penetrate our hearts until we truly desire to draw near to God as those OT and NT examples in this book did.

Each chapter begins with the full scripture text under study. Having been written over three decades ago, and prior to publication of most of the new translations (NASB, NIV, ESV, NKJV) we commonly use today, White uses the Revised Standard Version (RSV) as his text in this book, a common choice among British scholars and authors.

I enjoyed this book and appreciate my wife's recommendation. I found it instructive, insightful, and because of the human element, I related more easily to the prayer principles being taught. If you have read a number of "how-to" books on prayer, pick up Daring to Draw Near (People in Prayer) and take a few steps closer to a life of authentic prayer. Recommended.

Read this book! It's obvious that John White is truly a man of prayer. His insights on the praying characters in the bible are strewn with insights that couldn't have been discovered unless he himself knows what it means to pray. His expositions on the prayers of Hannah, Paul, David, Daniel, and Joseph are rich and full of understanding. This book will take you deeper into the soul of those who truly knew God and what the prayers of those who truly know Him sound like. It was an inspiration and a refreshment to my soul to read, and it made me yearn for this kind of relationship with God.