I once read that Billy Graham prays five psalms a day (completing all 150 in a month). The more I consider that practice, the more I am convinced that such spiritual discipline is much needed in our fast-paced lives. We too often lack time for prayer and Bible reading.
Most people admit that they would like to pray more. But how to start? How to continue? What to say?
We fail to realize that we have a divine prayer book available to us! Open up the Psalms and you will discover some of the most powerful prayers ever written – powerful because they were inspired by the Holy Spirit himself.
If you are looking for a resource to help you understand how to pray the psalms, then I encourage you to pick up God’s Prayer Book: The Power and Pleasure of Praying the Psalms by pastor Ben Patterson. God’s Prayer Book leads you through a selection of psalms, illuminating ways in which you can make these ancient prayers the cry of your own heart.
This is not a book of prayers inspired by the psalms. It is a book that puts the actual psalms in the spotlight. Patterson says just enough to stir our hearts to pray. He is a guide. He does not do the praying for you.
Neither should you expect a scholarly commentary on the psalms (though I admit I will consult this book whenever I preach through the psalms). God’s Prayer Book is the best kind of devotional – one that shines light on the psalms and and offers some specific prayer points to get you started, without weighing you down with too many details.
The best part of Patterson’s work is his focus on spiritual formation. Patterson believes that praying the psalms changes our desires:
“Prayer is more than a tool for self-expression, a means to get God to give us what we want. It is a means he uses to give us what he wants, and to teach us what he wants.” (7)
Patterson sees the psalms as a mirror that reveal us. Whenever we read them, they show us who we are in light of God’s majesty. But whenever we pray them, they change us.
God’s Prayer Book contains the meditations of a man who has spent many years drinking deeply from the Scriptures. The book is also filled with good illustrations. Pastors will want to file away some of the stories for future use in sermons.
If it is true that “80 perecent of learning to pray is just showing up – and doing it” (22), then God’s Prayer Book is the perfect way to get started.
