First, a Confession
It seems like I start most of my writings with a confession. You may not read all of them here, but I know my style. The pages of my own journal beside me in my office are filled with confessions of my shortcomings and things that I have failed to do. To let this post be similar, I have failed when it comes to prayer.
Now, before you jump to conclusions about my life as a pastor, I would ask for you to think through things with me for a brief moment or two. As the church in America has progressed, we have failed at communicating the importance of prayer in our community. We tell you from the stage that you ought to pray every day and have a constant line of communication with your creator, but we have let you down. I have failed to stress the importance of praying together. We convinced you that if you pray earnest enough that there is no reason to pray together. The truth is that this simply is not true. We ought to be calling our churches to pray together. I ought to be calling my church to a time of corporate prayer.
The Book About Prayer
John Onwuchekwa has recently released a book as part of the 9Marks series on building healthy churches. Onwuchekwa’s book focuses on how praying together shapes the church. First, he briefly takes us through a foundation of what prayer ought to look like and how we should lead our congregation in it. Next, through the Jesus’ model prayer (the Lord’s prayer, if you will), John takes us on a journey showing us that prayer was meant to play an integral role in our community. Finally, he offers practical help for church leaders looking to take their church into a deeper relationship with their creator.
Who Is It For?
While relatively small in size, this book packs a powerful punch. It has stirred me to not only want to take my prayer life more seriously but also to help lead others into a new way of thinking of prayer. If you have the opportunity to pick up this book, I know you would benefit from it.
Quotes
“Our problem isn’t the way we talk about prayer…Our problem is the way we treat prayer.”
“We run out of things to pray about when we pray vague prayers for vague people.”
“Praying together isn’t meant to frustrate our work, but to fuel our work by making us more concerned with one another’s lives. Prayer knits our hearts to others in need and increases our concern and eagerness to serve.”
Connect & Learn More
- Follow John Onwuchekwa on Twitter (@JawnO) and on Instagram (@jawn_o).
- See more on John Onwuchekwa’s Prayer here at Crossway’s website.
- 20 Quotes from John Onwuchekwa on (Corporate) Prayer from The Gospel Coalition.
- Purchase Prayer from Amazon.com.
*I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.*
