Pray with Your Eyes Open: Looking at God, Ourselves, and Our Prayers by Richard L. Pratt Jr.My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am constantly on the look out for books to help me pray better. Pratt's treatment is an excellent addition to my library. He is not overly profound. Nor is the book written with flair. But his treatment of prayer is solid and helpful.
Here are the parts I enjoyed most. First, he makes extensive use of the Psalms. Any book on prayer that does not do this is a failure. Second, he encourages the reader to linger over their prayers. Instead of just saying, "Thank you Lord that you are holy." He encourages us to unfold what this holiness looks like using examples from the Scriptures. Perhaps the most important way this book impacted me was by helping me spend more time praying through a specific idea or request instead of the usual bullet point prayers. Third, he has good discussion of fixed forms in prayer. That section wasn't perfect, but it was helpful and more balanced than many. Finally, he encourages the reader to give God reasons why he should answer our prayers. He shows the Psalms and other prayers in the Bible use this pattern. Abraham did not just ask God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah. He gave reasons why He should do so. Moses did the same thing. We often feel guilty doing this.
Overall, a good, practical book on how to grow in prayer.
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