Under the expert guidance of the late Bishop George Appleton a selection of prayers has been made spanning many centuries. It includes Christian prayers from the Bible and from the saints and mystics of the past, as well as prayers from Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Iranian, Shinto, Classical Greek and Latin, native American, and Bahá'í religions, and also contemporary prayers from different parts of the world. The cooperation of many advisers has ensured that the choice of prayers is ecumenical in the widest sense of the word.
The prayers are arranged under headings such as "Prayers from the Scriptures", "Prayers of Christians, personal and occasional", "Prayers of the Church", and "Prayers from other traditions of faith", but there is also a subject index to guide the user to prayers for particular occasions, and an index of authors and sources. The book may thus be used for browsing or for more structured prayer, for private meditation or for public worship.
I used this book and the prayers it contains in my daily devotional to “prime the pump” for my own prayers. Reading and praying over through the prayers of others can enrich your prayer life and increase your vocabulary for prayer. I think we often tend to fall into our own habits in terms of the phrases we use and the content of our prayers. Prayer books can help us expand our thinking and deepen the quality of our conversations with God. That being said, I found some of the prayers more helpful than others; a few I did not deem worthy of praying.
I'd love to be able to link to a picture of my copy of this little book. It looks like it's been through a war and has about ninety million little sticky notes marking particularly poignant prayers. It's a gem.
A great selection.... inspiring, humbling and illuminating. Man's eternal quest for a meaningful relationship with that which is greater than self has produced these beautiful reflections. No matter what faith, creed or spiritual belief a person may hold there is common ground here and a reassurance that in that quest we are all essentially one!