Two Books about Powerful Praying

I’m including two books in which the authors “hear” God speak to them. I previously reviewed Hearing God in Conversation. Then last year I read the second book which I had some questions about, but it inspired me to pray more so seemed worthwhile for others to read. I reread both of these books this year and they have sparked a deepening in my own prayer life.

Seven Secrets to Powerful Praying: How to Access God’s Wisdom & Miracles Every Day

By Jane Glenchur

A blurb by the author on the back of the book says: “Learning to partner with God is the heart of this book. In so doing, you, too, will develop an intimate relationship with the Lord and experience miraculous answers.” Jane Glenchur writes with wit and wisdom about her practice of praying about every decision no matter how mundane. 

At the beginning of the book she runs to a store to find a good stain remover for carpet in the midst of a household emergency. She kneels to see the stain removers, puts her hand on each one and prays, God, “Is this the one?” Miraculously on the fourth one she hears a voice (two women walking by) saying, “That is the best stain remover.” She bought it and it worked!

Throughout the book Glenchur spells out her prayers in virtually any and every household, family or personal situation and often “hears” God’s voice offering his wisdom. She says his “voice” is always gentle and calm. Over years of experience with this she developed a very deep and personal relationship with God and has experienced many miraculous answers.

Out of the blue one day she heard God saying “Your mother won’t die this year.” Her mother was 88 but healthy, so this puzzled her. Three months later her mother fell and broke her pelvis and her shoulder. Doctors were grim about her recovery and suggested calling a family meeting. She hung on to God’s words and said, “She’ll be OK.” And in a couple of months her mother had recovered and was able to go back to her home.

One of the seven secrets in the book is “Toss the pros and cons lists.” Instead of trying to mentally figure out the best course of action – making lists and poring over the alternatives – She now prays and waits for God’s answer. As a compulsive list maker this impressed me!

The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 Partnering with God, Part 2 Applying the Seven Secrets to Power Praying, and Part 3 Stepping Up to the Next Level

Part 3 includes excellent chapters to guide such as Unmasking Deception, Day to Day Decisions, Praying for the Impossible, Time Management and more.

Using her seven secrets will involve going all in with God, letting go of old ways and surrendering to his instructions. She gives simple steps to manage and to learn to hear God’s voice.

I have questions about some of this though it is hard to argue with her results. Also, in reading this book I was inspired and convicted about needing to spend more time with the Lord. I have been in prayer groups and conferences in which this kind of reliance on prayer lifted up God and glorified him. This is a book to be read and reread and to be put into practice.

Hearing God in Conversation: How to Recognize His Voice Everywhere

By Samuel C. Williamson

Samuel Williamson in his book Hearing God in Conversation affirms the primary importance of hearing from God via Scripture but goes on to encourage believers to cultivate an ear for hearing from God and having conversations with God in a variety of ways. His parents taught him how to hear God and he assumed everyone expected to hear from God directly.

This is an excellent book, true to the Word and also citing the fact that God wants a personal relationship with us. This means we can converse with him daily; we can dialog with God, not just share our thoughts but “hear” (in our minds) from him as well. The author’s convincing unfolding of this idea is inspiring. He weaves his own life stories thorough out as well as citing many biblical examples.

Chapter titles include: The First Time I Heard God’s Voice, Conversation is the Point, How to Recognize the Voice of God, What are Scriptures for?, Brainstorming with God, God Speaks in Our Detours, Hearing God in the Ordinary, God Shouts in His Silence and The God Who Guides and more. He also includes two excellent appendixes Answers to the Arguments and Questionable and Excessive Practices.

Williamson says that sometimes God will nudge us to make a phone call, sometimes we’ll hear a verbal message and sometimes we see a picture. He tells of his grandfather in 1915 seeing red capital letters which spelled the name of a province in China. He prayed and felt called to be a missionary. He lived in that very province for two decades and planted four China inland churches. Pg 31

Williamson notes that God guides us with his voice in conversation but he also carefully orchestrates our lives. There is much good information in this book that can teach us how to hear God in conversation and recognize and better know our mighty God.

“Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding.” Proverbs 3:13 NRSV

Blessings, Dottie