A Method for Prayer: Freedom in the Face of God

True prayer comes from the heart, so why do we need a method? The great devotional commentator and pastor shows here that Christians benefit from discipline just as much as talking freely with God. You will discover the methods Jesus taught, look at styles of prayer, and see helpful examples. Duncan has incorporated some of Henry’s other work on prayer.

About the Author :
Ligon Duncan is the Chancellor and CEO of the Reformed Theological Seminary System where he is also John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology. Prior to his appointment he was Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), a beloved commentator, was a pastor of a church in Chester and a prolific writer.

Review :
Whether the reader is looking for a guide to public prayer or an encouragement to private prayer, Henry's work is a key text, drawing the mind again and again to Scripture as it seeks to shape our prayer life by the forms and priorities of God's own revelation of Himself. It's good to see this classic on prayer in an accessible edition. Ligon Duncan has done brilliant work, adapting Matthew Henry for twenty-first century readers without sacrificing any of the depth and devotional value of the original Puritan work. When a tool that has helped teach Christians to pray with biblical fidelity and spiritual integrity, across a span of three centuries, is being distributed again and in fresh ways, thoughtful believers can only applaud and give thanks to God for the grace that has brought forth this fruit. The great and nearly unique benefit of Henry's Method for Prayer is that it flows so directly from the biblical text. His approach enables the believer not only to read the Bible and study the Bible, but also to pray the Bible Ligon Duncan's editorial work has given this valuable book a new lease of life. Reading this book elicited a twofold response, ranging from a sense of guilt and shame as it exposed many shortcomings in this important duty, to inculcating an earnest desire for fervency, and to add considerably to the petitions normally brought before God. This book is highly recommended. This is an reprint of an old classic Matthew Henry of Commentary Fame. It is two books in one...For Henry, as for other puritan nonconformists, prayer was not simply a Sunday activity. He presupposes the earnest Christian would engage in public prayer, private prayer and family prayer. He regrets that it is to spend so many hour in sleep! The value of this publication is shown by the fact that it has required three editions in recent years. Matthew Henry sets out a specific plan for prayer - a reminder that prayer should be ordered and not haphazard and the Lord's prayer is a pattern to which we ought to pay more attention...good biblical teaching which, if followed and worked at, would enrich both private and public prayer. Who of us hasn't had trouble with prayer at some time or another? And here is a God-sent solution: Matthew Henry's A Method for Prayer. This book is worth its weight in gold (platinum?). No one utilizing this book can fail to profit from it. Prayer is an amazing privilege, but it's also a discipline for which we need direction and instruction. Like a trellis, Henry's Method for Prayer helps us to grow up in a Godward direction, not only to think more biblically, but to pray more biblically as well. This book is a classic resource for learning how to pray according to biblical priorities, and for being re-inspired to pray with a heart for God's purposes. The work is timeless because Henry's words are so resonant with the heavenly themes that enable us to face earthly trials. Matthew Henry's work is a most helpful resource and safeguard for ministers, but it will also be of great use to all Christians who long for more structure in their prayers...Every prayer is not only grounded in Scripture, but bursting to the seams with the very words of the Bible; Our Sovereign Lord communed with the Father in prayer. His disciples wisely asked, 'Teach us to pray.' And that request has been answered through the centuries both through the word of God and through the example of praying saints. Matthew Henry's A Method of Prayer is itself an answer to prayer, an answer to the request, 'Teach us to pray.' Henry's life and ministry make it clear that he was a man of prayer. "Matthew Henry's A Method for Prayer is not simply a classic book in prayer. It is a marvelously relevant tool for assisting believers in shaping their prayers before God. I have found great help in Henry's method, but even more help in his passion for encouraging his readers in bringing their hearts to the God whose steadfas love has been manifested in Jesus. Highly recommended!" Prayer is the breath of the believer's heart. It is a delight, a duty, and a discipline in which we desperately need the aid of godly pastors such as Matthew Henry. For more than a decade, A Method for Prayer has sat beside my desk where I can feed upon its timeless sustenance as it instructs me and bids me to gaze upon our Lord and feed upon His Word in public and private prayer. If I were to recommend one book for those who are to lead in public prayer, this would be it. Can we pray 'according to Scripture'? Two hundred astonishing pages into Matthew Henry's A Method for Prayer and you will realize the answer is an emphatic YES! Henry's Method, which is really just traditional Protestant public prayer, will revolutionize the prayer life of any individual or congregation that studies it.