Friday 19 May 2017

Matthew Henry, "A Way to Pray".

This hardback book, now published by Banner of Truth has been edited and reviewed by O. Palmer Robertson. What a gem this book is! It is the only book I know of, apart from the Bible, that I would recommend it should be used on one's knees. I do not say the Bible should always be read on your knees, but this book is best used in prayer on your knees.

The first four major sections are prayers founded on Scripture on four main headings. These are:

Praise
Confession
Petition
Thanksgiving

I suggest getting on your knees in prayer, putting pieces of paper inside each section, then taking a portion of each of these sections in order in prayer. It will warm your heart as you approach the Living God. This book as you use it prayer, may so warm and soften your heart that you may even rise from your knees without dry eyes. We need helps in prayer and this book is about as good as it comes.

Palmer Robertson has used this book his whole life in his personal communion with the LORD. This indicates the ongoing usefulness of its biblical content in this book. There are many other prayers provided, one's based on Scripture, one's which you can expand, but it gets you started in prayer. There is an expanded directory for the Lord's Prayer as well.

Robertson writes in his introduction: "According to his own notations, Matthew Henry considered another work of his to be so important that he interrupted the writing of his commentary and as a consequence never completed it. That other work was his laying out a method for prayer altogether based on the expressions of Scripture.

I wholeheartedly commend this book to you, as indeed I commend people to take some time to pray on their knees. This follows the example of the Lord Jesus Christ and Paul the apostle.

'And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” '. Luke 22:41-42.

"For this reason I bow [bend] my knees before the Father ... " Ephesians 3:14.

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