Christian Review Magazine Issue 1 - Nov/Dec 2014 | Page 66

BOOK

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REVIEW

H

aving been a Christian for 23
years - during which time I
studied for Associate,
Bachelor's, and Master's degrees and
pastored for several years - it is safe to say
that I have read my fair share of books on
prayer. Worship prayer, contemplative
prayer, asking prayer, warrior prayer,
sharing prayer, intercessory prayer,
thanksgiving prayer, and so on… I’ve read
‘em all.

Title:

PRAYING FOR YOUR
ELEPHANT
Author:

Adam Stadtmiller
Rating:

Genre:

Prayer
Released by:

David C Cook
Reviewed by:

Christian St John

64 > CHRISTIAN REVIEW

Praying For You Elephant is about - yup, you
guessed it - prayer. I’m not gonna lie and
say I was thrilled with the prospect of
reading this book. However, having read it I
must say that this is perhaps one of the
finest books on the subject I have read. It’s
not Prayer for Dummies, neither is it The
Theology of Prayer. Instead it rests
somewhere inbetween.
Adam Stadtmiller doesn’t claim to be the
world’s foremost expert in prayer. But he
does know something about experiential
and asking prayer. Now before you stop
reading and write Adam off as yet another
author/preacher from the ‘name it, claim it’
crowd, I can assure you he’s not. In fact, he
goes as far as to say that he doesn’t really
know how prayer works, or why God
answers some prayers with a resounding
YES, yet others He answers with a

sometimes disheartening and devastating
no. He just knows that believers are called
to pray, and that amazing things can
happen when we do.
Throughout the book Adam makes claims
and suggestions such as prayer being a
spiritual weapon that is nuclear in nature,
and that is it a superhighway for the work of
God. Furthermore, he tells the reader that
their job is prayer creation and that God in
charge of all the editorial and distribution
duties.
Adam also talks about the boundaries and
limitations we place on prayer and that, if
we were praying properly, we would find
our prayers existing somewhere between
finding keys and starting motor bikes to
stopping the sun. Sounds a little insane, and
maybe to those failing to grasp the essence
of true asking prayer will remain so.
After reading this book I find myself praying
bold prayers that I would never have
dreamed of praying before. It’s not so much
about the asking, but allowing God into my
life to do His thing. The main thing I took
away from this book is that we serve an
awesome and limitless God, and we need to
stop putting limitations on Him and what
He is able to do. And to that I simply say,
Amen!