Praying the Bible
Praying the Bible book cover

Praying the Bible

Hardcover – July 31, 2015

by
Price
$13.49
Format
Hardcover
Pages
112
Publisher
Crossway
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1433547843
Dimensions
5.25 x 0.47 x 8 inches
Weight
8.1 ounces

Description

“Don Whitney’s suggestion to pray the Bible has made a huge contribution to my devotional life. This little book is explosive and powerful. Read it ready to experience a great step forward in your walk with Christ and in your commitment to prayer.”― R. Albert Mohler Jr., President and Centennial Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary “My walk with the Lord has often been strengthened and encouraged by Don Whitney’s writing. Now he reminds us of the value of using Scripture as a prompt and basis for our prayers. This is a particularly helpful tool for those of us who often struggle to know what and how to pray or whose minds tend to wander during private prayer. This book will surely help many refresh their time with the Lord.”― Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author; Founder, Revive Our Hearts andxa0True Woman “If you are looking for a book to teach you not only to pray but also to invigorate your intimacy with God through prayer, this is the one. I highly recommend this book written by a man who has instructed thousands of people about spiritual disciplines in academic circles and in church settings. My soul has been nourished as I have sat under Whitney’s teaching, especially on the topic of prayer. You and I need this book. You will be blessed in more than one way.”― Miguel Núñez, Senior Pastor, International Baptist Church of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic “I prayed through Psalm 23 with tears streaming down my face, asking myself, why have I not done this before? Perhaps you’ve been told to pray the Scriptures, but you haven’t because you were never taught how to. Whitney’s simple approach makes praying through the Bible accessible while also leaving space for the Word and Spirit to work in your heart. Don’t give up on prayer! Praying the Bible will help transform your prayer life.”― Trillia Newbell, author, If God Is For Us: The Everlasting Truth of Our Great Salvation “Prayer and Scripture intake are both essential for spiritual devotion, like the left and right wings of a plane. Prayer is the Christian’s duty. It should also be the Christian’s delight. Praying the Bible will teach you to take in the joy of Scripture-led prayer.”― H. B. Charles Jr., Pastor, Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida “Whitney offers a wonderfully practical, pastoral, and biblical approach to prayer that relieves personal boredom and unleashes spiritual power. It’s so simple it will shock you and, at the same time, invigorate a renewed prayer life with your God.”― Bryan Chapell, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church in America “Whitney has taught the material in this book a number of times at the WorshipGod conferences I lead. Unfailingly his has been one of the most appreciated and life-affecting seminars we’ve offered. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.” ― Bob Kauflin, Director, Sovereign Grace Music; author, Worship Matters and True Worshipers Donald S. Whitney (PhD, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa) is professor of biblical spirituality and associate dean at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has written several books, including Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life . Don blogs regularly at BiblicalSpirituality.org. Associate Dean and Professor of Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, Family Worship ; Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life ; and Praying the Bible

Features & Highlights

  • "All Christians know they should pray, but sometimes it’s hard to know how—especially if the minutes start to drag and our minds start to wander. Offering readers hope, encouragement, and the practical advice they’re looking for, this concise book by professor Donald Whitney outlines a simple, time-tested method that can help transform our prayer lives: praying the words of the Bible. Praying the Bible shows readers how to pray through portions of Scripture one line at a time, helping us stay focused by allowing God’s Word itself to direct our thoughts and words. Simple yet profound, this resource will prove invaluable to all Christians as they seek to commune with their heavenly Father in prayer each and every day."

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(1.4K)
★★★★
25%
(585)
★★★
15%
(351)
★★
7%
(164)
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-7%
(-164)

Most Helpful Reviews

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The Absolute Best Book on Prayer. Read it!

In a world overladen with books on prayer that leave one as overwhelmed as they were before, Dr. Whitney comes in with relief for the weary. This is - by far - the best book on prayer that I've ever read. That is no small compliment, especially in light of excellent books by devotional giants like Andrew Murray, Matthew Henry, and Martin Luther, to name a few. I cannot say enough great things about this book! There are several strengths to "Praying the Bible". Here, though, I will list only a few that come to mind:

1. Simplicity. It is the simplest book on prayer that you will ever find. Dr. Whitney is a scholar, but he is a pastor first, and it shows in how simple he lays out his tried and true method for prayer. He leads the dejected and spiritually parched Christian by the hand to an ever-flowing fountain of fresh spring water. My first-grader can follow this book and put it into practice.

2. Practicality. I've read some books on prayer that leave me lost in a fog, not knowing what to do. Prayer, above all, is a discipline to practice. It is something the Christian must do. Dr. Whitney gives the reader very concrete instructions and helps to immediately improve their prayer life. The reader leaves knowing exactly what to do and with a very clear plan on how to do it.

3. Theocentricity. That's the best word I could use to describe the overall flavor of the book. It points the reader back to his/her God. It drives the one who prays to the word of the One to whom they pray. It exalts the God of Scripture and his holy, inspired, inerrant word. This gives the reader a clear focus on God as they approach him in prayer. This is exactly what every Christian needs. Not just more methods, even simple, practical ones; but a reorientation to the glory of the Bible and the God who reveals himself to us there.

4. Brevity. I suppose this goes along with "simplicity" but it deserves its own mentioning. This book is very short. It is surprisingly short. You could pick it up and finish in a few hours, reading at a reasonable pace. However, I'd suggest taking a weekend to prayerfully work through the book. Dr. Whitney offers much profundity in very little space, and this is exactly what weary, prayerless sheep need.

Do yourself a favor worth a billion dollars to your soul. Grab your Bible and grab this book. Read every page of this book and do what it says. I did, and my prayer life has not been the same since. Thank you, Dr. Whitney!
19 people found this helpful
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Although I do think the overall concept is great, I think the author worked really hard to ...

I am honestly a little surprised at the sheer number of five-star reviews for this book. Although I do think the overall concept is great, I think the author worked really hard to stretch that concept out over enough pages to sell this as a book. Whitney repeats himself over and over throughout the book, and it's because there simply is not enough "meat" to fill a book. His concept of praying scripture would have been great for a brochure or one-page cheat sheet, but it is simply not enough material for a book.
13 people found this helpful
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Great book, Simple to Implement

Donald Whitney’s Praying The Bible is a small book about a simple idea to overcome a big problem.  The problem: for many believers prayer is hard, sometimes dry, and spending extended periods of time in prayer is an impossible sounding fantasy achieved by super-saints like George Muller.  The solution: open your Bible.

Whitney’s first chapter presents “The Problem” where he asks the important question, “Since prayer is talking with God, why don’t people pray more?  Why don’t people enjoy prayer more?”  He has put his finger on an area that resonates with most Christians and is probably a source of discouragement for many of them.  Of course praying should be a joy!  But it so often isn’t…

His solution is simply, “when you pray, pray through a passage of Scripture, particularly a psalm.”  This clear-cut technique provides great hope for those who struggle with prayer.  It fuels prayer with God’s own words, adds endless variety, causes the Christian to meditate on the Bible, provides the discipline of moving forward through the Psalms in prayer, and on top of that, IT’S BIBLICAL TO PRAY THE PSALMS!

In following chapters, Whitney addresses potential problem areas (such as how to handle passages that you don’t understand or imprecatory psalms), fleshes out the nitty-gritty of the method (such as how to choose psalms to pray), and provides practical examples of praying through verses. 

He continues on by explaining how to pray other sections of Scripture (epistles and narrative) before arriving at what he calls, “The Most Important Part of This Book” where he challenges the reader to put the method into practice RIGHT NOW!  This short chapter and challenge serves as a reminder that this is not a magical book.  It presents Christians with a simple way to stimulate their prayer lives, but the method has to be implemented.  While other chapters follow, this is the pivotal point.  Will you choose to let the author’s challenge pass you by as an inspirational, but fleeting, thought?  Or will you choose to pick up your Bible, read God’s very words to you, and talk to your Lord?
9 people found this helpful
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no longer is prayer a struggle!

this book became a tool for me.....not a useless tool but a tool to greater prayer life. I used to struggle and seem to pray
for the same things over and over but no longer!!! I look forward to each morning, before coffee or whatever. open
the psalms as he says to do and then writing out my prayers. by writing I stay focused in my old age. I began a few months
ago and knowing me, I figured it wouldn't last, but It has!!~ thanks and praise for such a marvelous book. It allows me
to even begin using N.t. scripture for prayer...but I do stay with the psalms. My prayer life has been so enriched!
4 people found this helpful
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Practical and Quick Guide to Prayer

This is one of those books that I will never forget. It's written in a very conversational tone that I enjoy. Dr. Whitney is a professor, and the reader will feel like they are sitting in on one of his teachings. The content is (while repetitive) very very practical and helpful. My prayer life will no doubt be changed for the better by putting these strategies into practice (particularly praying through the Psalms). Whitney has always been a go-to author when it comes to spirituality, and this book is very helpful.

The only down side is the repetitiveness, as I mentioned. I almost think this could be a paperback booklet for $5, rather than being priced as high as it is as a hardback. Nevertheless, great stuff!
4 people found this helpful
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Two Stars

Not as good as I thought it would be.
3 people found this helpful
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Would be good for a new Christian

Not what I expected. Most of the material in this book I had read from other authors. Would be good for a new Christian.
2 people found this helpful
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The best part of these sections is that he doesn’t simply ...

Have you ever struggled with prayer? I’ve never met a Christians who could answer that question by saying ‘No.’ At some point, every believers probably struggles with prayer, and often we think it’s us. Somehow we’ve drifted from God, we’re not spiritual enough, or our attention spans won’t allow for enough focus. But maybe the problem is our method for prayer. This is Donald Whitney’s thesis in his new book, Praying the Bible. Whitney is known for his work on the spiritual disciplines, and the two most important come together in this book.

In the first part of the book, Whitney tries to make the case for using the Bible as the basis for our prayer lives, especially the Psalms. He reminds the reader that we often rightly pray about the same things. The problem comes when we pray about them in the same ways. We lack spiritual imagination and insight which leaves our prayers stale and lifeless. The solution is found in the Bible itself where God can direct our prayers.

The Psalms are especially helpful because most of them were themselves originally written as prayers. They were meant to be sung and prayed by God’s people. In this way, they are examples to us on how to respond to God from every kind of emotional perspective. Moreover, they cover a wide array of theological topics. In the Psalms, you have divine instructions on how to pray through all circumstances.

In the second half of the book, Whitney moves into a series of “how to” chapters, giving practical advice on how to actually pray the Bible. He begins with the Psalms, utilizing a schedule that brings five psalms into your field of vision each day, covering the entire Psalter in a month. He goes on to walk the reader through praying over the New Testament letters as well as narrative portions of Scripture. Though focused on the Psalms, Whitney wants us to be able to pray through all of the Bible. The best part of these sections is that he doesn’t simply give you theory or directions. He actually walks you through praying over parts of Scripture, giving you the biblical text and what he might actually pray.

In some ways, what Whitney presents here is nothing new. If you’re at all familiar with Matthew Henry’s A Method for Prayer, D. A. Carson’s Praying with Paul, or T.M. Moore’s God’s Prayer Program (and not a few posts on this site!), then you will be familiar with Whitney’s thesis of praying Scripture. But that doesn’t mean that his book is a waste of time. In fact, the strength of Whitney’s book is its concise nature. This is a book you could give to a new Christian or an older one who struggles with prayer. He didn’t say all that is to be said on the subject and one can easily go deeper. Nevertheless, Whitney provides an excellent foundation for those looking for a more biblical, effective way of calling out to our heavenly Father in prayer.

Note: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
2 people found this helpful
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Looks really good...

Have only read the first chapter but that was enough to recommend it to my Bible study group for our next study. Looking forward to getting into it. By then, maybe I'll give it 5 stars.
1 people found this helpful
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Best Ever Prayer Advice

This is a great little book. It is full of good advice for those who feel they could improve on their prayer techniques.
1 people found this helpful

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