Finding Your Natural Prayer Style
Finding Your Natural Prayer Style
by Janet Holm McHenry
We ’ ve all heard the “ shoulds ” of prayer from friends , family and speakers .
You should have a prayer closet and go there for an hour every day .
You should journal all your prayers .
You should have a notebook prayer tracker to record prayer needs .
But none of this feels like you .
I admit I was one of those people . Twentyfive years ago , prayerwalking so dramatically changed my life that I ’ ve preached its benefits . I ’ ve seen dramatic prayer answers and love motivating others to pray for their communities .
However , as I ’ ve spoken about prayerwalking over the years , someone always says , “ But Janet , I can ’ t walk . What could I do ?” That question gently tugged at me until I began combing God ’ s Word to see how biblical people prayed . Here are a few notes :
• Job was a thinker . Prayerfully , he tried to process the whys behind his suffering .
• Moses argued with the Lord . When he talked with God ( Exodus 3-4 ), he had every excuse possible for why he couldn ’ t lead the Israelites out of captivity .
• Gideon bargained with God ( Judges 6 ), asking God for signs .
• Hannah , David and Jeremiah were emotive pray-ers .
• As a result of hearing the Book of the Law read , Josiah allowed God ’ s Word to convict him and to renew the covenant between God and His people ( 2 Kings 22-23 ).
• Several fasted , a practice typically accompanied with prayer : Ezra , Nehemiah , Daniel , Esther .
As God ’ s Word always does for me , I felt both affirmation and conviction from these studies . My prayer life need not look like my friend ’ s . God uniquely created me , so how I approach Him — both in manner and in words — might not look like anyone else ’ s praying life . But . . . I could do better . My prayerwalking , on-therun praying style could also include some cozy-chair , settle-down minutes when I ’ m giving myself to the Lord , quietly waiting and
16 receiving the assurance , direction and peace I need for my crazy-busy lifestyle .
Praying Personalities helps readers find their natural praying style , with these features :
• Five chapters that study biblical characters ’ praying lives , including Jesus .
• Three chapters that journalistically examine eight personality theories — with the explicit caveat that we best know ourselves through the study of God ’ s Word .
• One chapter on generational praying practices .
• One chapter on learning styles .
• Three chapters on spiritual gifts and how they can connect to our praying lives .
• A final chapter on the praying personalities , with a quiz in the back of the book to help readers discover their praying style .
• Hundreds of Prayer Pointers for all of the above to provide practical suggestions for living out a praying lifestyle .
Ultimately , prayer is more about access than answers . God loves us and desires that we go to Him not only with requests but more so for His companionship . That ’ s the ultimate hope for this book .
Every reader who dives into this book will come away with a renewed prayer life and a greater understanding of who God created them to be . Paperback $ 19.99