Earlier this year a good friend of mine asked if I had any recommendations for books on prayer. I thought and thought, and while I’ve read books on prayer before, none of them were books I felt I could recommend as being helpful.
I was both surprised and saddened that I didn’t have any favorite books on prayer, so for the last several months, I’ve been reading books on prayer and finally have some that I can recommend, as well as a few that have become my own personal favorites.
I hope this list is helpful! I tried to include books for everyone, no matter where you’re at in your journey, as well as books that cover different aspects of prayer.
5 Books to Grow and Deepen Your Prayer Life:
Books I’d Recommend to Every Believer:
It Happens After Prayer
H.B. Charles, Jr.
This is a great book for every believer; I’d especially recommend it to a new Christian or a Christian who hasn’t studied prayer before as it makes the case for why prayer is important and shares examples from the Bible, such as Hannah, Nehemiah, etc. In fact, the chapter on Nehemiah really challenged me as he covered an aspect of the passage I hadn’t paid attention to before. Great reminder of the basics while also being challenged on some different aspects of those basics.
Praying God’s Word
Beth Moore
Learning to incorporate truth and promises from God’s Word into our prayers is powerful and necessary for starting to think, believe, and live what we read in the Bible. This book is a great resource for learning how to incorporate Scripture into your prayers. Each chapter pertains to an area or stronghold, such as guilt, depression, unbelief, etc., and gives verses to pray over that stronghold. Wonderful resource to come back to again and again!
Handle with Prayer
Charles Stanley
This has become one of my favorite books on prayer simply because Dr. Stanley is so good at explaining things in a direct, Biblical, and easy-to-understand way. I had some questions on prayer that I’d been turning over in my mind when I came across this book, and he not only answered all of them but he answered a few questions I didn’t even know I had, too!
A few of the topics he covers are:
Praying with Authority
Prayer and Fasting
Why Our Prayers Are Unanswered
How to Pray in the Will of God
Prayer and Spiritual Warfare
Personal Favorites I’d Recommend to the Believer Who’s Read All the Prayer Books:
The Power of Prayer in a Believer’s Life
Charles Spurgeon
This book made me actually want to pray. Like, put the book down and pray now! No other book on prayer has ever done that; I’ve felt encouraged to pray and even excited to pray by other books, but this book drove me to pray like none other. It is beautifully written (as Spurgeon’s writings always are), and it caused me to deeply search my heart like few books have. I underlined on every page and wrote things like, “WOW” and “This is me” in the margins on many pages. It’s already in my “To Read Again” pile, and I think it will be one I re-read on a regular basis because there was too much goodness to soak up in one reading!
Let Us Pray
Watchman Nee
This book caused me to think deeply about certain aspects of prayer that I hadn’t considered before. That’s one reason I enjoy reading Watchman Nee so much; he has a way of wording and explaining things that are to-the-point, yet leave me wanting more so it drives me to my own time of study and prayer. If you’ve never read Watchman Nee before, be aware that his writing tends to be on the heavy side, so I recommend this to those who are past the “basics” of prayer and are looking for something a little deeper.
Bonus Recommendation:
Anything on the life of George Mueller
You know I can’t end a post recommending books on prayer without mentioning George Mueller! Reading about George Mueller’s life and how he made conversations with God a part of his lifestyle has really inspired and even transformed my own prayer life. If you’ve never read about this man of prayer, check out his autobiography, his book Answers to Prayer, or any of his biographies.
What books have helped you deepen your prayer life? I’m always on the lookout for a good book, so please leave a comment below and share!
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Hi! I'm Abigail, your real-talk Christian life coach and faith mentor. I believe we're on this earth for a reason, and I LOVE helping people realize and live that truth so that they can reach their God-given potential in all areas of life.
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