The Power of Prayer

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Praying is one of the most important pieces of a Christian's life in the six sermon's in 'The Power of Prayer' collection Spurgeon shows why it is powerful and how a believer might go about prayer.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Prayer, Christian Living, Theology, Classics, Christianity

97 pages, Paperback

Published August 6, 2017

About the author

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was England's best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London's famed New Park Street Church (formerly pastored by the famous Baptist theologian, John Gill). The congregation quickly outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these venues, Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000—all in the days before electronic amplification. In 1861, the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle.

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this collection of some of Spurgeon’s sermons on prayer. Some impacted me more the others, thus the 4 stars instead of 5. But half of them are ones I want to read over and over. Spurgeon’s depth is just incredible.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of 6 of Spurgeon's sermons on prayer. Though less than 100 pages this short book is packed densely with rich wisdom. I would wholeheartedly argue that he is one of the most important preachers/writers every Christian should read. This book was encouraging, and at times felt joyfully audacious. Some of his claims on prayer seem so bold and outlandish, but as he opens up and elaborates the Scripture behind his writing you can see so deeply the enormous blessings we have available to us in and through prayer.

[James Windale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a fantastic exposition on the purpose of prayer and how we should approach it. Clearly he was referencing KJV as his sermons are littered with Thou’s andThine’s but it does not detract from his argument. Prayer is essential to the Christian life and while many of us approach prayer tepidly, Spurgeon insists that the only prayer God does not hear is the one that is not honest. His last sermon was particularly powerful to my mind.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no doubt that Spurgeon highly esteems prayer. His sermons always speak to me more than any other preacher, dead or alive. His thoughts on prayer are so lofty that sometimes it seems it’s difficult for the average Christian to attain. But it does motivate the reader to at least attempt it.

[Joseph Cannaday · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Whenever I am impressed with the divine majesty, and so, perhaps, a little dispirited in prayer, I find the short and sweet remedy is to remember that, although He is a great King, and infinitely glorious, I am His child, and no matter who the father is, the child may always be bold with his father. Yes, faith can plead any and all of the relationships in which God stands to his chosen."

[Kristina Rickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We must not make a jest of prayer by going about it in a listless unexpecting spirit.”

Great little collection of Spurgeon’s sermons on prayer. I was really moved by Spurgeon’s confidence that prayer is powerful, effective, and certain of success—
and thus we should not go about it lightly or lazily. It was a great challenge and encouragement!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, dense, holy. 93 pages of conviction and tears.

[Hattush · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book that teaches how to pray! Spurgeon is always so accessible and easy for common people to understand, yet so wise! I definitely recommend!

[Stephanie Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! A great, quick listen. My first spurgeon book and it didn’t disappoint!

[Aaron Irlbacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 sermons on prayer from Spurgeon? Yes please. You’ll enjoy this short book. This short book will bless you. This short book will convict you. This short book will help you.

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prayer has always been one of those things that I was aware of. I certainly knew I should be doing it, what with me saying I'm a Christian and all that. But I never really had a good grasp on how to get into the habit of praying, let alone if there's a specific way to pray and not to pray. Add to that I've never read something by Spurgeon before (at any meaningful amount, anyway) and a curiosity about prayer led me to read The Power of Prayer.

In short? It's an amazing read.

Now for the "long-winded, Southern Baptist" part of the review. Sure, there's a bit of a hurdle with the use of language (not cussing or anything but just a different way of speaking) but I found it immensely encouraging. Spurgeon is a man of God who understands the importance of prayer but the importance of consistent prayer. I thoroughly enjoyed his sections where he spoke of prayer as grabbing onto God and praying Scripture back to God in such a way that spurs boldness in the believer. Starting prayers off with, "Lord, your Word says..." has been quite invigorating in my own life since reading Spurgeon's thoughts. Or sermons. Now that I think about it, I think this is actually a collection of sermons on the topic.

And the book is hefty. Sure, it looks like a fairly quick read but in trying to binge read this, I found myself stopping to catch a breath after each half a section. I very well could have continued reading but the content is just so dense that it demands reflection and, coincidentally enough, prayer. Which, after reading this great explanation on the subject, I'm all the more enticed to do.

I rate my books on a 1-5 star rating scale, 1 being "I hated it/didn't finish" and 5 being "Stop reading my review and get this book". I give "The Power of Prayer" by Charles Spurgeon a 5/5 stars.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on prayer

This was taken from Spurgeon sermons on prayer. I like the last sermon on whispering short quick prayers to God when we are in need. I also liked his point about asking and not only asking but seeking God in prayer. The woman who came up behind Jesus and touched the hem of his garment was not just asking but seeking. This book gave some helpful tips on prayer to God

[Lizzy Tonkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Lord does not play at promising, Jesus did not sport at confirming the word by His blood, and we must not make a jest of prayer by going about it in a listless h expecting spirit. The Holy Spirit is in earnest, and we must be in earnest also. We must go for a blessing, and not be satisfied till we have it; like hunter, who is not satisfied because he had run so many miles, but is never content till he takes his prey.”

My first Spurgeon book gets a 3.5

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Change the world by prayer.

God is All-powerful. Faith moves Him, and He hears and answers Christian's prayers. How marvelous that sinners can come to a holy God and plead for His intervention in our lives. We are confident that His will is always for us and never against us. This will give us sweet peace. We can never thank Him enough. Hallelujah!

[Annie Clapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean it’s the Spurg what did you expect?? But for real this helped me understand a more Biblical view of my prayer life. After every sermon I just wanted to take a few minutes and apply what I learned.

[Sarah Estes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking.

[Andrew Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a slow read but Spurgeon gives you a different way to look at prayer.

[Rayshawn Paul]

This book was really great. If you believe in prayer, you should really get a hold of this!

[Marie-Louise Schoenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenged and inspired by this book to take my prayer life to the next level and to truly understand prayer.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

unpopular opinion.
I prefer to read Spurgeon than C. S. Lewis

[Robert Heckert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this collection of sermons around the same time my pastor, Nick R, closed his sermon on 31 December 2023 with: “God delights to give gifts. Pray for deliverance. Pray for healing. Pray for the things the Enemy says, ‘God won’t give you that.’” It validated my oft-denied desire to pray for material blessings. Previously, I’d assumed such prayers were beneath the Christian. Pray for spiritual growth, to manifest the fruits of the spirit, and “be more like Christ.” Prayers focused on the formation of the soul were welcomed, but not the accumulation of physical blessing.

Spurgeon’s sermons are an expansion and confirmation of what Nick said. The theme running through every message is “Keep praying for the thing you want until you secure a blessing.” It’s shocking how importunate he advocates his listeners to be when praying. Not as the prodigal son commanded his father, but as the widow pestered the judge; knowing that only God can secure, provide, and deliver.

[Lorena Rojas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents a really interesting way to approach prayers, I learned about the throne of grace in a way that I never thought before. I think I should read it more than one time to be able to get everything that it has to offer.