I LOVE to read! And books that strengthen my relationship with Jesus are my favorite! I also love sharing books that have impacted me with other people so that they can be encouraged and equipped too. That’s the inspiration behind the Book Reviews section of this blog. Me, recommending books to you, that will help grow your faith, and connect you with authors I love and content I believe in. So…
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What’s It About
Praying Through by Jarrett Stevens is hands down one of the best books I’ve read on prayer. Jarrett’s pastor’s heart is evident in the pages of Praying Through. The book is written with a goal to demystify prayer, bring what is often seen as a high and lofty activity down to earth for practice in your everyday life, and place tools in your hand to help you become a person of real, relational, regular conversation with God.
In each chapter, Jarrett walks you through an obstacle that often keeps people from knowing how to pray and helps us learn how to talk to God through the different seasons and struggles of life. He tackles giving thanks, asking for God’s help, praying through worry and grief, asking for direction, not being able to hear from God and how to pray when you’ve run out of words.
Each chapter concludes with a practice exercise to help implement what you’ve learned from the chapter’s discussion right away in your life. Jarrett also has a pretty great ability to share funny and relatable jokes and stories, adding even more of an element of joy and personal touch to this book.
How It Impacted Me
The chapters on asking for God’s help and worry stood out to me most. Jarrett shares from personal experience how we tend to struggle with asking for the help of others when we need it and how that often translates into how we approach God.
I’m right there with him because I struggle with both too. So many times I face struggles, I’m overwhelmed, I’m worried and don’t pause to invite God’s help and peace into those situations. I grit my teeth and try to make it through on my own.
In the chapter on worry in particular, he gives a super practical approach based on Philippians 4:6-7 to help us identify what’s worrying us and bring God into those places through prayer. I underlined that section in full. Jarrett explains how we can honestly tell God what the worries are in our hearts, turn that worry into a prayer for God’s help, thank God through worship and then receive His peace in the place of our worry. Man, did those simple steps mark my heart!
Sometimes I need to be reminded that I don’t have to be embarrassed or reluctant to ask for God’s help. No situation is too big or small to give my worries over to God in prayer. And sometimes I need a fresh way of looking at something to inspire me again to do what I already know I can and should do. I imagine the same is true for you too.
Because of that, I really appreciate the way Jarrett encourages us and points us to what Scripture has to say on these topics. I have some worries to unburden to God even at the time of writing this review and I’ve been praying through Jarrett’s model based on Philippians 4 to help me bring God into those areas.
Favorite Quote
“After Jesus teaches us to start with God’s glory and goodness, it is a right and good thing to say please. That’s what “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11) means. It’s acknowledging that we have needs. Daily needs. Big and small. For us and for others. And God expects us to ask him to meet those needs.
After all, this is how Jesus prayed. Jesus, who had everything he needed and could do anything he wanted, still asked God for help. Why should we pray any differently?” – Jarrett Stevens, Praying Through
Why You Should Read It
You and I were created to talk to God. Jesus, through His sacrifice, opened the way for us to be His friends and engage that conversation. However, Christians in all stages of their walks with Jesus struggle to know how to talk to Him through the different challenges and seasons we face in life. Praying Through will give you a foundation for why and how to pray (based on the famous Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6) and will speak into specific areas of your life where you may find it harder to pray.
About Jarrett Stevens
Jarrett Stevens is husband, father, pastor, speaker and writer. He has contributed to magazines such as Christianity Today and RELEVANT and speaks at conferences across the world. Jarrett, along with his wife, Jeanne, are the founding pastors of Soul City Church in the Chicago area, where they live with their two children. *adapted from Praying Through back cover
Connect with Jarrett: Praying Through Book | Praying Through Podcast (I highly recommend! It’s great.) | Instagram
*Get your copy of Praying Through here
Let’s Talk: Have you read Praying Through? What impacted you most from the book? Discuss this post in the comments below.
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