Customer Reviews

The Soul of Prayer

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So much literature on prayer comes off being rather fluffy and ethereal, however, Forsyth's "Soul of Prayer" is food for our minds. To really grow in our prayer we must think very hard about what prayer is and what happens as a result in our own hearts. Forsyth helps the reader to examine his/her own heart with complete ruthlessness, and yet the process does not result in fear, but joy. Joy, I think, because now we are freed a little more from the bondage of our perceived self and have come to know our real self. "The Soul of Prayer" is not a "quick fix" for obstacles in our prayer life, rather, it delves deeply into our motivations; into our values; into our convictions about why we are involved in prayer at all. The reader will find numerous ideas in this book to which the only reasonable response is an immediate prayer of thanks to God. A book about prayer that prompts the reader to pray with each turned page is a book that should not be ignored. I highly recommend it.

This is worth owning and spending time in frequently. It may not be possible to just sit down and read it through! Occasionally the ideas or sentences are difficult. (Forsyth's writing has been described as "fireworks in a fog". But there is a lot more firework than fog.) Sometimes it just gets pretty meddlesome.

As the prior reviewer said, "A book about prayer that prompts the reader to pray with each turned page is a book that should not be ignored. I highly recommend it."

P. T. Forsyth takes a unique slant on the soul of prayer. I own this volume, andd it owns me; and I've bought it for others too. Forsyth believes strongly in praying for God's will to be done--no question about it. However, he points out with biblical examples that many of us back into prayer instead of battling into prayer with heart and soul. God answers prayers that mean something to us; and they must mean something to us if they're to mean anything to God. He shows us that God has some blessings for us we won't get unless we ask for them. He shows us that God honors persistent prayer like that of the importunate widow or Jacob or others. I recommend it without reservation.