27. Praying the Bible

27. Praying the Bible. Donald S. Whitney. 2015. Crossway. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Since prayer is talking with God, why don’t people pray more?

Donald S. Whitney argues that Christians struggle with praying because prayer is boring. Why is prayer boring? Because Christians tend to pray for the same old things in the same old way--in other words, their prayers use the same words, same patterns, day after day, week after week, etc. He writes, "Prayers without variety eventually become words without meaning."

Christians tend to treat prayer not as a two-way conversation but as a one-way conversation.

Of course, another reason people struggle--and Whitney acknowledges as well--is distraction.

He has a solution for both 'problems'. That solution is praying the Bible. In this little book, he teaches readers how to pray through the Psalms and passages of the New Testament. Though any passage can be prayed--Genesis through Revelation. His goal is to get you started and the easiest--the best--place to start is the book of Psalms.

To pray the Bible, you simply go through the passage line by line, talking to God about whatever comes to mind as you read the text. See how easy that is? Anyone can do that. Just speak to the Lord about everything that occurs to you as you slowly read his Word. What does the text of Scripture tell us to pray about? Everything, right?  Every person, every object, every issue, every circumstance, every fear, every situation—everything in the universe is something we may bring before God. So every thought that enters your mind as you are reading a passage of Scripture—even if that thought has nothing to do with the text before you at the moment—is something you may bring to God...
If you are praying through a psalm, you simply read that psalm line by line, talking to God about whatever thoughts are prompted by the inspired words you read. If your mind wanders from the subject of the text, take those wandering thoughts Godward, then return to the text. If you come to a verse you don’t understand, just skip it and go to the next verse. If you don’t understand that one, move on. If you do understand it but nothing comes to mind to pray about, go to the next verse. If sinful thoughts enter in, pray about them and go on.
You may read twenty or thirty verses in that psalm, and yet on a given day have only five or six things come to mind. No problem. Nothing says you have to pray over every verse. Nothing says you have to finish the psalm...
Talk to God about the words you read in the Bible, and you’ll never again pray the same old things about the same old things. 

He makes distinctions between reading the Bible, praying the Bible, and studying the Bible. The methods you use for praying the Bible are not necessarily sound methods for teaching or preaching through the Bible.  

Correctly handling the Word of God does not permit making the text say what we want. To understand the Bible accurately—which is essential for right belief and living, for truthful sharing with others, and for authoritative teaching and preaching—we must do whatever is necessary to discover (or “exegete”) the single, God-inspired meaning of every verse before us. The text of the Bible means what God inspired it to mean, not “what it means to me.”
Bible reading is secondary in this process [of praying the Bible]. Our focus is on God through prayer; our glance is at the Bible. And we turn Godward and pray about every matter that occurs to us as we read. Do you see the distinction?

I have enough confidence in the Word and the Spirit of God to believe that if people will pray in this way, in the long run their prayers will be far more biblical than if they just make up their own prayers.

Without the Scripture to shape our prayers, we are far more likely to pray in unbiblical ways than if we pray the thoughts that occur to us as we read the Scripture.

The book is practical. He has a plan in mind for you to put this into practice.

With the Psalms of the Day you take thirty seconds or so to quickly scan five specific psalms and pick the one that best leads you to prayer on that occasion. While reading five psalms a day is a great practice that many enjoy, that’s not what I’m advocating here. What I’m suggesting is that you take half a minute to quickly scan five psalms and pick one of those five to pray through. Here’s how it works. The first psalm is the one that corresponds with the day of the month. 

Day of the Month	Psalms to Skim
1	1, 31, 61, 91, 121
2	2, 32, 62, 92, 122
3	3, 33, 63, 93, 123
4	4, 34, 64, 94, 124
5	5, 35, 65, 95, 125
6	6, 36, 66, 96, 126
7	7, 37, 67, 97, 127
8	8, 38, 68, 98, 128
9	9, 39, 69, 99, 129
10	10, 40, 70, 100, 130
11	11, 41, 71, 101, 131
12	12, 42, 72, 102, 132,
13	13, 43, 73, 103, 133
14	14, 44, 74, 104, 134
15	15, 45, 75, 105, 135
16	16, 46, 76, 106, 136
17	17, 47, 77, 107, 137
18	18, 48, 78, 108, 138
19	19, 49, 79, 109, 139
20	20, 50, 80, 110, 140
21	21, 51, 81, 111, 141
22	22, 52, 82, 112, 142,
23	23, 53, 83, 113, 143
24	24, 54, 84, 114, 144
25	25, 55, 85, 115, 145
26	26, 56, 86, 116, 146
27	27, 57, 87, 117, 147
28	28, 58, 88, 118, 148
29	29, 59, 89, 119, 149
30	30, 60, 90, 120, 150
31	Psalm 119

And if you will take thirty seconds to review five psalms every day, it is uncanny how one of them will express something that is looking for expression in your heart.

I love how Whitney guides you through this method. I love how he encourages you to try it. I definitely got a Green Eggs With Ham vibe! His passionate pleas to actually pray were compelling and persuasive.

I also love how he quotes some great theologians throughout the book--men, for the most part, who have learned that praying the Bible is transformative in their lives.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

88. 365 talks with Jesus

365 Talks with Jesus: Prayers to Share with Little Ones. Amy Parker. Illustrated by Sally Garland. 2024. [February 2024] 416 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Dear Parent, This little book is a collection of 365 simple, Bible-based prayers to spark conversations between your little ones and Jesus. We believe prayer—seeking Jesus every day, in every way—is the most transformational tool with which we can empower our children. And the earlier we start, the better. We have carefully written these prayers to be relatable to preschoolers, in language they can understand. Each short prayer can be read aloud by the parent and includes a quick, bold line for your child to repeat before saying, “Amen.”

This prayer book for young children [toddlers through lower elementary] contains 365 prayers. These prayers are arranged in thematically into sections: "When I Am Happy," "When I Am Sad," "When I Am Afraid," "When I Am Thankful," "When I Worry," "When I Am Angry," When I Feel Alone," "When Someone is Mean," "When I Need to Share," "When I Need Help," "When I Need to Forgive," When I Need Peace," "When I've Done Something Wrong," "When I Don't Know What To Do," "When I Have to Do Hard Things," "When I Don't Understand," "When I Wonder About God," "When I Wonder About Jesus," "When I Wonder About the Bible," "When I Wonder About Heaven."

The prayers are straight-forward, kid-friendly, relatable, concise, not overly flowery, not unnaturally rhyming. In other words, everything I personally think a kid's prayer book should be. 

My first impression is that I would have absolutely LOVED this book as a kid. I think I would have worn out a copy of it. Not because it being poorly made, but because I could imagine my younger self praying some of these sections through OFTEN. I appreciate the child's point of view that has been kept front and center. Will every reader find it authentic? I can only say that I found it authentic. 

As an adult I appreciate the doctrinal skeleton upon which these prayers are built. There is a strong biblical foundation. I feel--for whatever it's worth--that the author of these prayers is familiar with the Word of God, values the Word of God, upholds the Word of God as being the VERY (actual) Word of God. 

This book certainly could be read cover to cover, one prayer a day. BUT I think the value is in the fact that you can use it as a resource. As many times a day as you want, for example, and matching the prayer with the day's experiences and emotions. This book isn't necessarily something to "check off" a list, a "duty" to be done. It is a practical, in-the-moment guide to ease parents and young children into prayer. Again, I think the emphasis is not pray these exact prayers forever and ever. I think it is a way to train hearts and minds to talk naturally with God. I wouldn't be surprised if the ultimate goal was for little ones to begin praying their own words to God. 

Sample prayers [aka Quotes]

Dear Jesus, Just knowing that You are with me makes me happy. I love singing songs about You. I love reading about You. I love talking to You. Thank You for bringing so much joy! Amen.

Dear Jesus, The Bible reminds us that we are happy when we trust in You (Proverbs 16:20). It helps me feel safe and loved to know that You are always there. Thank You for being someone I can count on. Help me always to know that I can trust in You. Amen.

Dear Jesus, I know that You are powerful. I know that You made me, and You have known me from the very beginning. I know that You made me to have all kinds of feelings—feelings like sadness and happiness and excitement and anger. Thank You for caring about how I feel, Jesus. Amen.

Jesus, Sometimes when my mind and body are tired, they can make me cry. I know that my mind and body need rest. Thank You for giving us feelings to remind us of what we need. Help me to get the rest I need, Jesus. Amen.

When I’m sad or grumpy, I’m not always very nice. Instead of spreading joy, I make others feel bad. Jesus, help me to love others like You do. Help me to be nice to everyone around me, even when I don’t feel like being nice. Amen.

Dear Jesus, Being sad can sometimes feel like too much. Sometimes it can seem like no one understands. Sometimes it can seem like no one can fix it. But You can, Jesus. Help me remember to talk to You when I’m sad. Amen.

Dear Jesus, Sometimes I’m afraid of something that ends up being silly, like trying a new food. Sometimes I let my fear grow too big. And other times my fears are important. They keep me safe. Help me to know the difference. Jesus, please calm my fears. Amen.

Jesus, Thank You for the people I can go to when I’m afraid. Thank You for the people who listen to my fears. Thank You for the people who hold me close and tell me that I’m safe. Thank You, Jesus, for the people who help calm my fears. Amen.

Jesus, In the Bible, You say not to worry (Matthew 6:31). But I do. I worry about big things. I worry about little things. I worry about things I can’t control. So help me, Jesus. Help me not to worry. Amen.

Jesus, Sometimes when I’m angry, I do mean things that I shouldn’t. I use my hands and feet and body to show my anger and hurt other people. Please forgive me. Help me, Jesus, to use my words to tell why I am angry. Amen.

Oh, Jesus, You’ve given us the best gift! You give us Your peace. Your peace calms the storms. It cleans up the messes. It makes our hearts feel better when they are sad. Thank You, Jesus, for giving me Your peace. Amen.

Dear Jesus, The Bible tells us that when we have Your words in our heart, they help us choose right over wrong (Psalm 119:11). Jesus, help me to listen to and know the words You’ve given us. Jesus, help me to keep Your words in my heart so that I do the right thing. Amen.

Even when we think we do understand something, the Bible tells us not to depend on ourselves (Proverbs 3:5–6). It’s not that we shouldn’t learn and understand things, but that we should trust God more. Jesus, help me trust God more than the things I learn and understand. Amen.

I know that You are perfect. And I’m not. I can be mean and selfish and grumpy and stubborn. But the Bible tells us that You didn’t come to the world to tell us how bad we are. You came so that we could be saved (John 3:17). Thank You, Jesus, for saving me. Amen.

Jesus, Your Word tells us that the Bible was breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16). I imagine someone’s foggy breath on a cold day—maybe that’s like God’s holy breath creating the Bible. When I don’t know what to do, when I feel like God is far away, help me to remember to pick up my Bible. Jesus, help me to remember that the Bible is the breath of God. Amen.

Oh, Jesus, Help me to remember that the words You have given me aren’t just words. You said that they are spirit and life (John 6:63). They help me grow closer to You, and, when I obey them, they help me have the best life. Jesus, help me always to learn from the Bible so that I will have Your spirit and life. Amen.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

70. Fount of Heaven

Fount of Heaven: Prayers of the Early Church. Robert Elmer. 2022. 352 pages. [Source: Library] 

First sentence: Scripture tells us in Luke 11:1 that the original twelve disciples asked Jesus how to pray. It was a good question then, and one worth asking again today.

Fount of Heaven is a collection of prayers from the early church fathers; these prayers come from the first few centuries of the church. 

I believe they are arranged somewhat topically. Though to be fair I had a hard time decoding the topics and themes. In part, I think there IS a definite gap. The writings feel foreign which can be explained for at least two reasons: the authors were born thousands of years ago AND there are big cultural shifts. It isn't a bad thing to get snapshots from the past. Especially if you want to take the time to really settle in and engage with the writing. This requires perhaps getting out of your comfort zone and putting in the effort to find meaning, to go beyond the surface level. 

I was hoping this one would read more like Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers. It didn't. That's not the author's fault. 

The author I found myself 'liking' most was Augustine. I think for me personally I might have been better off seeking something that was just focused on Augustine. I'm sure such books exist! 

I also think this one probably wasn't meant to be read cover to cover in a week. Again, I think if you were to have this book in hand and spend weeks, months, or even an entire year with it, you might find it valuable. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

20. The Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer: Learning from Jesus on What, Why, and How to Pray. Kevin DeYoung. 2022. 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Is there any activity more essential to the Christian life, and yet more discouraging in the Christian life, than prayer? We know we should pray. We want to pray (or at least we want to want to pray). And yet when it comes to actually praying, most of us feel like failures. 

Books on the Lord's Prayer is nothing new. That is what you might be thinking. And, you've got a point. So is this new book by Kevin DeYoung on the Lord's Prayer worth reading? I definitely think so. 

DeYoung, like many before him, goes through the Lord's Prayer phrase by phrase. But I appreciate his insight. It isn't so much that the information is completely new or out of the blue, it's just so foundational that it is a blessing to read. Almost devotional, but not in that stereotypical fluffy way, but a substantive, thought-provoking way. 

I wasn't expecting this much nourishment in 'just another' book about the Lord's Prayer. I was completely wrong. I definitely benefitted from this one. 

Quotes:

• It is the prayer that teaches us how to pray every other prayer. Obviously we don't have to include these exact words or rigidly follow this structure in every prayer, yet every Christian prayer ought to be informed and shaped by the Lord's Prayer. 
• The first set of three requests focuses on God's glory--his name, his kingdom, and his will. The second set of three requests focuses on our good--our provision, our forgiveness, and our protection. Of course, the two sets cannot be separated. God is glorified as he gives us what we need, and when we ask for what we need, we must always do it with an eye to God being glorified. That's a helpful way to think of these sets of petitions, God's glory and our own good. God is glorified as he gives us what we need, and when we ask for what we need, we must always do it with an eye to God being glorified. That's a helpful way to think of these two sets of petitions, God's glory and our good. 
• We would be greatly presumptuous to think that we could give God a new identity and a new name without doing violence to revelation and usurping God's divine prerogatives.  
• The vitality of prayer lies largely in the vision of God that prompts it. Drab thoughts of God make prayer dull. J.I. Packer
• What is important to God is that we rest in his will of decree, we obey his will of desire, and we trust that he is directing our lives through wisdom and good counsel, even when he doesn't show us the exact next step to take.
• Coming from a humble heart, the word give is not just acceptable to God; it is pleasing to him. When we pray, God is not glad for demands, but he is glorified in our dependence.
• What God wants us to see is that we are more fragile than we think, and he is much kinder to us than we imagine. 
• Today's grace is for today's trials, and when tomorrow's trials come, God will have new grace waiting for you there. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
• Anxiety is living out the future before it gets here.
• We seldom realize the danger we are in and sometimes not until it is too late.
• The last thing Jesus wants to teach us in the Lord's Prayer is that we need our Father's help because we are full of danger within us and stalked by danger around us.
• Our prayer is not for the courage to fight but for our heavenly Father to be our refuge, our rock, and our rescue. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

81. Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship. Jonathan Gibson. 2021. [November/December] 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: It may come as a surprise, but there is no explicit command in Scripture to have a time of worship each day, either as an individual or as a family. And yet it is a habit that every Christian believer or Christian family is encouraged to practice. The name of the habit may vary depending on one's Christian tradition or background--"devotion," "quiet time," or "personal or family worship"--but the basic elements of Bible reading and prayer are usually present. 

What you see is what you get. This is a LITURGY for DAILY WORSHIP. Thirty-one days of liturgical worship that can be repeated to infinity (and beyond). 

The structure of the liturgy for daily worship is:

CALL TO WORSHIP (thirty-one Scripture readings, these are taken from both Old and New Testaments)

ADORATION (thirty-one prayers--all focused on praise and adoration--taken from church history; I believe the doxology is included under this heading as well)

READING OF THE LAW (seven readings taken from Scripture--from both Old and New Testaments--regarding the law)

CONFESSION OF SIN (thirty-one prayers--all focused on confessing sin--taken from church history)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON (thirty-one Scripture readings--focusing on assurance of forgiveness of sins--taken from both the Old and New Testaments)

CREED (alternates three creeds, but one of the three creeds is divided into three; Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed)

PRAISE (Gloria Patri, two versions alternating weekly)

CATECHISM (refers you to an appendix where you'll read from the Heidelberg Catechism or the Westminster Shorter Catechism. These are undated; you are encouraged to read one question a day.)

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION (seven prayers from church history, repeated weekly)

SCRIPTURE READING (refers you to an appendix where they share the M'Cheyne reading plan. Here's where it gets confusing, the plan clearly has you reading FOUR chapters a day, but the book has you just reading one chapter a day????)

PRAYER OF INTERCESSION (thirty-one prayers from church history; you are also encouraged to pray on your own for personal, church, world needs)

LORD'S PRAYER (daily)

The book has five appendices: musical tunes for the Doxology and Gloria Patri, the two catechisms, the M'Cheyne reading plan, and the collects from the Book of Common Prayer, and author index. 

The book pulls in sources from all over--including the Book of Common Prayer. The structure is different from that of the Book of Common Prayer, and yet there are similarities to a certain degree. It does offer more variety in some ways. 

I think you could definitely improvise with this as well. You wouldn't have to read just one chapter from a daily reading plan that clearly and obviously has four readings. You wouldn't have to follow this reading plan at all.

I do wish that one of the sections was focused on the PSALMS and taking you through the Psalms each month. That's one of my favorite, favorite, favorite things about doing the Daily Offices from the Book of Common Prayer.

There are some things I'd definitely consider 'borrowing' and working into my daily devotions. 

I am considering giving this one a proper go. NOT replacing my Daily Offices, but maybe adding in another devotional time for a trial run to see how I like the layout and mechanics of it. I am so in love with the structure of the Daily Office that I don't see me abandoning that now. If, for example, I fall in love with daily time in the catechisms, I could always add that into the Daily Office. I will edit this review with further impressions--or maybe just do a new post???? We'll see.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

80. Praying The Bible

Praying the Bible. Donald S. Whitney. 2015. Crossway. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Since prayer is talking with God, why don’t people pray more?

Donald S. Whitney argues that Christians struggle with praying because prayer is boring. Why is prayer boring? Because Christians tend to pray for the same old things in the same old way--in other words, their prayers use the same words, same patterns, day after day, week after week, etc. He writes, "Prayers without variety eventually become words without meaning."

Christians tend to treat prayer not as a two-way conversation but as a one-way conversation.

Of course, another reason people struggle--and Whitney acknowledges as well--is distraction.

He has a solution for both 'problems'. That solution is praying the Bible. In this little book, he teaches readers how to pray through the Psalms and passages of the New Testament. Though any passage can be prayed--Genesis through Revelation. His goal is to get you started and the easiest--the best--place to start is the book of Psalms.

To pray the Bible, you simply go through the passage line by line, talking to God about whatever comes to mind as you read the text. See how easy that is? Anyone can do that. Just speak to the Lord about everything that occurs to you as you slowly read his Word. What does the text of Scripture tell us to pray about? Everything, right?  Every person, every object, every issue, every circumstance, every fear, every situation—everything in the universe is something we may bring before God. So every thought that enters your mind as you are reading a passage of Scripture—even if that thought has nothing to do with the text before you at the moment—is something you may bring to God...
If you are praying through a psalm, you simply read that psalm line by line, talking to God about whatever thoughts are prompted by the inspired words you read. If your mind wanders from the subject of the text, take those wandering thoughts Godward, then return to the text. If you come to a verse you don’t understand, just skip it and go to the next verse. If you don’t understand that one, move on. If you do understand it but nothing comes to mind to pray about, go to the next verse. If sinful thoughts enter in, pray about them and go on.
You may read twenty or thirty verses in that psalm, and yet on a given day have only five or six things come to mind. No problem. Nothing says you have to pray over every verse. Nothing says you have to finish the psalm...
Talk to God about the words you read in the Bible, and you’ll never again pray the same old things about the same old things. 

He makes distinctions between reading the Bible, praying the Bible, and studying the Bible. The methods you use for praying the Bible are not necessarily sound methods for teaching or preaching through the Bible.  

Correctly handling the Word of God does not permit making the text say what we want. To understand the Bible accurately—which is essential for right belief and living, for truthful sharing with others, and for authoritative teaching and preaching—we must do whatever is necessary to discover (or “exegete”) the single, God-inspired meaning of every verse before us. The text of the Bible means what God inspired it to mean, not “what it means to me.”
Bible reading is secondary in this process [of praying the Bible]. Our focus is on God through prayer; our glance is at the Bible. And we turn Godward and pray about every matter that occurs to us as we read. Do you see the distinction?

I have enough confidence in the Word and the Spirit of God to believe that if people will pray in this way, in the long run their prayers will be far more biblical than if they just make up their own prayers.

Without the Scripture to shape our prayers, we are far more likely to pray in unbiblical ways than if we pray the thoughts that occur to us as we read the Scripture.

The book is practical. He has a plan in mind for you to put this into practice.

With the Psalms of the Day you take thirty seconds or so to quickly scan five specific psalms and pick the one that best leads you to prayer on that occasion. While reading five psalms a day is a great practice that many enjoy, that’s not what I’m advocating here. What I’m suggesting is that you take half a minute to quickly scan five psalms and pick one of those five to pray through. Here’s how it works. The first psalm is the one that corresponds with the day of the month. 

Day of the Month	Psalms to Skim
1	1, 31, 61, 91, 121
2	2, 32, 62, 92, 122
3	3, 33, 63, 93, 123
4	4, 34, 64, 94, 124
5	5, 35, 65, 95, 125
6	6, 36, 66, 96, 126
7	7, 37, 67, 97, 127
8	8, 38, 68, 98, 128
9	9, 39, 69, 99, 129
10	10, 40, 70, 100, 130
11	11, 41, 71, 101, 131
12	12, 42, 72, 102, 132,
13	13, 43, 73, 103, 133
14	14, 44, 74, 104, 134
15	15, 45, 75, 105, 135
16	16, 46, 76, 106, 136
17	17, 47, 77, 107, 137
18	18, 48, 78, 108, 138
19	19, 49, 79, 109, 139
20	20, 50, 80, 110, 140
21	21, 51, 81, 111, 141
22	22, 52, 82, 112, 142,
23	23, 53, 83, 113, 143
24	24, 54, 84, 114, 144
25	25, 55, 85, 115, 145
26	26, 56, 86, 116, 146
27	27, 57, 87, 117, 147
28	28, 58, 88, 118, 148
29	29, 59, 89, 119, 149
30	30, 60, 90, 120, 150
31	Psalm 119

And if you will take thirty seconds to review five psalms every day, it is uncanny how one of them will express something that is looking for expression in your heart.

I love how Whitney guides you through this method. I love how he encourages you to try it. I definitely got a Green Eggs With Ham vibe! His passionate pleas to actually pray were compelling and persuasive.

I also love how he quotes some great theologians throughout the book--men, for the most part, who have learned that praying the Bible is transformative in their lives.

ETA: This is my THIRD time to read Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney. I read it in 2015, 2019, and 2021. It is short, concise, practical, helpful, and down to earth. It was interesting to read it in light of my recent experiences with the Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer, but I don't think the two have to be in opposition with one another. While, yes, you could go through the motions and be mindless in the liturgy--that is not the case with everyone. You can use liturgy and have a heart-soul-mind engagement. Plus the Book of Common Prayer is so saturated with Scripture. It is definitely recommended/encouraged that you read through the book of Psalms monthly with the daily office. So I think these two could be compatible. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

52. How To Pray in a Crisis

How to Pray in a Crisis. Daniel Dean Henderson. 2020. Moody Publishers. 128 pages. [Source: Review copy]


First sentence: If you are in a crisis of any kind right now, God has brought you to a divinely orchestrated crossroads. The higher path calls you to renewed trust and transformation. The lower one allures you to hide in the cocooned space of comfort, complacency, and self-protection.

How To Pray in a Crisis is a book encouraging believers to...you guessed it...pray during a crisis. But it isn't necessarily individual prayer he's urging and encouraging. He believes that you best learn to pray--in a crisis or out of a crisis--by praying in community. He is a big, big believer that prayer is something "caught" not "taught." Better to learn to pray by participating in group community prayer and watching older and wiser prayer warriors at work than by reading a book. (Odd that this advice should come in a book? Perhaps.)

He shares with readers a four step guide to renewed prayer.

STEP ONE DECIDE TO LET GOD BIRTH FRESH CONVICTION
STEP TWO DEVOTE YOURSELF TO A CONSISTENT EXPERIENCE OF PRAYING IN COMMUNITY
STEP THREE DEVELOP YOUR BIBLICAL, LIFEGIVING PRAYER COMPETENCY
STEP FOUR DETERMINE YOU’LL BECOME SPIRITUALLY CONTAGIOUS

I have slight issues with the phrasing of the first step, I must admit. I don't believe we "let God" do anything. God is God is God is God is God. We are not. God is not waiting around for permission to do anything. If the new birth is accomplished without letting us let God, then certainly letting God birth fresh conviction in us is a bit ridiculous. But aside from the phrasing, I didn't have any huge issues with the theology.

Prayerlessness is my declaration of independence from God. Conversely, prayerfulness is my declaration of desperate dependence on God.

I think that offers food for thought right there. I would imagine most people don't reckon the relationship between the two that bluntly. By not praying, I am declaring my independence from God.

I do agree that crisis offers OPPORTUNITY for great growth spiritually.

I do agree that an open Bible is a great place to start with any prayer.


© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

9. Journey in Prayer

Journey in Prayer: 7 Days of Praying with Jesus. John Smed. Justine Hwang. Leah Yin. 2012/2020. [May] Moody Publishers. 160 pages. [Source: Review copy] [prayer; devotional; christian nonfiction]

First sentence: My journey in prayer begins in a monastery garden.

Journey in Prayer: 7 Days of Praying with Jesus is centered around the Lord's Prayer. Books about prayer abound. There are books that focus on the why, the how, the when, the where. Just about any aspect of praying--there's a book that covers that aspect exactly. Even so, I find Journey in Prayer to be hard to classify.

The Lord's Prayer is the jumping off place certainly. But it's more the spring to get you lifted up and going. It isn't grounded and rooted into learning more about The Lord's Prayer, not really. It's more like the Lord's Prayer is the stone you throw in the water, and these devotions, these studies are the ripples that follow. I wouldn't classify this one as saturated in Scripture so much as saturated in feelings, emotions, stories, illustrations, quotes.

The book has a lot of blank spaces for readers to write in. This is supposed to be an immersive, interactive journey. One can only gain by actually doing the exercises. Theoretically speaking of course.

If you are seeking out a book on prayer--in general--I'd go elsewhere. If you are seeking out a book on the Lord's Prayer specifically, I'd definitely go elsewhere. It perhaps is lacking a little in depth and substance, but has plenty of width. It's like a swimming pool that's only two feet deep. Depending on where YOU are in your faith journey, you may or may not benefit from reading it.





© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: On Earth As It Is In Heaven

On Earth As It Is In Heaven: How the Lord's Prayer Teaches Us To Pray Effectively. Warren Wiersbe. 2010. 156 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: We should always begin with the basics, the fundamentals.

This is both a book about a specific prayer--The Lord's Prayer--and  prayer in general. Wiersbe seeks to encourage believers to actually pray and pray effectively. The Lord's Prayer is his teaching tool. He breaks the Lord's Prayer down phrase by phrase. As he's teaching believers, he's challenging them to think, to reflect, to meditate. He asks some tough questions that are worth our time to try to answer.

I would definitely recommend this one. I enjoyed his narrative style. He knows how to tell a good story, yet he never strays far from Scripture. (There was one sentence that had me scratching my head and questioning his theology--but only one. That's not bad. Here is that sentence: "In short, all of us as God's children need to allow the Holy Spirit to use this prayer in our lives so that we might please the Father, become more like the Son, and be used of the Holy Spirit to make a difference in this world.")

Quotes:

• Martin Luther said that "the ancients ably defined prayer an Ascensus mentis ad Deum, a climbing up of the heart unto God."'
• Prayer is a miracle, and the sooner you realize this fact, the sooner prayer ceases to be a dull routine or a religious burden.
• Prayer isn't an option; it's an obligation and an opportunity for us to glorify God's name and receive his blessing.
• Are the priorities of our churches and of our individual lives the same as those of our great God? If not, what should we do about it?
• Not only does prayer connect us with a great God, but the very privilege of prayer is ours at a great price. Jesus Christ had to suffer and die on the cross to make it possible for us to approach the throne of grace to worship and to pray (Heb. 10:19-25). When he finished his redemptive work on earth, Jesus arose from the dead, ascended to the Father in heaven, and began his work of intercession on our behalf. To neglect prayer is to cheapen everything Jesus accomplished for us at Calvary and is doing for us now in glory.
• God answers prayer, not just to meet the needs of his burdened children but to bring glory to his name through the answers. That's one reason why God permits difficulties in our lives, so that his ministry to us will reveal his power and glory to those who are watching.
• The prayer asks the Father to forgive the sins of the past, to provide what we need for the present day (both physical and spiritual), and to guide us in the future as we anticipate the coming of Christ's kingdom.
• The Lord's Prayer is not only a family prayer, it's a balanced prayer. In it you find requests that relate to the past ("forgive us our debts"), the present ("Give us today our daily bread"), and the future ("your kingdom come").
• We glorify our Father in heaven by being what Jesus told us to be: salt in a decaying world and light in a dark world (Matt. 5:13-16).
• We are pilgrims and strangers on earth because we are citizens of heaven where our Savior is enthroned, and one day he will come to take us home (Phil. 3:20-21).
• The people of this world look at heaven from earth's point of view, but God's people look at this world from heaven's point of view.
• What does it mean to walk by faith? It means to obey God's Word in spite of the feelings within us, the circumstances around us, and the consequences before us.
• The phrase "our Father" speaks of God's nearness to us, while the phrase "in heaven" speaks of his distance and difference from us, and both truths are important in the Christian life and must be kept in balance.
• We all need margins; otherwise, even the people we love may rob us of the room we need for thinking, praying, and growing. But solitude is only one side of the coin. We also need connections, relationships with people who can challenge us, teach us, and encourage us, even if occasionally they irritate us. We have no right to "do our own thing" at the expense of society.
• The words "Our Father" remind us not to pray selfishly for anything that would hurt or harm another believer or another church.
• Humble prayers build bridges, but selfish prayers tear them down and build barbed wire fences.
• The glorifying of God's name, the coming of God's kingdom, and the accomplishing of God's will on earth are the Lord's "prayer priorities" that we must prioritize as well.
• While we live in this world, one of our responsibilities is to magnify the name of the Lord. If we truly reverence Jesus in our hearts (1 Peter 3:15), we will ask God to use us to magnify him before an unbelieving world.
• To most people, Jesus seems very far away, so we should be like telescopes that bring him closer so people can see him in us.
• Death did not take him; he willed his own death and in that death defeated death forever.
• But how can the church advertise the virtues of Christ if the church is imitating the world?
• We have been called to shine as lights, not to reflect as mirrors. We don't belong to this world system (John 17:14-19) but to a heavenly counterculture that is hated by the same world system that hated Jesus and crucified him.
• If we pray "your kingdom come" while at the same time compromising with the world, we are hypocrites and our prayers will not be answered. Our lives must be different from the lives of the lost people and the careless Christians around us.
• Praying "your kingdom come" involves more than simply uttering three words. It demands the devotion and dedication of our entire being to Jesus as we eagerly anticipate seeing him!
• He bridged the gulf between heaven and earth by sending three gifts to our rebellious planet: his inspired Word, his beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• Our Lord gave three invitations: come, take, and learn. If they came to him, he would give them rest in their hearts because their sins would be forgiven. If they took his yoke, he would walk with them and help them carry their burdens. And if they learned from him, they would find a deeper rest in his grace and love. The unconverted person wears a heavy yoke of sin that grows heavier each day. The outwardly religious person wears a yoke of rules and rituals that bring no relief. But the children of God are united to Christ and wear a yoke that is easy ("fitted"). They carry a burden that is light, because "his commands are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).
• I'm not personally responsible that the whole earth obey the will of God, but I am responsible to pray this prayer and see to it that I obey his will joyfully from my heart (Eph. 6:6).
• We see God's grace in what God gives us as well as in the way God gives it, and we must use these gifts for the good of others and the glory of God.
• When God forgives us, he pulls the nails out of the board but he does not remove the holes.
• We don't fight for victory but from victory, the victory Christ won for us on the cross.
• Have you ever considered the Lord's Prayer from Satan's point of view? To him the words "Our Father in heaven" are a declaration of war, not a declaration of faith.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Praying the Bible

Praying the Bible. Donald S. Whitney. 2015. Crossway. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Since prayer is talking with God, why don’t people pray more?

Donald S. Whitney argues that Christians struggle with praying because prayer is boring. Why is prayer boring? Because Christians tend to pray for the same old things in the same old way--in other words, their prayers use the same words, same patterns, day after day, week after week, etc. He writes, "Prayers without variety eventually become words without meaning."

Christians tend to treat prayer not as a two-way conversation but as a one-way conversation.

Of course, another reason people struggle--and Whitney acknowledges as well--is distraction.

He has a solution for both 'problems'. That solution is praying the Bible. In this little book, he teaches readers how to pray through the Psalms and passages of the New Testament. Though any passage can be prayed--Genesis through Revelation. His goal is to get you started and the easiest--the best--place to start is the book of Psalms.

To pray the Bible, you simply go through the passage line by line, talking to God about whatever comes to mind as you read the text. See how easy that is? Anyone can do that. Just speak to the Lord about everything that occurs to you as you slowly read his Word. What does the text of Scripture tell us to pray about? Everything, right?  Every person, every object, every issue, every circumstance, every fear, every situation—everything in the universe is something we may bring before God. So every thought that enters your mind as you are reading a passage of Scripture—even if that thought has nothing to do with the text before you at the moment—is something you may bring to God...
If you are praying through a psalm, you simply read that psalm line by line, talking to God about whatever thoughts are prompted by the inspired words you read. If your mind wanders from the subject of the text, take those wandering thoughts Godward, then return to the text. If you come to a verse you don’t understand, just skip it and go to the next verse. If you don’t understand that one, move on. If you do understand it but nothing comes to mind to pray about, go to the next verse. If sinful thoughts enter in, pray about them and go on.
You may read twenty or thirty verses in that psalm, and yet on a given day have only five or six things come to mind. No problem. Nothing says you have to pray over every verse. Nothing says you have to finish the psalm...
Talk to God about the words you read in the Bible, and you’ll never again pray the same old things about the same old things. 

He makes distinctions between reading the Bible, praying the Bible, and studying the Bible. The methods you use for praying the Bible are not necessarily sound methods for teaching or preaching through the Bible.  

Correctly handling the Word of God does not permit making the text say what we want. To understand the Bible accurately—which is essential for right belief and living, for truthful sharing with others, and for authoritative teaching and preaching—we must do whatever is necessary to discover (or “exegete”) the single, God-inspired meaning of every verse before us. The text of the Bible means what God inspired it to mean, not “what it means to me.”
Bible reading is secondary in this process [of praying the Bible]. Our focus is on God through prayer; our glance is at the Bible. And we turn Godward and pray about every matter that occurs to us as we read. Do you see the distinction?

I have enough confidence in the Word and the Spirit of God to believe that if people will pray in this way, in the long run their prayers will be far more biblical than if they just make up their own prayers.

Without the Scripture to shape our prayers, we are far more likely to pray in unbiblical ways than if we pray the thoughts that occur to us as we read the Scripture.

The book is practical. He has a plan in mind for you to put this into practice.

With the Psalms of the Day you take thirty seconds or so to quickly scan five specific psalms and pick the one that best leads you to prayer on that occasion. While reading five psalms a day is a great practice that many enjoy, that’s not what I’m advocating here. What I’m suggesting is that you take half a minute to quickly scan five psalms and pick one of those five to pray through. Here’s how it works. The first psalm is the one that corresponds with the day of the month. 

Day of the Month	Psalms to Skim
1	1, 31, 61, 91, 121
2	2, 32, 62, 92, 122
3	3, 33, 63, 93, 123
4	4, 34, 64, 94, 124
5	5, 35, 65, 95, 125
6	6, 36, 66, 96, 126
7	7, 37, 67, 97, 127
8	8, 38, 68, 98, 128
9	9, 39, 69, 99, 129
10	10, 40, 70, 100, 130
11	11, 41, 71, 101, 131
12	12, 42, 72, 102, 132,
13	13, 43, 73, 103, 133
14	14, 44, 74, 104, 134
15	15, 45, 75, 105, 135
16	16, 46, 76, 106, 136
17	17, 47, 77, 107, 137
18	18, 48, 78, 108, 138
19	19, 49, 79, 109, 139
20	20, 50, 80, 110, 140
21	21, 51, 81, 111, 141
22	22, 52, 82, 112, 142,
23	23, 53, 83, 113, 143
24	24, 54, 84, 114, 144
25	25, 55, 85, 115, 145
26	26, 56, 86, 116, 146
27	27, 57, 87, 117, 147
28	28, 58, 88, 118, 148
29	29, 59, 89, 119, 149
30	30, 60, 90, 120, 150
31	Psalm 119

And if you will take thirty seconds to review five psalms every day, it is uncanny how one of them will express something that is looking for expression in your heart.

I love how Whitney guides you through this method. I love how he encourages you to try it. I definitely got a Green Eggs With Ham vibe! His passionate pleas to actually pray were compelling and persuasive.

I also love how he quotes some great theologians throughout the book--men, for the most part, who have learned that praying the Bible is transformative in their lives.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: A Book of Comfort for Those in Sickness

A Book of Comfort for Those In Sickness. Philip Bennett Power. 1876/2018. Banner of Truth. 97 pages. [Source: Bought]

From the introduction: AMONGST the many wonderful truths which are spoken of God in the Bible, one of the most wonderful and beautiful is that He is a ‘God of comfort.’

A Book of Comfort For Those in Sickness is a gem of a book. It was originally published in 1876, it has since been reprinted a few times--most recently in 2018 by Banner of Truth.

Whether your sickness or suffering leaves you in bed or a not-so-easy easy chair, this book is for you.

There are twelve chapters:

Is God a God of Comfort at All?
Hindrances to Our Believing that God is a God of Comfort
Helps to Our Believing That God is a God of Comfort
Comfort In Pain
Comfort as to Our Being Useless
Comfort in Felt Unworthiness
Comfort To Counter Envious Thoughts About Others
Comfort In Our Being a Trouble to Others
Comfort In Death That the Affliction Will Be Long
Comfort in the Thought That We Shall Have to Be Alone
Comfort In Our Fears that We Shall Dishonor God At the Last
Comfort in the Thought of Our Departure Hence

While a few chapters really stick out as being MARVELOUS AND all kinds of WONDERFUL. Each chapter is a gem. A few chapters would even be super-relevant even if you weren't enduring pain and suffering.

I have lived with chronic pain for over twenty years. Some days are more painful than others. Some days I am more functioning than others. But pain is a constant in my life. A pain-free day is something that just doesn't seem possible this side of eternity. If by pain-free you mean totally and completely free from pain everywhere. This pain has filled me with hope and longing--longing for more of Christ, longing for his Coming, longing for the days when there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more suffering, no more trials, no more temptations.

I found this book to be EXCELLENT. I loved, loved, loved it.

From chapter one, "Is God a God of Comfort At All?"

• Some people speak of God as though there is no comfort in Him at all; and that Jesus is to comfort us by enabling us to escape from God.
• (1) Get firmly convinced that God, God Himself, God the Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our Father, is a God of comfort.
• (2) Do not look anywhere else for your prime and first comfort. I do not deny that there is much comfort in friends, in happy feelings, in books, in many of the surrounding circumstances which prove alleviations in illness, but I want you to gather in your thoughts, and feel that the only sure comfort is with God.
• (3) Expect comfort from God. Man’s expectation is generally a prelude to God’s action. We must first open our mouth, and then he will fill it.

From chapter two, "Hindrances To Our Believing that God is a God of Comfort"

• The brighter any truth of God, the more does Satan endeavour to gather about it such mists as will obscure it, if indeed he cannot extinguish it altogether.
• We must not be always suspecting God. If He says one thing to us, we must not think that He means another.
• The past is dead and gone, and let the dead bury their dead. We cannot alter the bad and foolish past. It will always remain what it was. But what we are concerned with is that it should not carry itself on into the present, that it should not hurt us now, that it should be indeed ‘a past.’ Now, say to yourself: That is a bad old habit of mine, not looking to God. I must break with it altogether. Let Him now make all things new with me.
• A discouraged man is always a weak man. This Satan knows very well, and therefore, he puts all sorts of discouragements in the way of our going to God for comfort.
• I do not believe that God is well pleased with a man’s spending all his time in self-condemnation. 
• I think God might well say to us, ‘What! all looking at self, and never a look at Me! What! look at Me, and never a bit of comfort out of it!
• Are your sins of more importance than My grace? are they to occupy all the ground, and no room to be left for Me to act in comfort and blessing, the way in which I love to act?’
• He will be more glorified by your being comforted than by your continually refusing to be comforted, or crying out that you are unworthy to be comforted.
• Self-condemnation is very good in its place, but it is very bad out of its place; and it is out of its place, when we make it so big that it can blot out the comfort of God.
• We may put a penny piece so close to our eyes as to hide out the sun itself; and we may put our little selves into such a position as to blot out God.

From chapter three, "Helps To Our Believing that God is a God of Comfort."

• We must keep close to thoughts of God. We must meet Satan’s dark thoughts and suggestions about God with bright thoughts about Him.
• I consider then God’s character as my great help to believing Him to be a God of comfort.
• Bathe your thoughts then in God. Be rich in God – poor in yourselves, but rich in Him.

From chapter four, "A Comfort in Pain"

• WE must not undervalue pain. It is a folly to say that we should be above being moved by it – that, as it is only for a time, we ought not to make anything of it.  So far from making nothing of pain, I make a great deal of it. I believe it to be a very real trouble, a very great trial, something which makes a great demand upon my faith and patience, and all my powers of body and mind too. I consider it an insult to anyone suffering pain to make light of his suffering.
• Be persuaded, then, that God does not make light of your pain. I am comforted in my suffering in the thought that God knows all about it, and feels for it too.
• Sympathy is a great balm; and you have the sympathy of God.
• Therefore, be comforted in every pain with the thought that it has not escaped the observation of God, but has been noted by Him, has been felt for by Him. ‘My groaning is not hid from Thee.’
• Pain is no vulgar thing when we bring it into connection with the sympathy of God.
• Then, we come to the thought that Jesus suffered pain. Put that down as a second comfort; put it down as a great comfort.
• Christ (God and man) in His human nature, made of nerves and flesh and blood, just like yours, every nerve the same, every muscle the same, actually felt great pain; probably greater than any you have ever felt. 
• No doubt you have no pain but that He felt one like it, probably that very pain in its highest form upon the cross. I think it will help you to bear your pain, and will comfort you in it, if you come into fellowship with Christ in regard to it.
• Another comfort in pain is the thought that all this shall have an end.
• Every pain borne, is one pain less to bear.
• And God would have us think of the end. He sets all the future blessedness before us, telling us of it before we attain to it, in order that it may cheer and encourage us on our way.
• But no pain is aimless, if only we will see that it has a design. God means it to work blessing. He means that it should leave something behind it.
• In pain, if properly borne, God can be pleased. But perhaps our pain may be so sharp, or may have worn us down so much that we cannot get the mind to work actively;
• it is a comfort to think that God does not require us to think. He is no hard taskmaster. He only wills us to resign ourselves into His hands.
• We may do that, and lean back in our chairs, or on our pillows, and feel that we are pleasing Him, though we can have no active thoughts about Him.

From chapter five, "A Comfort To Our Being Useless"

• Many of the most pitiable forms of illness and suffering will be found not on beds at all, but on sofas, in arm-chairs. 
• Yes! many of the sick ones who may claim this book as their own are even walking about, but they are hit sore, and can do nothing that looks worth much.
• God has not taken away all opportunities of usefulness from you by setting you in a useless place.
• God has something for you to do, and to be, in His kingdom.
• Sometimes, we must look at things in relation to God and man; and sometimes to God alone.
• Your patience, your resignation, your glorifying God in the fires, your word of good to others, all are useful, inestimably precious in the sphere of His kingdom in which He has now appointed you to act.
• Sick man, you have a place of usefulness for God, not the old place, but His place – the place which is best in the eyes of the all-wise One.
• Under any circumstances you may be of great use by being contented and cheerful in your trouble.
• Those around you will see that God sustains you, and will bless Him and glorify Him, and perhaps learn to trust Him too.

From chapter six, "A Comfort in Felt Unworthiness"

• ‘He is empty, then there is room for Me, and Mine – I will fill him.’
• Christ will fill you with Himself, and when the Father sees the Son in you – all the Son – His own beloved Son, and not a bit of your own poor fallen self, and your own poor perishing things, He will be well pleased.
• You shall never learn anything bad about yourself, without learning something correspondingly good about Christ.
• Humble yourself – the lower the better; but always, with Christ before you. Humility without Christ will make you weak; with Him, it will make you strong. Our own unworthiness would crush us.

From chapter seven, "A Comfort to Counter Envious Thoughts..."

• When I think how I am to be comforted under these circumstances, I ask myself, ‘Who has appointed me my present lot? Who has sent me my illness? Is God in this matter? Have I distinct views upon this subject?’
• It is very unsafe to survey the lot of others, except in the light of God.
• O my God, I will behold Thee in the sanctuary, not in the glass of my poor evil heart, where I would distort Thy image, but where Thou showest Thyself, and I believe that Thou art good, and good in the highest way to me. 
• But that would not be enough. I must believe that infinite wisdom has been at work, to give me the thing best for me.
• Why it is best for me I know not; enough that, if it come from God, it must be so.
• I am comforted, because Thou who art all-wise and good hast settled my lot for me.
• We stand before Him in our individuality; and He deals with us one by one. Therefore, if I believe in God, I comfort myself, in the assurance that I have the lot that is best for me. Why it should be best, as I have said, I cannot tell; that I must leave to God.
• I comfort myself, O my God, with the belief that Thou appointest what is best for me – for me!
• Very often, we have to hunt for our blessings to find them. They are none the worse for that;
• In sickness, little mercies are as sweet and as really great to you, as very great things are to other people in health. 
• Ask God to show you the good things incidental to your lot. Believe that there are some, and look for them.

From chapter eight, "A Comfort In Our Being a Trouble to Others"

• Very often, our illness makes us sad on account of dear ones on whom we are made dependent, upon whom this illness must exercise some pressure.
• To you, my sick friend, it may be a great burden even to hold up a book; it may tire you very much to walk a few steps; you cannot talk for five minutes at a time. But you must not measure your friends round about you by yourself. You and they are under different circumstances altogether;
• Now, love makes no account of trouble; on the other hand, it rejoices in opportunities of showing itself, and counts many a thing which is troublesome in itself, no trouble at all because of the one for whom it is done.
• God will reward those who minister to us, for what they do for His sake.
• There is One who notes all they do, and who in His own time and way will reward them.
• Faith is not always wanting to know.
• God has appointed you to be the one to depend, even as He has appointed your kind friends to be the ones to be depended on.

From chapter nine, "A Comfort In Fear That The Affliction Will Be Long"

• The first grand comfort will come from living by the day.
• God meant us to live by the day. It was sin that brought in ‘trouble about the future,’ and distrust of God; and conjured up all sorts of fears and doubts and disbeliefs, to people the long weary time that it brings before the mind.
• God has mercifully cut up life into short pieces, into days; if He had not done so, we must have been overwhelmed.
• ‘God is often better to us than our fears,’
• From the habit of being on the sofa, or in bed, or being confined to the house, all these trials will be far less than they would have been, if they came only at intervals, and for short periods.
• It is also a comfort to think that, no matter how long our trial may be, it will never be too long for God’s intention.
• Comfort yourself also with the assurance that the trial will not be too long for your blessing.
• God will not send trial without the intention of blessing; therefore, where the trial is great, we may be sure that the blessing intended is great also.
• Your trial cannot be longer than the lasting power of God’s faithfulness, and mercy, and patience, and power.
• Believe that long afflictions have their peculiar meaning and blessing.
• But come what may, my God will be faithful to me all through; and will hold me by my right hand, even to the end.

From chapter ten, "A Comfort in the Thought That We Shall Have To Be Alone"

• Strengthen yourself in the honour of being in some small measure even as Christ was.
• Human applause did not carry Jesus through anything; what He did, He did without it; and we may do the like.
• Your circumstances are like His, He will make you, in your measure, like Himself.
• Depend upon it, however little sympathy you may have, you have more than He had; however often you may be misunderstood, you are not misunderstood as often as He was.
• Though we cannot enter into the depths of His suffering in any one form of it, still we can be in fellowship with it as regards ‘kind,’ and to be in fellowship with Him will brighten any lonely hour.
• Encourage yourself in the thought of ‘a presence’, and that presence – your Father’s. And that presence you will never have without His voice speaking to you, and without your voice being drawn out to respond to His.
• Our bodies, no doubt, are kept in the chamber of weakness; but our bodies are not ourselves.

From chapter eleven, "A Comfort In Our Fears That We Shall Fail and Dishonor God at the Last"

• The unknown we almost always fear. And yet, with the unknown before us, we must always live.
• There are two ways of meeting the unknown – either by not thinking about it at all, or by thinking and leaving it all to God.
• God sees the future both of our weakness and of our temptation, and when they come, we shall find that He has come with them.
• The Word of God is intended to be, not a fear-creating, but a fear-dispelling Word.
• No doubt it warns us about ourselves – our own weakness, and nothingness, and entire liability to fall – but this is only to prevent our being set on the wrong basis of self and our own strength.
• One of the uses of ‘the Word’ is to lift us out of self-strength, to put us on new standing-ground altogether, to take us out of the land of fears, and set our feet in the land of faith.
• We must leave the future to God – our future must be a God-made, God-wrought one.

From chapter twelve, "A Comfort in the Thought Of Our Departure Hence"

• One great comfort will be to believe that the best arrangement is made for everything connected with it. 
• Not arrangement by ourselves, or any near and dear to us, but by the One who from the beginning has arranged all things.
• He who is so active in all things connected with life, is equally active in all things connected with what we call Death.
• We are going to our Father. We are provided for by our Father. Our Father is in all. We are going to a place, to friends, to life. A home, and not a grave, is the true ending of our earthly life; we depart not to be, as we say, ‘dead,’ but really to live.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible