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A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World
by
Author Paul Miller shares his insights and conclusions about how to connect the broken pieces of your life and allow prayer—even poorly delivered—to fill the gaps with meaning and substance. Miller’s down-to-earth approach and practical nature will help you see that your relationship with God can grow and your communication with Him can get better. Parents will find Miller
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Paperback, 277 pages
Published
May 29th 2009
by NavPress Publishing Group
(first published 2009)
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May 13, 2011
Alexandra
rated it
it was amazing
Recommended to Alexandra by:
Staci Thomas, Randy Greenwald
I bought "A Praying Life" over a year ago. . . I respect the author and after the recommendations from a good friend and my pastor, I knew it was a "must read." But. . . I picked it up, put it down. . . picked it up, put it down. . . I even bought it for my mother-in-law, and still hadn't read it.
Now, over a year later, I finally read it. (The first book to be read on my birthday kindle!) And. . . wow. . . just what I needed at this point in my life. Unpretentious, Gospel-focused, practical. . . ...more
Now, over a year later, I finally read it. (The first book to be read on my birthday kindle!) And. . . wow. . . just what I needed at this point in my life. Unpretentious, Gospel-focused, practical. . . ...more

I am very ambivalent about this book. While there are parts that I really enjoyed, there are other parts that really annoyed me.
I enjoyed learning about the author's autistic daughter Kim. He is very open with the struggles she has faced, and the prayers he has had for her over the years.
The author also says that Jesus' example teaches us that prayer is about relationship. When Jesus prays, he is not performing a duty; he is getting close to his Father.
Yet then the author goes on to make it se ...more
I enjoyed learning about the author's autistic daughter Kim. He is very open with the struggles she has faced, and the prayers he has had for her over the years.
The author also says that Jesus' example teaches us that prayer is about relationship. When Jesus prays, he is not performing a duty; he is getting close to his Father.
Yet then the author goes on to make it se ...more

I wish I had read this book 30 years ago so that by now I would have re-read it several times. As faithful as I have tried to be to my spiritual habits, personal prayer has often eluded me and felt dry and mechanical. I've read books about it and talked to friends about it, but there was always a disconnect between the idea of prayer (and now I realize my misconceptions about prayer) and the reality of a regular prayer life. Paul Miller's gift in this book is to bring prayer into the realm of a
...more

If I could give this book six stars I would. Maybe it was simply the right book for the right time in my life, but Paul Miller's insights into having a praying life are profound. He simplifies prayer to the point of extreme accessibility while simultaneously raising ones understanding and faith in a big, sovereign God. There isn't a Christian in the world who wouldn't benefit in some way from this book.
...more

I'm somewhat ambivalent about this book. Partly because many raving reviews led to high expectations on my part and partly because this is an odd book. The phrase that kept coming to my mind while I read it was "A Praying Memoir" for that's what it felt like. Though perhaps more often than necessary, Miller gave dozens of personal stories that gave the book a helpful, earthy feel. I appreciate the author's grittiness and willingness to take all the frustrations of a praying life seriously. The b
...more

Jul 31, 2020
Susy *MotherLambReads*
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
paper-books,
christian-non-fiction
"Without the Good Shepherd, we are alone in a meaningless story. Weariness and fear leave us feeling overwhelmed, unable to move. Cynicism leaves us doubting, unable to dream. The combination shuts down our hearts, and we just show up for life, going through the motions.”
....
“Prayer is asking God to incarnate, to get dirty in your life. Yes, the eternal God scrubs floors. For sure we know he washes feet. So take Jesus at his word. Ask him. Tell him what you want. Get dirty. Write out your prayer ...more
....
“Prayer is asking God to incarnate, to get dirty in your life. Yes, the eternal God scrubs floors. For sure we know he washes feet. So take Jesus at his word. Ask him. Tell him what you want. Get dirty. Write out your prayer ...more

Without a doubt, I know the incredible and amazing power of prayer. I’ve witnessed it and have felt it, yet it’s still something I can always/need to deepen in my life. Anyone else out there like that? Well, recently my best friend got this for me and there were so many excellent pieces of wisdom, I had to share this one with y’all!
“Christians aren’t superior, but our Savior is. He makes the difference. He is alive and well in His church.”
Full of wisdom and examples from his own life, Miller isn ...more
“Christians aren’t superior, but our Savior is. He makes the difference. He is alive and well in His church.”
Full of wisdom and examples from his own life, Miller isn ...more

As a lifelong Christian, I've heard a great deal of teaching about prayer and read a good many books on the topic. I've been taught to model my prayers on The Lord's Prayer. I've learned the ACTS method (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication). I've been encouraged to trust God for impossible answers, and above all, I've been made very aware of my spiritual shortcomings with regard to the discipline of regular, personal prayer.
Like many, I have tended to view prayer as a spiritual dis ...more
Like many, I have tended to view prayer as a spiritual dis ...more

Unspeakably good. This book really grew with me every time I returned to the content.
I first was exposed to Miller and his message about prayer at a conference in my local community. I thought that it was the speaker's book, and so I came to the book with a very different set of expectations. I also have always struggled with the idea of a "personal relationship with God," since for me people speaking and responding to me is the main way I connect with them, and God does not normally do that. Th ...more
I first was exposed to Miller and his message about prayer at a conference in my local community. I thought that it was the speaker's book, and so I came to the book with a very different set of expectations. I also have always struggled with the idea of a "personal relationship with God," since for me people speaking and responding to me is the main way I connect with them, and God does not normally do that. Th ...more

This book had some 3 star moments as well as a few 5. I loved the chapter on lamenting in prayer and I will be using some of the practical suggestions immediately. Overall a very encouraging book to integrate prayer into the very fabric of our lives.

After hearing this book referenced in sermons from a few different pastors and friends, I added it to my reading list with modest hopes but not high expectations. I have long desired to grow in my prayer disciplines, but I am also wary of books I perceive to be "self-help" or systematic regarding such disciplines. There is no doubt that pitfalls abound in the genre, but Miller navigates the subject with wisdom and humility. As for me, I found my skepticism conquered by Miller's sound, sincere, a
...more

When one of my best and most treasured friends, Annie, gave me this book as a gift, I felt conflicted.
I felt grateful because I know Annie doesn’t recommend books lightly. She has both excellent taste and a close attention for the preferences of friends.
I felt disheartened because of the title - A Praying Life. I have a hard enough time with a few minutes of prayer. A praying life? .....okay.... The thing is, I grew up in a Christian home and in a Christian community and prayer has almost alwa ...more
I felt grateful because I know Annie doesn’t recommend books lightly. She has both excellent taste and a close attention for the preferences of friends.
I felt disheartened because of the title - A Praying Life. I have a hard enough time with a few minutes of prayer. A praying life? .....okay.... The thing is, I grew up in a Christian home and in a Christian community and prayer has almost alwa ...more

I read this book as a part of a book club with some fellow Bible Study Fellowship leaders and WOW I could not have loved it more. It really makes you take a hard look at your prayer life, and re-centers you on the heart of what prayer is: a way for us to grow closer to God. I loved how vulnerable Paul is in this book. He has not had an easy life by any means, but he still boasts of the blessings he has received and the transformative work God has done for him and his family through prayer. He ha
...more

I read this book over the course of 5 months, which for me, probably wasn't the best just because I forget things sooo easily. However, for the first few months, I read this with a friend which was nice to discuss stuff with.
One of my favorite things about the book was Paul's position about prayer. He didn't come across as arrogant or "my way or the highway" but instead took a humbling approach and explained his own struggles and how that transformed his prayer life. I really appreciated this a ...more
One of my favorite things about the book was Paul's position about prayer. He didn't come across as arrogant or "my way or the highway" but instead took a humbling approach and explained his own struggles and how that transformed his prayer life. I really appreciated this a ...more

This book was packed with small take aways that can be incorporated into daily prayer life, as well as larger scale themes that explain why prayer is vital to our faith and relationship with God. Paul Miller was so down to earth in his struggles with prayer and also his examples of how prayer has changed his life, along with others in his family and ministry. This is a book I will be going back to at many points in my life.

This book is a practical guide to prayer in the trenches of life. It will open your eyes to ways you can pray and truly surrender to God's will for your life. And the ways He will change you in the process.
...more

For years I have struggled with feeling hopeless to ever enjoy Real intimacy and effectiveness in prayer. I pray in fits and starts, sometimes consistently, other times not at all or grudgingly. Always, always, I want more, but have felt like I didn’t know how to put into action what I wanted to be true. “Trusting God” in this area has felt like laziness, not actually trusting.
For these reasons this book has been a breath of fresh air. He addresses some common barriers to consistency, Faith, an ...more
For these reasons this book has been a breath of fresh air. He addresses some common barriers to consistency, Faith, an ...more

Sep 06, 2017
Tori Samar
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Tori by:
Luke
Shelves:
christian,
nonfiction,
favorites,
prayer,
own-print,
2020-reading,
christian-living-and-growth
One phrase comes to mind whenever I think of A Praying Life: paradigm shift. I've read plenty of books that challenged, educated, stretched, encouraged, fascinated, or even annoyed me. But for all that reading, I have encountered very few books whose ideas were powerful enough to completely shift my perspective from one place to another. While I've had many books expand or tweak my thinking on an issue, I've had relatively few revolutionize it.
This book has the honor of being part of that small ...more
This book has the honor of being part of that small ...more

Nov 26, 2020
Ryan Watkins
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
major-influence,
theology
This is an amazing book on prayer. It made me realize the errors in my own thinking that had fallen into something more stoic or at other times epicurean than Christian. I also highly recommend the author’s advice to start a prayer journal.

High performance, low pretension. That's what this book is to me.
Read it back in 2010, and picked up again this year and found it just as good and inspiring. Usually pragmatic books bore me. They seem too boxy, too predictable, perhaps, even too pretentious. But this book has a different feel to me. It's not flat and two-dimensional, it's pithy. And there's meat on the bones. And when I say meat I'm not just talking about proof texts - there's insight here. I love insight. There's depth here. D ...more
Read it back in 2010, and picked up again this year and found it just as good and inspiring. Usually pragmatic books bore me. They seem too boxy, too predictable, perhaps, even too pretentious. But this book has a different feel to me. It's not flat and two-dimensional, it's pithy. And there's meat on the bones. And when I say meat I'm not just talking about proof texts - there's insight here. I love insight. There's depth here. D ...more

A book to be read slowly and thoughtfully. Miller doesn't just tell you that how you pray depends on how you view your relationship with God, he shows you. The fundamental motivator to prayer presented throughout the book is trust. If you trust the Lord, you will pray. That example helped correct my own mentality towards prayer--often I view it primarily as an activity or discipline (which it is), rather than being primarily in and from the context of a loving relationship I get to enjoy with my
...more

What an encouragement this book was. 💗 The early chapters began with a non-critical, yet accurate depiction of the sad state of most Christians' prayer lives. Let's just say that the description resonated with me. 🙄 🙈 And yet, as I continued to read and he described what a praying life can and should look like ... I realized that it hasn't always been that way. And slowly ... wrestling through those awkward feelings of "Ummm, it's been a while, God..." ... I've begun to pick back up that convers
...more

I finished this book feeling inspired to engage in my prayer life in a new way. Not only just feeling inspired, but I also felt equipped with practical steps to take to enhance my prayer life and make it a part of my daily life. Miller shares from the heart and from the Bible. This book is easy to understand, engaging, practical, and rich. I will definitely be reading this again.
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The best gift of the desert is God's presence... The protective love of the Shepherd gives me courage to face the interior journey.”
“To be cynical is to be distant. While offering a false intimacy of being "in the know," cynicism actually destroys intimacy. It leads to a creeping bitterness that can deaden and even destroy the spirit...
A praying life is just the opposite. It engaged evil. It doesn't take no for an answer. The psalmist was in God's face, hoping, dreaming, asking. Prayer is feisty. Cynicism, on the other hand, merely critiques. It is passive, cocooning itself from the passions of the great cosmic battle we are engaged in. It is without hope.”
—
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More quotes…
A praying life is just the opposite. It engaged evil. It doesn't take no for an answer. The psalmist was in God's face, hoping, dreaming, asking. Prayer is feisty. Cynicism, on the other hand, merely critiques. It is passive, cocooning itself from the passions of the great cosmic battle we are engaged in. It is without hope.”