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Philip Yancey probes the very heartbeat - the most fundamental, challenging, perplexing, and deeply rewarding aspect - of our relationship with God: prayer. What is prayer? Does it change God's mind or ours - or both? This book is an invitation to communicate with God the Father who invites us into an eternal partnership through prayer.

Customer Reviews:

• Yancy asks the question
  A good investigation of Prayer and how it affects our lives and our perception of it. The references in the book are also good in learning about other Christians and their beliefs. Yancy is like a guide- always asking questions and taking you further down the path....more info
• Yancey on Prayer
  Yancey, Philip. 2006. Prayer: Does it make any Difference? London: Hodder and Stoughton. This review is based on the British edition which was released earlier.
  
  Philip Yancey, author of best selling Disappointment with God and Soul Survivor, is a popular author because he puts in words, what many Christians are feeling but are afraid to articulate. He deals with controversial topics of living a Christian life with brutal honesty. Hence a book on prayer is most welcome. Prayer is the most talked about subject in Christian life yet least practiced. Yancey stated that to him, prayer is the area where two themes of struggle in Christian life meet: "Why God doesn't act the way we want God to and why I don't act the way God wants me to."
  
  In Part 1, Yancey developed the theme of who God is and who we are in relationship to Him. He also highlighted the fact that God wants to keep company with us. It is in this context that, Yancey developed his argument why we should pray. To him, prayer is a partnership with God which he developed in Part 2. God wants to partner with his creatures in His great redemption plan of the present fallen creation. Prayer then is a form of negotiation. Skillfully skirting the theological issue of whether an unchanging God can change His mind, Yancey explored the numerous passages in the Bible that God did changed His mind. He concluded that the underlying reason that God does change His mind is because of love. "For God so loved the world..."
  
  In Part 3, Yancey explored the `language of prayer.' Basically, this section is a `how to pray' section. However I am glad he explored the silence of God in his chapter `the sound of silence'. For some reasons, most churches do not teach the fact that in a life of prayer, there are times when God does not seem to be present. Spiritual writer like John of the Cross talked about a dark night of the soul- an experience where God seems to be absent. One reason why this is not commonly taught may be that many Christians may not be able to accept the fact that God will voluntarily withdraw the awareness of His presence from us. However as many spiritual writers have attested, these dark nights are necessary for our spiritual growth. Another reason may be that almost all Christians are struggling with prayer (or time to pray). A God who seems absent may not fit into their theological framework.
  
  Part 4 is the climax of the whole book. I was looking forward to discover what Yancey would say about two important issues for us who are struggling with prayers- unanswered prayers and prayers and physical healing.
  
  Regarding unanswered prayer, Yancey wrote, "Some, but not all, unanswered prayers trace back to a fault in the one who prayers...to God's mystifying respect for human freedom and refusal to coerce...to dark powers contending against God's rule...to a planet marred with disease, violence and the potential for tragic accident." What about the unanswered prayers not due to these causes mentioned? After 15 pages, Yancey concludes, "In the end, unanswered prayer brings me face to face with the mystery that silenced Paul: the profound difference between my perspective and God's". It is a mystery but it does not help those of us who are struggling with unanswered prayers.
  
  Yancey seems to have struggled much as he wrote about prayer and physical healing. Earlier in the book he has noted the tremendous growth of the church in Nepal. "The first Nepalese became a Christian in 1950. Now the Church numbers more than half a million, and Nepalese church leaders estimate that 80 per cent of converts have resulted from physical healings...European and American doctors who work there as missionaries, and they admit they have no scientific explanation...David Aikman's book Jesus in Beijing reports a similar pattern of apparent miracles in China." Yet, in his chapter on prayer and physical healing, he wrote, "Nevertheless, I do believe that what many people think of when you say the word `divine healing'-supernatural interventions in the law of nature governing our bodies-are extremely rare. They are miracles, not ordinaries."
  
  This is a brave and honest statement especially in the face of certain groups of Christians who claims that God performs healing on demand (just remind Him of His promises, that's all). Earlier in the chapter, Yancey extracted an article which he co-authored with Dr. Paul Brand for Christianity Today. Dr. Paul Brand is well recognized as an authority on orthopedic surgery for leprosy patients and a well respected Christian. In the article, Dr Brand remarked, "From my own experience as a physician I must truthfully admit that, among the thousands of patients I have treated, I have never observed an unequivocal instance of intervention in the physical realm. Many were prayed for, many found healing, but not in ways that counteracted the laws governing anatomy. No case have I treated personally would meet the rigorous criteria for a supernatural miracle." This is an amazing statement from a Christian who has treated thousands of leprosy patients. I am sure he prayed for them. Not a single one got healed miraculously! They were all healed by conventional medicine. And this is in India, an underdeveloped country if anyone is to argue that miraculous healing occurs in only underdeveloped countries.
  
  I believe Yancey wrote this because he has seen the "great damage that result when we presume upon God (for healing)". Yancey's approach is to review our prayers with a checklist before praying.
  * Am I expecting a miracle as an entitlement?
  * Am I using the benefits of God's `common grace'-the healing built into our bodies and the medical knowledge we have gained?
  * Do I wrongly blame God for causing suffering?
  * Am I prepared for the possibility that physical healing may not take place?
  
  I find this checklist fascinating and useful to check our inner attitude and our relationship with God before praying for healing. Yes, we are still called to pray for healing.
  
  In any Christian bookstores, the shelves are full of books about prayers. This indicates that though prayers and praying is a common spiritual discipline, many of us have problems with it. I have enjoyed Philip Yancey's book for three reasons. Firstly, he is an excellent wordsmith and it was enjoyable to read his writing. Secondly, this book is full of interesting anecdotes and reports about the Christianity in different parts of the world because he has a journalist's instinct for seeing the big picture. Finally, he is honest about his struggle with praying and how much time he spent on it.
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• Making a Difference
  Imagine sitting with David, before he became king of Israel, and hearing his laments and frustrations with God which eventually circled back to an attitude of praise. You might hear some of the same questions and observations in this book. I've always admired Yancey's willingness to wrestle with the tough issues, to share from his own weaknesses, and to engage his brain while also relying on faith. His latest book embraces these same qualities, presenting a theological yet practical look at prayer's place in the lives of Christians.
  
  So, does prayer make a difference? That's the central question of the book, and it points poignantly at a relationship with the living God. It does not, however, sugarcoat the harsh realities: those who die despite numerous prayers of faith; those who prosper while living sinful lives; the seeming distance of God when we yearn for his nearness.
  
  Throughout the book, sidebars give insight into the joys and turmoils of believers from around the world. These add a nice touch of humanity to the narrative, a reminder that the issue of prayer is not merely an ethereal one, but one that affects each of us to our core. Some never receive the easy answers they hope for, while others rarely pray and find wide paths of apparent blessing. Yancey deals with questions of sickness, prosperity, spiritual destitution, sin, and the ultimate desire to know God and to be known. One particular thought hit home: Why is that God doesn't do the things we want him to, and why is that we don't do the things he wants us to?
  
  If you're looking for an easy, 1-2-3 step book on abundant living through prayer, look elsewhere. If you want everything to fit into a nice, tidy box, this isn't the book for you. If, however, you are earnest in your desire to bring your honest fears and doubts before the Lord, to think through the answers of Scripture, to know that you are not alone, than Phillip Yancey's latest book is sure to be a breath of fresh air. This is a book rich in ideas and biblical truth, yet accessible to the average reader. Indeed, it can--and probably will--make a difference in many lives.
  
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• Reassuring a skeptic
  I have read most of Mr. Yancey's books and find them reassuring. Why? Because they're transparent. Not every Christian is able to have a nice, simple faith in a God of their childhood. Some Christians' minds want to continue to seek truth i.e. does prayer really matter? Yancey opens up to us with his own concerns, doubts, conflicts. I find it reassuring because Mr. Yancey deals with issues honestly but maintains a basic fundamental belief that Christ lived, died, and rose again for our sins. Now what? The convergence of faith and intellect in his books reassures me that questioning traditional tenants of Christianity is OK. He constantly challenges me to re-examine my faith. Should I pray? Yes. Does it matter? Read the book....more info
• Is God Listening?
  "Just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he doesn't care. Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." ~ Garth Brooks
  
  Does it really matter if you pray or not? Doesn't God already know what you need? Does prayer ever go unanswered or is the answer just sometimes no? Philip Yancey asks these questions and more. His insights and answers come from his own personal experience and from a great deal of biblical research.
  
  On one hand this is a study of prayer and on the other it is a very personal account of how Yancey has used prayer to communicate with God on many different levels. Throughout the book there are hints as to why some prayers go unanswered. In one section, Yancey explains how confessing your sins will allow you to again pray with a new freedom. If distraction is a problem when you pray there is some advice about how to keep distractions from ruining your prayer time.
  
  If you are interested in making your prayers more powerful then this book has quite a few insights. By reading this book you will not only gain a deeper understanding of prayer you will gain a deeper understanding of why you pray. For example, is your prayer for selfish reasons or do you think it might be the will of God if the prayer is answered?
  
  In my own experience it seems that half my prayers are answered and the other half are either "no" or "in process." It can be frustrating to pray for the same things every day and to not see any changes. It can also be exhilarating to see a prayer answered in a short amount of time. Reading this book helped to put my mind at ease and gave me ideas for how I could pray more effectively. If you learn just one new idea about prayer from this book then it will be worth the price.
  
  ~The Rebecca Review
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• An Inspiration & Easy Read Considering its length
  Wow! This unusually thick volume was such an easy read. It was inspiring to me and the influence that Mr. Yancey has had on my own ideas about prayer is clearly evident in my own book A Greater Prayer: A How-To Manual on Making the Lord's Prayer Your Very Own. Thank you Mr. Yancey!...more info
• Prayer Is The Key To Heaven
  "The reason why we pray is simply that we cannot help praying" says William James.
  
  This is a well thought out book by a famous and loved author. It is not, however, an easy quick read. If you really have time to contemplate why praying matters, prepare yourself by praying for some insights, use a highlighter because there are some wonderful prayers, quotes, and useful information for further study, and read one part at a sitting. It is a very long book and could have benefited from more editing, (especially one tidbit that doesn't belong in a book such as this in "adjusting expectations). A serious undertaking, it is apparent to the reader that the author is examining many unresolved questions regarding his own prayer life. He makes some excellent points. He believes in prayer.
  
  There are five parts to the book. Keeping Company With God, Unraveling the Mysteries, The Language of Prayer, Prayer Dilemmas, and the best part in my opinion, The Practice of Prayer. Helpful information as to resources and credits are in the back of the book.
  
  Chapter 13 is exceptionally helpful (Prayer Grammar). The personal stories throughout the book shadowed in gray was a nice addition.
  There could have been more of them.
  
  There must be many people like me who have never had a question as to the wisdom of praying anywhere, anytime, to almighty God - praising Him for His goodness and greatness, and humbly asking for some help, knowing we'll understand it all - one day. Don't make prayer complicated. Don't doubt. Keep the faith.
  
  
  
  
  
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• Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?
  In his book, author Philip Yancey, through extensive research, explores many of these tough questions concerning prayer. Yancey writes in such a way that it is intellectually challenging while down to earth at the same time. He is a gifted writer. Throughout the book, he also inserts letters that he has received through the years concerning individual experiences with prayer.
  
  I just finished this book and recommend it. It leaves the reader with a better understanding of prayer and a renewed desire to just talk to God. ...more info
• Prayer Never Give Up !
  Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? by Philip Yancey is a book that tries to explain what prayer is, what is the power of prayer, and what it means to God, not easy questions to answer. According to the author prayer is our partnership with God. Prayer will help you join forces with God to fight evil and confront suffering. Although Yancey believes he needs to develop his own prayer life a little more he also believes he is on a path to a communion with God. Yancey explains that prayer is a window into understanding the mind of God. You will also learn about Jesus' prayer life.
  
  After you read this book it may be a good time to consider reading my book entitled "The Enlightenment, What God Told Me After One Million Prayers, a Message for Everyone" (See Profile Above)
  
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• EXCELLENT!!!
  I listened to the book on CD and absolutely recommend this title. While the first portion of the book was a bit "slow" - it quickly picked up after that, giving one real "meat" on the topic. Kudos to the authors. ...more info
• Many questions. Few answers. Tale of a journey.
  I have not read any of Yancey's previous books. I read this because I have a heart after prayer, am a prayer leader and am in the process of raising up a house of prayer in my region. So, I read as much on prayer as I can. I was disappointed in the book to a great degree. That being said, Yancey was very transparent, which is admirable. He asked lots of questions that we all ask, and he wonders aloud about things that perplex him about prayer. Perhaps the book should have been titled differently. If you are looking for a book of someone's honest personal journey in seeking to understand prayer better, this book is intriguing. He covered a number of foundational areas in prayer and was accurate in his assessment of certain topics. But he never really provides answers to learn to more effectively pray and doesn't seem to reach a conclusion other than to admit we should pray even though he doesn't seem personally convinced that it makes any difference. You get the sense he thinks the benefits of prayer are almost more therapeutic than anything else. He approaches a spiritual discipline that is exercised based completely on faith and tries to explain and approach it from a mental/natural perspective to try to explain something that is spiritual, not physical.
  
  I don't have a clue about his theology. But I find it interesting that he goes out of his way to criticize those who operate in faith, particularly in the area of healing. And he reaches his conclusions in many cases by interviewing other people. He doesn't attempt to give Scriptural answers, but relies on his polling of a limited number of people in the area of prayer to reach some of his conclusions. He talks about balance, but I don't think Jesus ever taught us to be balanced. He taught us to be radical. At any rate, he is openly critical of some who have ministries of healing, like Benny Hinn. Some don't like Hinn's personality and flambouyance, at times. And I doubt Yancey has ever been to one of his meetings but is basing his conclusion on what others say or what he has seen on television. The fact is many do get healed at Hinn's meetings, and they are documented. He also states he doesn't have the faith to believe for a limb to be re-grown. At least he is honest. But I know missionaries who have seems missing limbs grow back as a result of a prayer for healing in other countries. He seems to think there comes a time when we just have to resign ourselves to being sick, accept it and stop praying for healing. I can't accept that. And it's interesting to me that Jesus never refused to heal anyone who asked.
  
  It's quite clear that no one has all the answers, especially when it comes to why it seems our prayers are not answered at times. But he seems bothered by a person saying some answers don't come due to a lack of faith on our part. When the diciples were praying for someone to be healed and it wasn't happening and they asked Him why, He told them is was due to their lack of faith. Why does the hair stand up on the back of someone's neck and get them in a huff when it's suggested the answer to their prayer may not have come due to a lack of faith on their part? The disciples didn't seem offended by His comment, but instead sought to have Him teach them to have more faith. It may not be a lack of faith, but we should at least be open to consider that possibility.
  
  He provides a list of resources on prayer at the end of his book. I found it interesting that having read dozens of books on prayer and intercession to become more effective at it personally, that the only one he mentions of all the works I have read on prayer to learn more about this discipline is the Complete Works of E.M. Bounds. He doesn't mention any of the current instructive books on prayer and intercession, including Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets. Nor does he include the biography of one of the most effective and committed intercessors of all time, Rees Howell. My point is that there are so many other resources that would have helped him on this journey and could have answered many of his unanswered questions, but he apparently has not read them. If he expanded his horizons, I think he would find that the people he interviewed to assist in reaching the conslusions he did come to were not an accurate or complete representation of reality. He should visit Heidi Baker's ministry in Mozambique some time. It would blow him away and challenge many of his assumptions and conclusions. I don't know why some aren't healed, but I am not going to give up and stop praying for the sick because I don't understand why some aren't healed. And I have seen people healed when I pray, so I know it happens today and is at times clearly a result of a specific prayer at a specific time. That being said, the Lord uses doctors and medicine to heal as well. But then there are some things they cannot do anything about other than treat symptoms.
  
  So, in conclusion, if you are looking to read a book about a personal journey of learning to pray and joining together in the journey with someone who may have the same questions you do, this book is very interesting reading. And he is very transparent and honest in sharing his feelings. But if you are reading this book as a resource to learn to become more effective in prayer and to increase your faith and ability to pray at a more advanced level and see results, then this is probably not the right book for you....more info
• 3.5 stars
  The Bible clearly states that God is omniscient, knowing all aspects of life from the genesis of time to beyond its end, and unchanging. Yet, Christians are still told to pray, despite the fact that if you think about it, everything about life is somehow already ordained. Does prayer make a difference, then? What is prayer? Is there a right way to pray? These issues and more are addressed with frankness and honesty in Mr. Yancey's latest book. All the answers are not definitively given, but this guide will help you in your path towards a measure of comprehension and perhaps give you peace about what you cannot completely grasp.
  
  Amanda Killgore...more info
• Thoughtful and challenging
  Philip Yancey is one of my favourite Christian authors. Always thoughtful, always incisive, he challenges pat answers and glib solutions. He is always willing to look past the miracle testimony to the situation that didn't work out as we had hoped, to the many that live with pain and disappointment and to point them to God anyway, because life is about a journey not a destination, about relationship and not success.
  
  And so he has written, as expected, a complete, exhaustive and helpful book on prayer - not so much on how to pray - as he points out, there are plenty of manuals around - but more on why we should pray.
  
  He comprehensively outlines that we should pray not for what we can get but because of who God is, and who we are. We don't pray to inform God or to change God, but to get to know God and to be changed in his presence. He writes of the need to pray not to impress others but to share our heart with God, to pray as a lament as quickly as in gratitude. He calls us to pray in support of others - and if not for their miraculous salvation then at least to turn our hearts from ourselves towards others. And if we can find no other reason to pray, we should do it because Jesus did and he clearly made it his priority to do so. All of this is good stuff and to follow his advice would see us as better disciples of a God who calls us to run the race and not give up.
  
  The sub-title of the book is 'Does It Make Any Difference'. And if I can take issue with this book, it is here. When I read Reaching For the Invisible God, I felt that there was someting missing. Yes it is good to continue to believe without evidence - that is the very nature of faith, after all. But I wondered where was the space for the infilling of the Holy Spirit, the room for God's miraculous power and the authority of Jesus given to the church? In this book, although Yancey notes that there appear to be reports (particularly from the Third World) of confirmed miracles, he clearly does not believe that the average believer should expect miraculous answers to prayer. Indeed we the church are often called to be the answers to the very prayers we pray. But while I cannot explain how or why God chooses to sometimes perform miracles and sometimes not, as a Spirit-filled believer I do think that there is a place for great faith.
  
  I come away from this book feeling as though Yancey does not see this as appropriate in our times. I finished the book thinking that I agree with everything in it, and yet there is more that was left unsaid. We should trust and love God irregardless of prayer being answered as we would like, yes, but we should also believe on God for supernatural provision and to stand on the authority given to us as believers to see circumstances changed....more info
• Straight Forward, Rational Opinions on the Most Important Communications of our Lives
  Another outstanding work by Philip Yancey. The last chapter alone, "Prayer and God" is worth the cost of the book and any person's time, whether they believe in the power of prayer or not.
  
  In it he writes, "I am learning the difference between saying prayers, which is an activity, and praying which is a soul attitude, a "lifitng up of the mind on God..."
  
  He, along with others, discusses and describes virtually every kind of prayer. And using prayers from the Bible, especially the Psalms, he says it is ok to ask God--to talk to God about any and everything. It's even OK to be mad when you pray. God can handle it. He is, afterall, "God," and when you care enough to challenge God--to "pray mad"--that's a sign that you believe, or want to believe--and that you care.
  
  Not as easy reading as some of his earlier books, but this is as complete and comprehensive guide to prayer--what it is, what it should be, and what it should not be, how to do it, how not to do it-- as has been written in our time. A straight forward, rational opinion on the most serious communication of our lives, our communication with a higher power.
  
  And don't forget that last chapter. It's Yancey at his best. (And when he's good, he's very good!!!)...more info
• It's a good book although seems very slow
  I like the book although seems a little bit confusing and slow. I'm not sure what's the problem. Beside, haven't finished reading it.:)...more info
• Honestly Troubling
  I don't envy the man who writes a book on prayer, for I can't think of too many topics that have been written about more extensively than this. There are many spiritual classics dealing with the topic and surely an author must wonder if anything he writes can contribute to the discussion. New to the fray is Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference by Philip Yancey. A guaranteed bestseller, this book, by virtue of the topic and the author, is sure to sell tens or hundreds of thousands of copies. And so it was with some interest that I read this book, interested in learning what so many people would learn from Yancey.
  
  This book arose from Yancey's determination that many Christians know prayer to be theoretically important but yet practice it very little. "Everywhere, I encountered the gap between prayer in theory and prayer in practice. In theory prayer is the essential human act, a priceless point of contact with the God of the universe. In practice prayer is often confusing and fraught with frustration. My publisher conducted a website poll, and of the 678 respondents only 23 felt satisfied with the time they were spending in prayer. That very discrepancy made me want to write this book." This book is not a how-to guide. "I have not attempted a guide book that details techniques such as fasting, prayer retreats, and spiritual direction. I investigate the topic or prayer as a pilgrim, strolling about, staring at the monuments, asking questions, mulling things over, testing the waters. I admit to an imbalance, an overreaction to time spent among Christians who promised too much and pondered to little, and as a result I try to err on the side of honesty and not pretense." He goes on to say, "If prayer stands as the place where God and human beings meet, then I must learn about prayer. Most of my struggles in the Christian life circle around the same two themes: why God doesn't act the way we want God to, and why I don't act the way God wants me to. Prayer is the precise point where those themes converge."
  
  I can't deny that I was pleasantly surprised by much of the content of Prayer. Yancey is a deep thinker and one who excels at asking difficult but still useful and interesting questions. He has clearly invested a great deal of time and effort in prayer and in wrestling with the deep questions. He says much that is worth thinking about; worth pondering. "In prayer I shift my point of view away from my own selfishness." "Prayer is the act of seeing reality from God's point of view." "The main purpose of prayer is not to make life easier, nor to gain magical powers, but to know God. I need God more than anything I might get from God." "God is a Person too, and though a person unlike ourselves, One who surely fulfills more of what that word means, not less." When discussing unanswered prayer he writes, "By answering every possible prayer, God would in effect abdicate, turning the world over to us to run. History shows how we have handled the limited power granted us: we have fought wars, committed genocide, fouled the air and water..." and so on. There is much in this book that will prove valuable, both that which comes from Yancey's pen and that which he quotes from other authors and theologians. Yet there were several themes found in the book that I found troubling.
  
  Yancey has, in the past, hinted that he adheres to the doctrine of Open Theism and believes in a somewhat less than omnipotent or omniscient God. His clearest affirmations of this were in his book Disappointment with God, a title that is often referred to and quoted in Prayer. While this new book does not contain an explicit affirmation of that doctrine, Yancey again drops hints that he does believe it. Only a few pages into the book he says, "A hundred times a second lightning strikes somewhere on earth, and I for one do not believe that God personally programs each course." Much later, in the closing chapters, he writes, "I know a missionary whose wife and seven-month-old daughter were killed by a single bullet when the air force in a South American country mistook their plane for that of a drug runner and opened fire. 'God guided the bullet,' the surviving husband and father said to the press. We have held long discussions about that quote, because I do not believe the 'Father of compassion' guides bullets into the bodies of babies. Jesus himself refuted those who blamed human tragedies on God." Did this tragedy occur outside of God's control or knowledge? Yancey seems to take almost a middle position, but certainly does not affirm the truths of Scripture regarding God's fore-ordaining of all events, no matter how tragic. Somewhere between these two quotes comes a similar one which comes from the mouth of an acquaintance of his. "I was trained as a Calvinist. What do I do with all that has happened to me? I don't lay the accident at God's feet--I don't believe God micromanages the planet. I believe God is present in the midst of our brokenness. I just wish I could feel that presence." Yancey presents a God that is simply far too human.
  
  This emphasis is consistent with another theme that crops up several times. Yancey often speaks of human freedom and God's overwhelming desire to protect the free will of the people He has made. But the free will proposed by Yancey is not the "bound freedom" of Luther and Edwards, but the libertarian freedom that is foreign to Scripture--the freedom that says a choice is free only when a person could also have chosen the exact opposite. In this area, as with several others, Yancey's theology is sloppy. For example, in a couple of places he writes about miracles, but many of the so-called miracles would be better-termed providence. There is a thread of theological imprecision throughout this work that is troubling.
  
  A further disturbing theme in the book is Yancey's respect for all manner of perceived spiritual authorities. He affirms Mother Teresa and Martin Luther as equal authorities on prayer, even in the same sentence (and I don't think he quotes anyone with greater respect or frequency than Mother Teresa). He often quotes Jewish rabbis as if their theology of prayer should be taken as equal to those who love Jesus Christ and who have submitted their lives and their beliefs to the New Testament. A vast quantity of the answers Yancey provides are based on the writing of people whose beliefs would not align with historic Protestantism and hence with Scripture. And, while this book is not a "how-to" guide, it does include an appendix that lists a wide variety of recommended resources. Among these are a great number of books that promote mysticism, contemplative prayer, lectio divina, Roman Catholic prayer guides and the like. There is a recommendation to a book that "gives guidance to different personalities, following the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test" (something Jesus surely overlooked when teaching us to pray). In fact, the good resources are by far outweighed by the dubious or those that are just plain bad. For example, a section dealing with collections of prayers points readers to the Roman Catholic collection Christian Prayer: Liturgy of the Hours (which, as we might expect includes prayers to Mary) while overlooking classics like The Valley of Vision.
  
  In the end, I admire Yancey's willingness to ask difficult questions and to really wrestle with the difficult questions surrounding prayer. I felt he did a particularly good job of being sensitive to discussing the issue of physical healing and why God so often chooses not to answer prayer. But in the end, while Yancey asks many good and fair questions, his questions are far better than his answers. He is unafraid to ask difficult questions but is far more hesitant to answer them from Scripture or from within the well-established stream of Protestant theology.
  
  At almost 350 pages, Prayer is not a quick read. Still, Yancey is a gifted author and he makes those 350 pages easy and even enjoyable to read. Sadly, much of what he writes is false; dangerous even. The questions he asks are questions any Christian may have asked before him and will continue to ask long after him. Unfortunately, the answers he provides are often less than scriptural. Those who read this book and follow it by investigating the sources he recommends, could find themselves confused indeed. At the very least they will find themselves led further from the objective reality of Scripture and towards experiential and mystical subjectivity. While this book is meant to be an honest account of Yancey's struggles with prayer, I couldn't help but feel he was far more honest with his misgivings and his questions than he was with what he feels are the answers and solutions. When it comes to answers, he seems deliberately vague.
  
  With books on prayer crowding the shelves at the bookstores I see no reason to recommend this one above the many alternatives that may not be as interested in asking the tough questions, but are surely far more honest in directing the reader to the Bible where the answers may be found....more info