Prayer for Beginners
Overview
Peter Kreeft brings his unique insights to this vital and oft’ neglected area of our spiritual lives. He claims he himself is still a beginner in prayer, and this book is for all those, like him, who feel that they are not good at praying but desire to become better at it. Kreeft offers simple-yet-profound advice and practical steps for developing a prayer life based on the time-tested wisdom of the saints and great spiritual writers, drawing especially from principles found in the classic from Brother Lawrence: The Practice of the Presence of God.
In short, straight-forward, and unsentimental chapters, Kreeft covers all the key areas necessary for understanding and developing that intimate form of communication with our creator that we call prayer.
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
Save more when you purchase this book as part of the Peter Kreeft Bundle (27 vols.).
- Brings unique insights to this vital and oft’ neglected area of our spiritual lives
- Presents a book that is for those who feel that they are not good at praying but desire to become better at it
- Offers simple-yet-profound advice and practical steps for developing a prayer life
- Necessity: Why Praying Is More Important than Eating
- Motives: Ten Compelling Reasons to Pray
- Methods: Why We Need None
- Words: Vocal Prayer as Conversation with God
- Steps: Stop, Look, and Listen
- Thoughts: Where the Action Is
- Faith: The One Prerequisite for Prayer
- Themes: What Should I Say When I Pray?
- “Jesus”: The Shortest, Simplest, and Most Powerful Prayer in the World
- Work: Praying Always
- Distractions: Mental Obstacles to Prayer
Top Highlights
“We pray to obey God, not to ‘play God’. We pray, not to change God’s mind, but to change our own; not to command God, but to let God command us. We pray to ‘let God be God’. Prayer is our obedience to God even when it asks God for things, for God has commanded us to ask (Mt 7:7).” (Page 15)
“is true, as John Bunyan said, that God infinitely prefers a heart without words to words without a heart when we pray” (Page 28)
“‘love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams’ (The Brothers Karamazov)” (Page 12)
“In order to get the awareness of God’s presence, we must first want it, and seek it, and be willing to sacrifice for it” (Page 40)
“Seeking is an act of the will: we seek what we will, what we want, what we love. Finding God is an act of the mind” (Page 40)
There’s no shortage of good doctrinal material today. But, for the post-Boomer generations, the burning question remains: how do I begin to pray? Peter Kreeft answers that question in a simple, direct way that will reach ordinary unchurched Americans—as well as devout Catholics who have hit a dry spell.
