Jerram Barrs strikes again! His book The Heart of Evangelism is a fantastic look at evangelism that truly gets to the heart of the matter. He brings the same humble, gracious style to the subject of prayer with The Heart of Prayer: What Jesus Teaches Us. He addresses topics that often seem to be guilt-inducing. But he recognizes the internal and external obstacles to both evangelism and prayer. He writes as a fellow struggler sitting at the feet of Jesus instead of as an expert practicioner.
Jerram focuses on Jesus’ teaching on prayer, so this book serves as a nice counterpart of D.A. Carson’s A Call to Spiritual Reformation, which focuses on Paul’s prayers. These 2 men are very different, and both books are excellent though different. This book is very accessible to lay people. He tackles issues like public and private prayer, fasting, persevering in prayer, and Jesus’ prayers for His people. He includes an appendix on mysticism.
This is an encouraging book. It is also a humbling book. That is a great combination.