Teach Us to Pray

by Gordon T. Smith

Overview

Logos Bookstore Association Award for Christian Living

One of the most basic and vital dimensions of the Christian life is the practice of prayer. Frequently our prayers begin with a petition or request, so the content of our prayers is informed by our circumstances. But what if the opposite were true? What if we allowed our prayers to inform our lives? What would our lives be like if prayer altered our living and began to shape the contours and content of our daily experiences?

Gordon Smith invites us to learn three movements of prayer—thanksgiving, confession, and discernment—in order to be formed and transformed by prayers that seek God's kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." Whether you are a beginner in the life of prayer or further along, this small book is a resource for deepening your prayer practice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830845217
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	04/17/2018
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Gordon T. Smith is president of reSource Leadership International for Theological Education (formerly Overseas Council Canada), which works with other reSource affiliates to support and enable excellence in theological education in the developing world. Formerly academic dean and associate professor of spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, he has also taught in the Philippines and at Canadian Bible College and Theological Seminary in Regina, Saskatchewan. He is the author of Beginning Well, Courage and Calling, Listening to God in Times of Choice and The Voice of Jesus.

Table of Contents

Preface: Practicing Prayer 1

1 Prayer and the Kingdom of God 3

2 Praying in the Spirit 19

3 The Prayer of Thanksgiving 37

4 The Prayer of Confession 54

5 The Prayer of Discernment 72

6 Prayer as Spiritual Practice 92

Afterword: Prayer as Petition 105

Notes 109

What People are Saying About This

Mark Buchanan

"Gordon Smith keeps doing this—saying deep things with beautiful clarity and breathtaking simplicity. In this book, he does it again. Smith covers ground we thought we knew well, prayer, of all things, but shows us things we missed, forgot, or just plain got wrong. Maybe, though, his greatest gift in these pages is that he doesn’t just teach us about prayer, he inspires us to storm the heavens."

Steve Breedlove

"Followers of Jesus know that prayer is essential to our faith. We long to pray and connect with the Lord. But as much as a wonderful conference on prayer might stir our hearts toward renewal, we need more. We need to be discipled as pray-ers. In Teach Us to Pray, Gordon Smith teaches about prayer in a way that digs much deeper into Christian formation than simply discussing prayer as a spiritual practice. Straightforward, but never simplistic, this little book challenges us to see prayer as rooted in a comprehensive vision of Christianity actively lived in the kingdom of God. Grounded in the goodness and love of God, prayer calls us to a life of gratitude, penitence, and discernment, all led by the Holy Spirit, all combining to bring us into genuine spiritual transformation. What Smith teaches about prayer is not easy or automatic, but if you want to understand prayer as Jesus lived it out, if you want to be discipled in prayer, Teach Us to Pray offers that hope."

Editorial Reviews

"Gordon Smith keeps doing this—saying deep things with beautiful clarity and breathtaking simplicity. In this book, he does it again. Smith covers ground we thought we knew well, prayer, of all things, but shows us things we missed, forgot, or just plain got wrong. Maybe, though, his greatest gift in these pages is that he doesn’t just teach us about prayer, he inspires us to storm the heavens."

Mark Buchanan

"Followers of Jesus know that prayer is essential to our faith. We long to pray and connect with the Lord. But as much as a wonderful conference on prayer might stir our hearts toward renewal, we need more. We need to be discipled as pray-ers. In Teach Us to Pray, Gordon Smith teaches about prayer in a way that digs much deeper into Christian formation than simply discussing prayer as a spiritual practice. Straightforward, but never simplistic, this little book challenges us to see prayer as rooted in a comprehensive vision of Christianity actively lived in the kingdom of God. Grounded in the goodness and love of God, prayer calls us to a life of gratitude, penitence, and discernment, all led by the Holy Spirit, all combining to bring us into genuine spiritual transformation. What Smith teaches about prayer is not easy or automatic, but if you want to understand prayer as Jesus lived it out, if you want to be discipled in prayer, Teach Us to Pray offers that hope."

Steve Breedlove

"Followers of Jesus know that prayer is essential to our faith. We long to pray and connect with the Lord. But as much as a wonderful conference on prayer might stir our hearts toward renewal, we need more. We need to be discipled as pray-ers. In Teach Us to Pray, Gordon Smith teaches about prayer in a way that digs much deeper into Christian formation than simply discussing prayer as a spiritual practice. Straightforward, but never simplistic, this little book challenges us to see prayer as rooted in a comprehensive vision of Christianity actively lived in the kingdom of God. Grounded in the goodness and love of God, prayer calls us to a life of gratitude, penitence, and discernment, all led by the Holy Spirit, all combining to bring us into genuine spiritual transformation. What Smith teaches about prayer is not easy or automatic, but if you want to understand prayer as Jesus lived it out, if you want to be discipled in prayer, Teach Us to Pray offers that hope."

--Steve Breedlove, Diocese of Christ our Hope, Anglican Church in North America

From the Publisher