5.0 out of 5 stars
Prayer Power Had a Powerful Impact on Me, July 14, 2009
This review is from: Prayer Power: 30 Days to a Stronger Connection with God (Paperback)
Peter's Lundell's book Prayer Power, is a guide to creating and building a prayer life. With thirty concise chapters, this book is a natural fit for a month long study. The book is divided into five broader categories while each chapter covers a different prayer element.
Lundell begins by teaching readers the importance of yearning for God and a close relationship with Him through prayer. The next step leads to personal growth that will result in a more fulfilling prayer life. Prayer Power then covers using helps, internal and external. Several chapters are devoted to spiritual warfare and how that impacts prayer and our relationship with God. The concluding section pushes the reader to move out of his/her comfort zone to experience prayer in new ways.
There are lots of books on the power of prayer but Prayer Power speaks to a different audience. Most prayer books assume the reader already has a thriving prayer life. Other books tell readers the great things that can result from prayer life; this book develops the desire and ability to have a prayer life. Lundell presents practical steps and easy-to-apply suggestions. He doesn't declare the "right" way to pray; he offers suggestions and options so the reader can see how a connection with God can fit into his/her life.
Two aspects of this book stand out to me: the prayer starter at the end of each chapter and the comprehensive presentation of the subject matter. First, the prayer starter that concludes each chapter nudges the reader to immediately put into practice the element of prayer discussed in the chapter. I can't think of a better way to practically verify what was learned.
Second, Lundell is thorough and comprehensive in his teaching of prayer and connecting with God. Chapters are short, yet complete. Each section gives the reader enough to consider and learn without overwhelming. This style keeps the reader engaged rather than bogged down. Readers will feel like they can accomplish the goal of a better prayer life because Lundell takes one step at a time.
With confidence I recommend this book and say it is the best book I have read on prayer. For those who desire a close prayer walk but aren't sure where or how to begin, let Prayer Power encourage you. For those who have a daily quiet time with God but need some rejuvenation, let Prayer Power refresh you. For those who participate in a prayer group, let Prayer Power broaden and enhance your experience. People with any and all types of prayer lives will benefit from Lundell's book.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing! Life-changing!, August 22, 2009
This review is from: Prayer Power: 30 Days to a Stronger Connection with God (Paperback)
"Prayer Power" by Peter Lundell is an amazing book that will help to spark new vibrance into your prayer life. It is broken down into 30 daily readings on prayer that will deepen the intimacy of your relationship with God. The chapters are short, but they're also packed with scripture and "prayer seeds" - that is, the author provides the first line of a prayer that will help you to begin a dialogue with God. I haven't finished the book, but I anticipate that it will encourage me to communicate with God in a new way. Regardless of the level of your communication with the Lord, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned communicator, this book will offer insights and ideas.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended as a starter on prayer or a refresher for those struggling with prayer., March 4, 2009
This review is from: Prayer Power: 30 Days to a Stronger Connection with God (Paperback)
Peter Lundell opens PRAYER POWER with a chapter on our hunger for God, not a bad place to begin. Lundell writes, "I have come to believe that the best thing we can have in life is not family, not love, not even receiving Jesus. The best thing in life is a hunger for God, because we will always get more of him." And while some may disagree with that statement, starting a book on prayer with a discussion of our hunger for God highlights the fact that although desperation may seem to be the only thing that prompts some people to pray, it's their longing for God that turns them in his direction to begin with.
This 30-day devotional follows a topical structure, which is helpful in focusing the reader's attention on specific purposes for and problems with prayer. A chapter on "Holy Passion," for example, doesn't just discuss the fire that seems to keep some faithful pray-ers at it with an enviable zeal, it also addresses the problems of a complacent attitude toward prayer and distractions that keep us from it. And the chapter offers at least one cure --- in this case, simplifying our lives to keep distractions to a minimum. (If you don't get the message the first time, no problem; the subject of distractions comes up several more times throughout the book.)
Lundell covers such topics as specific techniques (praying the scriptures, fasting while praying, being specific in making requests of God, praying aloud), logistics (using prayer lists, finding a time and place to pray, establishing routines, breaking routines) and corporate prayer (praying in a group, praying with others online, following through by serving those we pray with and for). Each chapter closes with a "prayer starter" that is related to the topic and is designed to help readers kick-start their own time of prayer.
One distinctive feature of the book is an appendix titled "Growth Gauges and Suggested Activities," with 30 sections that correspond to the individual chapters. The idea is to measure your current strengths with regard to prayer and use the suggested activities to grow in those areas where you may be weak. An example is the section on confession, which corresponds to Day 6, "Cleaning House." On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 meaning "never/almost never" and 10 meaning "always/almost always," readers assess their responses to two statements: "I regularly confess my sins." and "I regularly forgive." Suggested activities for this chapter include naming a sin in your life and repenting of it, and identifying someone you need to forgive and following through on it.
Lundell, pastor of Walnut Blessing Church in Walnut, California, and a former missionary to Japan, provides lots of anecdotes and biblical examples to shore up his points. The personal stories are particularly helpful in keeping the content fresh; otherwise, readers with a solid grounding in prayer and a dozen books on the subject in their bookcase may feel PRAYER POWER covers fairly familiar terrain.
Recommended as a starter on prayer or a refresher for those struggling with prayer.
--- Reviewed by Marcia Ford
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