Praying Backwards: Transform your
Prayer Life by Beginning in Jesus’ Name
By: Bryan Chapell
I’ll admit that prayer is a spiritual discipline that I've
struggled to do faithfully throughout my Christian life. I think this
is because as a “left-brained” thinker, I appreciate things that can be
measured, quantified, and easily dissected and understood, and prayer
is…well…none of those things! I have
read several books on prayer recently, and many of them are quite vague about
how to “do” prayer, while others seem too systematic. However, Praying
Backwards by Bryan Chapell is a book that stands out among the rest as it clearly
instructs Christians how to get beyond prayer systems and more to the heart of
prayer.
The book is based on the truth that God answers our prayer according to his promise found in John 16:23, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.” Through this book, Chapell presents a process of praying that starts in Jesus’ name (hence praying “backwards”) but not merely by moving a phrase, but by reordering our priorities in prayer… away from ourselves and towards Jesus and his kingdom. We can still offer our desires and concerns to God, but we should do so in the context of biblical humility as we yield our priorities to Christ’s priorities.
First, Chapell walks the reader through the Lord’s Prayer found in Luke 11. Then he discusses various facets of prayer including praying without doubting, praying in the Spirit, praying boldly, expectantly, persistently, and praying in God’s will and wisdom. He also explores several things that hinder the power of our prayers, such as sin, doubt, bargaining, self-promotion, and failure to pray. A few key pearls I gleaned from this book would include the wisdom and power of praying “according to God’s will” instead of “if it be God’s will,” especially in the area of healing. And when praying according to God’s will, we do not need to know every detail of the road into the future; instead, we can determine if our prayers are heading in the right direction by steering between two biblical fencerows: the fence of biblical righteousness (is it moral?) and the fence of Christian prudence (is it wise—loving, responsible, legitimate?). Chapell plunges to the heart of prayer when he describes it as a “dynamic monologue” as we, praying according to God’s will, speak God’s words back to him. And as such, prayer becomes a most powerful thing as it both changes the world and us. I’d unreservedly recommend this book to any believer eager to learn and apply biblical truth about powerful prayer to their lives!
The book is based on the truth that God answers our prayer according to his promise found in John 16:23, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.” Through this book, Chapell presents a process of praying that starts in Jesus’ name (hence praying “backwards”) but not merely by moving a phrase, but by reordering our priorities in prayer… away from ourselves and towards Jesus and his kingdom. We can still offer our desires and concerns to God, but we should do so in the context of biblical humility as we yield our priorities to Christ’s priorities.
First, Chapell walks the reader through the Lord’s Prayer found in Luke 11. Then he discusses various facets of prayer including praying without doubting, praying in the Spirit, praying boldly, expectantly, persistently, and praying in God’s will and wisdom. He also explores several things that hinder the power of our prayers, such as sin, doubt, bargaining, self-promotion, and failure to pray. A few key pearls I gleaned from this book would include the wisdom and power of praying “according to God’s will” instead of “if it be God’s will,” especially in the area of healing. And when praying according to God’s will, we do not need to know every detail of the road into the future; instead, we can determine if our prayers are heading in the right direction by steering between two biblical fencerows: the fence of biblical righteousness (is it moral?) and the fence of Christian prudence (is it wise—loving, responsible, legitimate?). Chapell plunges to the heart of prayer when he describes it as a “dynamic monologue” as we, praying according to God’s will, speak God’s words back to him. And as such, prayer becomes a most powerful thing as it both changes the world and us. I’d unreservedly recommend this book to any believer eager to learn and apply biblical truth about powerful prayer to their lives!
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