Considering Pray Big

Books on prayer are always a risky proposition.  They tend to raise some sort of controversy, whether they want to or not.  The Prayer of Jabez got lots of heat.  It was a little book, and wasn’t intended to be a treatise on prayer.  Did Wilkenson over-state his case?  At times.  But the book was not heretical like some people (at least in my circles) made it out to be.  Could have done without all the hype that spawned an industry.  Or take E.M. Bounds.  Some people love his stuff.  I just end up feeling guilty.  It only points out that facts that my prayer life is not like Martin Luther and John Calvin’s.  Not so helpful for me.

It is into this conflicted world that Will Davis Jr. released his latest book on prayer- Pray Big: The Power of Pinpoint Prayers.  I’m not sure what I was thinking when I asked for a review copy.  I guess I was hoping it would help my prayer life.  I’ve seen some reviews on Facebook- some people like this book, alot.

There were warning signs.  One of the blurbs on the back is by Don Piper.  Yes, Don.  He of 90 Minutes in Heaven fame.  The book that apparently has spawned its own cottage industry of calenders and devotionals.   Call me old-fashioned, but I’m thinking that if there is something about heaven God wants me to know, it will be … in the Bible!  So a guy who has functional issues with the authority of Scripture really likes this book.  Not a selling point for the likes of people like me.

Initially I had some agreement with Pastor Davis.  Most evangelicals are pretty superficial in their prayers.  “Bless Josh” is not really what the Father is looking for.  It reeks of a lack of thought both in knowing God and knowing Josh.  I also agree with Pastor Davis that Scripture should direct our prayer life.   Our areas of agreement began to dissipate quickly.  So quickly that I never finished the book.  The reason was there were unconstructive thoughts arising.  I felt I was being overly-critical.  Perhaps I wasn’t, but I decided for my own sake to stop reading.  Little did I realize it had it’s own cottage industry.

What was the problem?  I’ll mention 5.

First, he treats the Bible like it is a prayer book.  It isn’t.  It is more than that.  It is most helpful in revealing things to pray about, promises to claim (more on this in a moment) and giving us examples of prayer.  But to view the Bible as this (am I overstating his case?) is to miss that it is fundamentally the revelation of God about who He is, who I am and what He has done to redeem a people for himself.  Prayer factors into it,  but Davis seems guilty of reductionism.

Second, he hadn’t qualified any of the promises.  At least by the time I gave up.  What I mean it that he didn’t keep any of the promises in the Scriptural context.  That ends up distorting the promises and eventually discouraging God’s people because they think God should be fulfilling His promises in a way He never intended.  God never promised to heal me this side of heaven, but Davis seems to toss that one in there.

Third, in discussing prayer for the lost he used terms that I find … troublesome.  Possibly just a pet peeve on my part.  But asking Jesus to “ambush” someone, as he mentions repeatedly, seems quite out of character.  He disrupts our plans, but really, you ambush an enemy to destroy him not bring him to repentance.  So, I was just not getting his whole approach there.

Now the bigger issues.  Those 3 were small potatoes.  He commits some typically evangelical mistakes.

Fourth, he takes whole passages out of context.  In his chapter on prayer for the lost, he used the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  This passage is NOT about that (unless you think the whole book is a prayer guide).  He misinterprets and misapplies the Scriptures.  That is a serious problem.

Fifth, he is theologically inconsistent.  Yes, he’s broadly evangelical.  That’s the problem.  He wants to have his theological cake and eat it too.  His apparent theological convictions do not make sense, they are not reconcilable.  It is a bunch of feel-good thinking instead of vigorously thinking about prayer.  It confuses the reader, leading them to doctrinal confusion which inevitably leads to confused living (see 1 Tim. 1 for the connection between sound doctrine, which conforms to the gospel, and sound living).  This book will not help people to live more biblically consistent, healthy lives.  It will most likely lead to more confused and unhealthy lives.

So, I find that I cannot recommend this book.  But there are books that I can recommend.  They will not confuse people, but will be doctrinally sound and move people toward holy living.

• The Heart of Prayer: What Jesus Teaches Us by Jerram Barrs.  He writes in a very encouraging style, even while shedding light on where we go astray.
• Pray With Your Eyes Open by Richard Pratt.  My former prof does a great job of putting the cookies where the babes in Christ can reach them, and challenging more mature Christians as well.
• A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers by D.A. Carson.  Handles Paul’s prayers exegetically and helps apply them for the well-being of Christians and the church.
• If God Already Knows, Why Pray? by Douglas Kelly.  Another former professor of mine has a helpful book explaining the connection between providence and prayer.  Many confused Christians would benefit from this book.
• A Praying Life: Connect with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller.  I don’t have this one yet.  But I appreciate his other books and expect it to be as good.

That is just to get people started.  There are other great books by the Puritans and on the Lord’s Prayer by people like Sproul, Packer & Chappell.  All of these are well worth the money.  Far more so than the one I reviewed.