Praying: Finding Our Way through Duty to Delight

by J. I. Packer; Carolyn Nystrom

Publisher:

IVP

, 2006

Overview

Merit Award, World Guild Christian Living Book

Praying is an action that is of the essence of Christian existence. It involves our beliefs, emotions, values, hopes and fears, certainties and uncertainties, knowledge and ignorance.

As J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom explain, “Our aim is not just to clarify Christian understanding but to foster Christian living. In real praying, head, heart, and hands go together.” With wisdom, humility, and sincerity the authors lead us through different moods of praying, including brooding, praising, asking, complaining, and hanging on.

In Praying the authors offer hope for those of us who daydream when we try to listen to God and stumble when we try to speak. Yet they don't just teach us about prayer; they challenge and inspire us to do it by pointing us to a clearer realization of the reality of God and his character. Let Packer and Nystrom guide your praying to our powerful God, and let him move your praying through mere duty to delight.

Key Features

• Explores how to pray according to Scriptural principles
• Offers hope for those of us who daydream when we try to listen to God and stumble when we try to speak

Contents

• To the Reader
• 1. The God We Pray To
• 2. The Path and the By-Paths
• 3. Brooding
• 4. Praising
• 5. Prayer Checkup
• 6. Asking
• 7. Complaining
• 8. Hanging On
• 9. Joining In
• 10. With My Whole Heart
• Postscript to Christians Becalmed in Their Praying
• For Discussion and Reflection
• Further Reading

Praise for the Print Edition

This book is a powerful reminder that through prayer God speaks into our hearts. And if God is speaking, nothing else matters but listening.

—Michael Card, songwriter and Bible teacher

This is not just a book about prayer; it’s a book about God. It’s not only about technique and practice; it’s about the majestic God of the universe who bends his ear to listen to his children and who loves to respond. If you read this, you’ll not only learn to pray, but you’ll also learn more about the One you’re praying to.

—Trevin Wax, vice president of research and resource development at the North American Mission Board and author of The Thrill of Orthodoxy

Utilizing the inviting metaphor of a long and invigorating hike, Packer and Nystrom are unusually gifted and trusted guides—not only for experiencing more delightful prayer but also for living a truly formative and flourishing Christian life. As apprentices of Jesus, we are invited to a disciplined and grace-filled journey, one that is well worth the exhilarating climb. I loved this book and highly recommend it!

—Tom Nelson, president of Made to Flourish and author of The Flourishing Pastor

Product Details

• Title: Praying: Finding Our Way through Duty to Delight
• Authors: J. I. Packer, Carolyn Nystrom
• Publisher: IVP
• Print Publication Date: 2006
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 319
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subject: Prayer › Christianity
• ISBNs: 9781514007891, 9781514007884, 9780830833450, 0830833455, 1514007894, 1514007886
• Resource ID: LLS:DUTYTODELIGHT
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-09-27T17:32:08Z