Six Prayers God Always Answers [Hardcover]

Mark Herringshaw (Author), Jennifer Schuchmann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 2008

This book is the antithesis of every “traditional” book about prayer. It is light, engaging, entertaining, and honestly compelling. The authors dare to ask the questions about prayer many of us choose not to say out loud. For a thought-provoking, entertaining book on prayer, this book fits the bill.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 277 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (April 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414318677
• ISBN-13: 978-1414318677
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,115,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Asks and Answers the Tough Questions, June 27, 2008

By 

L. Thormodsgaard (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Six Prayers God Always Answers (Hardcover)

Six Prayers God Always Answers is a poetic treatment of the greatest tension in the universe: the sovereignty of God and man's free will. Tackling head-on some of the toughest questions facing the faith, the authors handle with grace and sensitivity the hard questions asked by searching and sometimes hurting people. This book rings true in the crucible of honest and often difficult life.

Some of the passages that stood out include: "we hold nothing of substance with which to bargain." (Pg. 40) When our first child died of an awful accident, there were periods of bargaining as he hung between life and death. After he died the prayers changed to questions. Why? God has never answered why. But as written on page 80, "Swapping the old question for a new one leads to revelation." We found out with Job that there were more important things to understand and questions to ask that had never before entered our consciousness. God gifted us with new and more weighty questions. And as written on page 81, " Why is important only as it informs future behavior." And on page 142, "Faith helps us to find answers beyond those we're looking for." "God supplants our original request for one that is better, deeper, more noble or profound." (Pg. 185) We have lived and experienced that truth.

In the case of Mary and Martha's loss, Lazarus' death was overturned so the analogy is not 100% our situation. For though we prayed for our son's resurrection, it did not happen. Yet I can answer your question on page 132 relating to Mary and Martha, "Was the price of their pain worth the gift of their faith?" with a resounding yes. And although I would never wish the experience of losing a child on anyone else, I would neither trade it for anything as a result of God's immeasurable gift of himself to us in and through the experience.

It is as the authors begin their profound book, " We are no longer asking God for proof of his existence but rather for proof of his presence." ( Pg 51) Yes, it is all about God's presence and God's courtship and the master romantic wisely leaves us with some mystery as on page 249, "If we feel like our prayers aren't being answered, perhaps it is because we don't see the answers. We don't recognize God's responses. The way to correct that is not to learn better techniques, but to learn more about God." Yes! Isn't that exactly what God wants and where our experiences are meant to take us?

Finally as declared on page 255, "Prayer doesn't work. God works. And God works when people pray." What an amazing God who desires relationship and turns it into partnership dependent upon free will. What an amazing book which asks the tough questions and dares to answer. I highly recommend it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There's prayer, and then there's prayer., April 6, 2009

By 

Jeff Miller "Consuming Worship" (Aubrey, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Six Prayers God Always Answers (Hardcover)

At first glance, you might think that Six Prayers God Always Answers, by Mark Herringshaw and Jennifer Schuchmann, is going to be just another book on prayer and how to prayer. You crack open the pages expecting a kind of self-help book for a more active and powerful prayer life. It is actually nothing of the sort.

Starting with a simple, but not completely formed idea, that "Prayer doesn't work. God works." we are taken on a ride through page after page of anecdotes and Bible stories that reflect different kinds of prayers we often breathe throughout our lives. I appreciated how the authors began by talking about prayer in general, its history, its language, and most importantly what prayer is and what it is not.

At the beginning, they point to illustrations of great "prayer warriors" throughout history, citing a story of two monks who made great personal sacrifice to live lives of prayer and devotion. In stating exactly the sort of thing I was hoping to read from this book, they authors related that many well-intentioned pastors tell stories like this from the pulpit in an effort inspire their people toward a deeper prayer life. In reality, since they are holding up such and exemplary, yet rare, example, they are actually turning people off from prayer. These fantastic stories of faith make the average Christ-follower feel inadequate and they decide to give up.


Graciously, the authors point out that examples of this sort emphasize style over substance. The truth is, as they relate, that prayer should be like communicating with a lover. Prayer is a conversation with God, and there is no formal presentation necessary to a prayer encounter with God. How can we rest on formality when prayer is an intimate encounter that literally makes us naked before God, stripping away every part of us that is not real and leaving us bare. Just try to be formal when you're buck naked. Go ahead, try it.

What the authors posit is that prayer is an instinctual thing, built into the very core of humanity. How can this be said when it seems so few people pray? While not excusing such things, there is a list running throughout the book of statements we often view as profane that may actually be instinctual prayers to the Creator.

Sometimes, in our polished-to-perfection, stick-in-the-mud-pharisaical-perfection, we automatically think that these people are just "taking the Lord's name in vain." What about when we hear expressions made in the heat of the moment. "God, help me. I'll never do it again." "God, are you there?" "Goddamn it!" "Save me, God!" "Please, God!" "Oh god, you're beautiful."

"What if these are really prayers?" the authors ask.

"Does a father stop listening to his child because the kid is swearing at him? Or is he able to see beyond the pain and the hurt that life has inflicted, to see it as a cry of a beloved child, wounded, crying out to Abba? Could Jesus see these outbursts as a cry of a wounded brother or sister? How do we know what is in the heart of those who utter such words? Do we even know our own hearts? We might just be condeming the prayers of a hurting child who is crying out, `Lord, forgive me.'"

This book is recommended for anyone who is looking for fresh perspective on a life of prayer.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This ain't your grandma's Christian book..., May 16, 2008

By 

Zach Wallace "wonder kid" (Mesa, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Six Prayers God Always Answers (Hardcover)

I bought this book for myself, but my wife grabbed it and wouldn't put it down until she'd finished it. Finally, I got my chance. What a fantastic, thought-provoking, yet easy read! I thought maybe the content wouldn't live up to the promise in the title (if the title doesn't grab your attention, I don't know what will), but it went way past even my high expectations. If you're looking for a pedantic study on prayer, then Six Prayers God Always Answers definitely isn't for you. But if you want something that's actually a joy to read and will make you look at prayer in new and energy-filling ways, then look no further. It's written in a conversational style, maybe something like Brennan Manning or Phillip Yancey, but with an edginess, humor, and transparency that makes it a perfect look at prayer for the 21st century reader. After reading this book, I realized I'd spent my life viewing prayer as if through a mirror dimly. I've viewed prayer from my narrow, human perspective. Herringshaw and Schuchmann's message to me seemed to be: there's a whole lot more to it than what you've been willing to see. And they were right.