As the steam rises aromatically from my bowl of Spaghetti
–Os, I clasp my hands together, bow my head and recite: “God is great. God is
good. Let us thank Him for this
food. Amen.” I speak the prayer
perfectly, or as perfectly as a lisping 4-year-old can.
It was the first prayer I learned. I later graduated to “please-bless-fill-in-the-blank”
prayers as I knelt by my stuffed-animal-ladened bed.
As I got older my prayers became more sporadic – reserved
for moments of pure panic, say, in the midst of a physic test I forgot to study
for.
As I reached adulthood and began seeking Jesus in earnest, I
realized there was so much more to prayer than recited graces and
terror-induced supplications.
Taking my first baby steps in my Christian walk years ago, I
could have used the gentle wisdom and Bible-based information found in Charles
Stanley’s recent book, The Ultimate
Conversation – Talking with God Through Prayer.
I
n it, Stanley offers his readers the ultimate primer on
prayer.
What is prayer?
Who are you praying to? What might be hindering you in your prayer
life? Stanley covers the basics of
an intimate conversation with God. What he comes back to again and again is simply
this: God wants, more than anything, a deep relationship with his children, to connect
with us in those moments of profound, extended prayer.
Sharing his personal experiences, Stanley makes spending
time in prayer seem the most desirable experience on the planet. Something to strive for. Something to live for.
Over the decades, Charles Stanley has proven himself a
steadfast bastion of Christian teaching and his book is a trustworthy
explanation of all aspects of Biblically-based prayer.
But if I’ve given the impression that this is a
new-believer’s book and it has no place on the shelf of a mature believer, I
apologize. The Ultimate Conversation is vintage Stanley, full of spiritual
truth that will resound with all believers. Stanley’s well-grounded writing on prayer does not
disappoint.
Whether just beginning your spiritual journey or further
along the path, The Ultimate Conversation
will strengthen and revitalize your own conversation with God.
Free advanced reader
copy of The Ultimate Conversation received from Howard Books in exchange for an
honest review.
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