How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People, by Pete Greig (NavPress, 2019)

“Help!”

“Thanks!”

“Wow!”

Prayer can be very short. But it can also become a rich, ongoing way of life.

In How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People, Pete Greig provides what Christianity Today called “An instant spiritual classic.” The introduction describes it as “a simple guide to the complex, living landscape of prayer….But there’s more to prayer than asking, and God is not in a hurry.” [p. 27, ebook version]

Each chapter flows from a different verse of The Lord’s Prayer, exploring nine approaches to prayer: stillness, adoration, petition, intercession, perseverance, contemplation, listening, confession, and spiritual warfare. Chapters conclude by featuring a “hero of prayer” representing that aspect.

They also include further recommended reading plus links to additional resources at the “toolshed” section of the Prayer Course website prayercourse.org—where you can also find free video lessons to accompany the book.

Don’t skip the book, though. It deepens the overall teaching. Plus, Pete Greig has a funny streak. You’ll find yourself snickering here and there.

How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People is easy to read, an inspiring invitation, and a catalyst to go deeper into our prayer lives. Its sequel is How to Hear God: A Simple Guide for Normal People, which for some reason I read first. I highly recommend them both.

Author Pete Greig is one of the founders of the 24/7 Prayer movement, which brings us, among other resources, the Lectio365 app and the Inner Room prayer app. You can read his bio at dirtyglory.org or at 24-7prayer.com/team/pete-greig.

[Review copy from the public library via the Hoopla app, and the print book is on my to-buy list.]