Yancey On Prayer

Introduction There is nothing that is more difficult as a Christian discipline than prayer. Many, if not most Christians struggle with prayer. Either Christians are not satisfied with their prayer life because they do not pray as often as they like, or, they are dissatisfied because it seems as if their prayers are not being answered. There are Christians who feel that prayer is a burden that cannot be overcome no matter how much prayer is offered to God. There are also many questions concerning prayer and that is why Phillip Yancey has written a book on prayer—to help struggling Christians with questions about prayer, and how one can find satisfaction when praying to God. Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference helps the reader to face some of

While Yancey provides good, biblical support for how he helps his readers think through the difficult questions regarding prayer, Yancey also mixes a lot of different religions along with Christianity. For example, when looking at how one can benefit from praying with others, Yancey quotes a Jewish teacher of prayer (Yancey, 206). There is another instance when there are believers who go through difficult times and they do not sense that God is with them. He gives an example of Teresa of Avila followed by an example of William Cowper. Yancey then goes on to quote a seventeenth-century poet, George Herbert (Yancey, 201). In the section where Yancey describes the book of Psalms as one of the greatest lessons on prayer, he talks about his visit to a Trappist monastery. In yet another section of the book, Yancey says that Teresa of Avila is a “master of prayer” followed by a quote by Martin Luther (Yancey, 184). All of these examples and illustrations (and there are many more) show that Yancey mixes the Christian religion with others, which makes reading this book on prayer very confusing. Yancey is a Christian, but he also seems to be encouraging practices from other religions. All answers are found in the Word of God, and no one need to go elsewhere but God’s revealed Word for how one should pray, and for the answers that Yancey raises in the book. It would have been helpful if Yancey quoted from Christian

Yancey encourages the reader by trying to answer these questions, but leaving the reader to do some more research on his or her own. It is important for the reader to understand and seek the answers to these questions with the Lord’s guidance and help that He provides through His Word. Students of Scripture should search diligently and be disciplined to seek out answers to some of the most important questions when it comes to prayer. For example, why should we pray when God has foreordained everything that comes to pass? What is the purpose of prayer when God knows the end from the beginning? These and other questions should be examined from a biblical perspective in order that one may have a greater, deeper, and more intimate relationship with the Lord. Second, believers should be encouraged by this book to pray more often. There is nothing like going before the throne of grace to prayer before a holy God. God is a God of love and He wants His children to go before Him in prayer. Christians should seek to have a more personal relationship with the Lord and that is accomplished by going before the Lord daily. There is no way a believer can develop or deepen his or her relationship with the Lord if prayer is absent. Yancey’s book on prayer should help the struggling believer go before the throne of grace to seek God in order to have a more personal, intimate relationship with