A Journey into Prayer

by Evelyn Christenson, Viola Blake

Do you long to move closer to the heart of God?

Journey with Evelyn Christenson as she guides you through the gateway of prayer into God's presence. Discover the wonders that unfold as you

•learn how to prepare for prayer
•clarify your motives in prayer
•establish prayer's priority in your life
•understand how God answers prayer

Since 1968, Evelyn Christenson has led prayer seminars worldwide. Millions of readers have enjoyed Evelyn's books, which include What Happens When Women Pray and "Lord, Change Me!" Evelyn and her husband, Harold, live in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Genres: Prayer, Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity

Hardcover

First published August 1, 1995

Reviews

[Mikejencostanzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this little volume, A Journey into Prayer, by Evelyn Christenson, for 50 cents at a thrift store, only to learn afterwards that it is out of print. I do believe those thrift store finds can be God providing the next thing he has for us to read, and in this case it was of spiritual benefit for me. Here are some of those areas that were impactful to me:

• On Leading a Study: “Before a seminar, I always pray, 'Lord, remove every illustration and point that will bring glory to me instead of You.’ The illustration or point may be very good in itself, but if my motive for bringing it is for my glory. God will not use it to move in the lives of those in my audience. It has to be for His glory… God can get a lot done if we don’t care who gets the credit—and the glory!”
• On Sharing the Gospel: “We must precede the sowing of the seed with intense prayer.”
• On Waiting for Answers after You Have Prayed: “It almost seems like seeing the flash of His lightning, and having only to wait and wait for the boom of the thunder of His power…”
• For a friend convinced Jesus told her she could practice Buddhism: "If God calls it sin, don't insult Him by asking about it. There is nothing in God's Word that is contrary to God's will. If we find God's 'no' in His Word, we should believe it, accept it, and act accordingly."
• On Unity with Other Believers: “Jesus did not ask His children to be reconciled so that they could become one, but because they were one!"

While I have other favorite books on prayer, A Journey into Prayer was definitely worthwhile. It is intended to be a 90-day read, with a 2-page chapter for each day. One reviewer mentions that they think the book “repetitive.” Certainly, the author circles back again & again to identical themes, most notably, repentance. However, I am convinced that this serves to drive home the points that Christenson deems important. She makes a strong case that God does not listen to our prayers as we come to him, unrepentant of our sin. Being reminded again and again of the utmost importance of entering into prayer only through humble repentance is worth repeating. We easily forgot, don’t we?

~Jen

P.S. Also, I was fascinated by the author's passing references to Prayer Experiments they have done. From the example she gave, it sounded less like "testing God" and more like paying close attention to and recording how and when God answered specific prayers, and noticing the co-incidences (which in fact are no coincidence!) I have thought before about how it's too bad we can't show once and for all that Prayer Works, and that God Hears Us (like Elijah on Mt. Carmel, right?) But, so much of the conflicting "data" the world presents to "prove" God isn't there is based on experiences of folks who were not praying through faith in Jesus Christ, and not praying from a posture of repentance. That said, stories of answered prayers are some of my favorite to read, and Evelyn Christenson shares a few of her own in this book as well.

[A.C. Bauch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, I felt like I was going through this devotional forever, although that may have been because I only read it every other week. For me, these devotionals were hit or miss. Other than the inevitable doctrinal issues I had with some of the content, the devotions were sometimes repetitive and seemed a little self-important (i.e., look how wonderful/powerful my prayer life/prayers/prayer group is!). However, I also found a lot of the content useful, uplifting, and thought-provoking. So, like I said, hit or miss.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

The chapters were a little repetitive, but I suppose for a daily devotional it could be important to be reminded of things like being thankful every couple days.
I wouldn't say to a friend "Hey, get Journey into prayer for your devotional! It's great!", But if a friend was already reading it I might say "I read that one, it was pretty good".

[Amie Buonafina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great devotional for growing deeper in prayer!