Because I need something to get me started on this blog, I’ve decided to do a series on a book on prayer. The book I’ve chosen is called Prayer: Asking and Receiving by John R. Rice. I first read this book in 1985, and its teachings have remained a strong part of my prayer life ever since. I’ve re-read parts of it, but I’ve never re-read the whole thing. As I read through it again, I will write up my thoughts, and share them with you.
The blurb on the back cover says:
The miracle-working God still answers prayers as He did in Bible times and for our fathers. Here one can learn how to pray in the will of God, grow in faith, really get things from God and live the joyful life of daily answered prayer. Commended by hundreds.
That’s kind of boring.
I prefer what Mr. Rice said in the Preface:
Frankly, this book is a book of Bible teaching on prayer. It is not a book of philosophy nor reasoning about what is or is not possible or probable about prayer. The book is written on the simple basis that there is a God who has revealed His will in the Bible, an infallible Book. The Bible teaches that God delights to answer prayer. It gives us many great and exceedingly precious promises about what God will do for those who come to Him in prayer, and the Bible clearly gives the conditions for getting things from God.
The Savior said, “Ask and it shall be given you” (Matt. 7:7), and again, “Ask and ye shall receive” (John 16:24). So prayer is asking and an answer to prayer is receiving.
Ever since I was a teen (I was 17 when I first read this book, and others with a similar message), that’s how I’ve approached prayer: ask, receive. Not just any kind of “receive,” but “receiving what we ask for.”
A lot of people disagree with that. They think we’re supposed to just leave it up to God to answer or not, or to answer however best He sees fit. But that is not what the Bible teaches, either by precept or by example. If we are praying in the will of God, then we should expect to receive exactly what we ask for.
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This preface ends with some acknowledgments. Included is a song called, “Keep On Praying Till You Pray It Through,” which is partially quoted at the end of chapter14:
Keep on praying
Till you pray it through
Keep on praying
Till you pray it through
God’s great promises
Are always true,
Keep on praying
Till you pray it through
Does anyone have this song in its entirety?
How about joining me on this adventure as we learn to pray – to ask and to receive?