What If Jesus Was Serious About Prayer?

 Title: What If Jesus Was Serious About Prayer

Author: Skye Jethani

Publisher: Moody Publishers

Genre: Christian Nonfiction, Christian Living, Prayer

My review:

I thought with the size of this book that it was going to be a quick and easy book to read. I was wrong. While you can read it quickly because it does not have a lot of pages, you would miss so much about it. This book is best to be read slowly and savor each section. 

Jesus prayed to relate to His Father.

Each section is between 2-3 pages in length with Scripture verses at the end of each section to enforce the points that the author was making in that particular section. The book is broken into six parts, with multiple sections related to the heading of that part. For example, the first part of the book is "What Prayer is (and Isn't)" and the first section is "The issue of prayer." The section then has a bolded sentence and going along with the example already presented the first sentence reads "If Jesus was serious....then to whom we pray is more important than how we pray." That sentence alone is worth pondering, but then the author explores the topic further and then ends with Bible verses. 

Likewise many of us have been formed into a faith that puts prayer in parentheses. It's an afterthought to a meeting, an addition to a worship service, or a custom before a meal.

There are many things that make this book stand out among others like it. The first are the little drawings that are on the pages. I love them! They are like the ones on the cover of this book...which is what drew me to this book. When you look at this book you do not really get the sense that it is going to be very deep, you get the idea that it is more a graphic novel. It's not a graphic novel and it is very deep. The author was genius in his designs because he knew we do better digesting information in smaller sections with visuals to keep us interested, and that is exactly how the book is designed.

Prayer, at its most fundamental level, is simply asking God to be God.

So that brings me to the next thing I love about this book: it's short sections. I can read several sections in the morning during my devotions, or just one, but that is the beauty of this book, it can be taken at our own pace.

The critical issue is not whether we pray or act, but whether we pray or act in faith.

One more thing that I loved about this book is the amount of research the author has put into it. Not only has he done he researched, he took the time to put the notes in the back of the book. One of my biggest pet peeves when I read a book like this is looking for the sources the author has used and the author not to have listed them. Those books lose credibility because I can't be sure the author is being truthful, or if I want further information I have no idea where to look.

Jesus saw prayer as the intimate connection between a dependent child and a loving parent.

I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone who desires a deeper prayer life. This book will give you much to think about and teach you more about Jesus and how He prayed. I would recommend buying your own copy as you are going to want to highlight the quotes that really speak to you.

Thank you to Moody Publishers for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to give a positive review but am pleased to be able to. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

★★★★★/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

Good things come to those who believe . . . right?

People like to say, “Prayer works.” But what does that mean? Prayer works for what? Getting the answers from God that we want so much?

While God certainly cares for your deepest needs, Skye Jethani wants you to know that prayer is so much more than a two-way transaction with a heavenly vending machine. Jesus didn’t pray like that. And with a pastor’s heart, Skye wants to take you deeper into what Jesus, the lover of your soul, had to say about talking with God.

In What If Jesus Was Serious . . . About Prayer?, you’ll benefit not only from Skye’s words of wisdom but his doodles that help the visual learner connect with spiritual truth. Prayer isn’t about getting answers, but getting God. We need more prayer in our lives—not because God can give us what we crave, but because He offers himself to us in love.