A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller

Let's face it, prayer is hard! In fact, prayer is so hard that most of us simply do not pray unless an illness or a public setting, such as saying grace at a meal, demands it. Prayerlessness is rooted in a core unbelief that can shape our lives, even as Christians. Because of prayerlessness, our lives are often marked by fear, anxiety, joylessness, and spiritual lethargy. If prayerlessness marks your life more often than not, then this book is for you. Basing the text on the popular PrayerLife seminar, which has encouraged thousands of Christians to a vibrant prayer life, Paul Miller writes to the heart of the matter. This is, indeed, the book for any Christian who wants to know the joy and power of a vibrant prayer life. - Back cover.

I enjoyed Paul Miller's integration of stories and anecdotes all throughout this book, facilitating a relatable exploration of what it means to have a praying life - not just on a theoretical level but on a real-life, practical application level as well.

Reading this book challenged me to consider how I get in my own way of having a richer praying life because of my pride in self-sufficiency and wrongfully wanting to rest in independence from God and others. To recognize a praying life ought not to be contingent on my life's circumstances going the way I want them to and remembering the important of prayer when there is struggle, hurt, uncertainty, and confusion. To see a praying life as providing opportunities to slow down and refocus on God and what He is teaching me, what remains true about His character despite what is going on around me, and integrating scripture to meditate and reflect on.

Reading this book was a much needed humbling experience pointing me to pray and read God's Word, and I definitely would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read more and think more about what it means to have a praying life.

Full review at http://bookwi.se/a-praying-life-by-paul-miller/
Second review six months later at http://bookwi.se/a-praying-life-connecting-with-god-in-a-distracting-world-by-paul-miller-a-second-look/

Short review: One of the best, most practical books on prayer I have read. It really moves the focus of prayer to relationship with God and away from technique. The book is full of good advice, but also stories of prayer from real people. As I said in my full review.

If you want to learn about the variety of Prayer you should read Richad Foster's Prayer.
If you want to motivation on why to prayer, especially as a pastor read EM Bounds.
If you want stories of how prayer makes a difference read Reese Howell: Intercessor.
If you want to see how prayer fits into spiritual disciplines overall read Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.
If you want a book on how to develop a life of prayer read A Praying Life.