I hope you’ve found this series on Prayer to be both interesting and helpful. Personally, I feel like I’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg—there is so very much more to learn, practice, and glean.
More than anything, my prayer is that all of this has simply stirred your soul with an invitation to explore your way to the heart of the Father. There are many ways to pray, but the key is always to position the heart in a place of surrender and trust. That posture always sets us up for God’s presence, and in His presence, anything is possible.
So, here’s my round-up of a few of my favorite resources. It’s not exhaustive, in fact, I intentionally kept it on the small side to guard against overwhelm. Also, at this point I don’t do affiliate marketing, so all the resources listed here are ones I use in my own library. I am not receiving any form of payment or reimbursement by listing them.
Praying scripture is powerful…
I love both of the books and how Beth Moore teaches how to pray scripture. The word of God says, that scripture is living and powerful. Speaking God’s word over life and circumstances infuses authority like nothing else I know. God meets us in his word, so when we pray scripture we are coming into agreement with his truth and declaring it into the atmosphere.
Praying God’s Word –Beth Moore
Whispers of Hope: 10 Weeks of Devotional Prayer–Beth Moore
The posture of the heart in prayer…
There is a way into the deep places with God. When we rush in with all our emotional and mental noise, we often miss the voice of the Father. It’s important to explore and acknowledge the different ways we take to know God. These are three of my favorites that explore some very different pathways into the presence of God–all of which I have used in training and development of leaders in our Church.
The Way of the Heart–Henri Nouwen
Praying in Color–Sybil Macbeth
A more traditional way of prayer…
I grew up going to a mainline liturgical church, and while I know many people find this kind of worship style to be rote and stale, I am here to tell you that it is so much more. There is a richness found in these old well-written prayers that the people pray together. I always knew that, but a couple of summers ago, while visiting family, we went to church, where an old friend from Bible College was preaching. We came in at the end of a six-week series and the topic was prayer.
I was encouraged by the message and walked away with a couple of book titles. These books have re-awakened my heart toward fixed hour and liturgical prayer. The prayers are amazing, but even more, the reality that all over the world, there are men and women stopping to pray these same prayers together. That’s powerful. I highly recommend Scot McKnight’s book, and if you want to get practical and try it out, you should definitely get Phyllis Tickle’s book too.
Praying with the Church | Following Jesus Daily, Hourly, Today–Scot McKnight
The Divine Hours –Phyllis Tickle
Practical prayer disciplines…
These book titles are excellent and practical, teaching how to lean into different prayer forms and habits. The only way to develop something is to practice. There are some compelling ideas and tips found in these books, which is always a welcome addition to any resource library!
Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home–Richard Foster
Sanctuary of the Soul: Journey into Meditative Prayer
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook –Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
Prayer Journal: 52 Weeks Prompts to Write in the Morning — Elliejoy Journals
Worship music helps…
You can find all of these albums and many more by checking out any of the online music stores, like iTunes, Spotify, Pandora–whichever one you use! I love digital music these days, because I can keep it all on my phone and ready any time and any where I am.
My Beloved Calls — Terri Geisel
I Release — Julie True
Find Rest — Julie True
Strength for My Life –Julie True
Sweet Soaking and Hymns of Prayer Music — Terri Geisel
Spirit Spa — Joshua Mills
Receive your Healing –Joshua Mills and Steve Swanson
I hope you have enjoyed this series on prayer. I’ve included all the links in case you’ve missed any of them or if you found your way here first–Check them out!
Why we pray matters and how one little adjustment changes everything.
What to pray: 7 simple kinds of prayer
Prayer forms and the way we meet with God
Praying in Concert: The Prayer Forms that Call Us Together
Also, I have a weekly devotional series I send out called, The Grace Notes. You can sign up down below!