Tuesday, April 19, 2011

BEEtween the Pages: Transforming Prayer by Daniel Henderson

"Worship-based prayer seeks the face of God before the hand of God. God's face is the essence of who He is. God's hand is the blessing of what He does. God's face represents His person and presence. God's hand expresses His provision for needs in our lives. I have learned that if all we ever do is seek God's hand, we may miss His face; but if we seek His face, He will be glad to open His hands and satisfy the deepest desires of our heart."
~Daniel Henderson in Transforming Prayer~

In his new book entitled Transforming Prayer, Daniel Henderson shares with readers the transformation that can happen when they seek God's face before His hands during worship-based prayer. In the first part of this book, Henderson describes how worship-based prayer differs from request-based prayer and how this type of prayer sets us up for an intimate encounter with God.

In the second part of the book, Henderson explores best practices for praying. While he recognizes some of the benefits of prayer lists, he encourages believers to rethink how they are using their "lists" during prayer. "Lists are simply tools," he writes. "It is important to keep in mind that, in any arena of Christian life, tools are meant to be used for a greater purpose, not cherished as the greater purpose."

In the third part, Henderson provides examples of how to adopt worship-based prayer during your daily devotional time. He emphasizes the importance of reading Scripture during your prayer time and meditating on the Scripture to: (1) learn about who God is, (2) give Him reverence, (3) seek how you are to respond to the passage, (4) articulate your requests to God, and (5) ponder on "the mission of your life and the warfare you can anticipate."

This book gave me a fresh perspective on how to pray. Since finishing it a week ago, I've tried some of the suggestions included in it. I can already see a transformation in my prayer life, and I'm encouraged and excited about further adopting worship-based prayer in my daily devotional time.

I highly recommend this book. For more information about it, please visit Bethany House's website.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing it.

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