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 Location:  Home » Prayer » Religion & Spirituality: Christianity: Christian Living: General » Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?July 8, 2008  


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Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?
Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?
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Author: Philip Yancey
Publisher: Zondervan
Category: Book

List Price: $21.99
Buy New: $9.48
You Save: $12.51 (57%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $8.99

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars(60 reviews)
Sales Rank: 3416

Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.2

ISBN: 0310271053
Dewey Decimal Number: 248.32
EAN: 9780310271055
ASIN: 0310271053

Publication Date: October 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Philip Yancey probes the very heartbeat?the most fundamental, challenging, perplexing, and deeply rewarding aspect?of our relationship with God: prayer. What is prayer? Does it change God?s mind or ours?or both? This book is an invitation to communicate with God the Father who invites us into an eternal partnership through prayer.


Customer Reviews:   Read 55 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars Book order   April 24, 2008
  0 out of 3 found this review helpful

My order was placed on March 23. I received the book on April 15. That was the longest I had ever waited to receive something ordered through Amazon. The book came in excellent condition. It was purchased for a Bible study group. I missed having it for two weeks of study, but will catch up.


4 out of 5 stars Searching for Answers   March 9, 2008
In his book "Prayer" Philip Yancey is strangely reticent about stating his own opinions on prayer. The book is filled with moving, poignant stories and examples of prayers that apparently worked, or didn't.

Unlike his blockbuster "What's So Amazing About Grace", Yancey seems to tiptoe around the central topic as though he has still not decided whether or not Prayer is effective.

He repeatedly cites Bible verses which state unequivocally that God wants us to pray; God tells us that prayer will be heard; that God will answer our prayer, but then Yancey tends to duck the question and simply bring out the "...some will; some won't" series of stories about prayer.

Parts of the book are extremely positive and touching, and there are major portions that leave one with more questions than answers. On purpose, it would seem.

The book may have been a better book if it had been about 1/3 shorter, more around 215 pages than 342.

I would recommend the book, with some reservations myself. I found the book helpful as a study on prayer. It probably is NOT one I would recommend to new, or searching Christians. For anyone else, it would be a simple study on political double-talk.



5 out of 5 stars How to get closer to God   February 1, 2008
  2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I have read many of Phillip Yancy's books. Each of them has helped me in different ways. This book has helped me to understand how I can get closer to God. I often felt like I wasn't worthy to talk to God because of something I did that I wasn't proud of. I have learned that this is the perfect time to talk to God. Wouldn't you go to your earthly father if you needed someone to talk too? Yancey also teaches us that going to God with our worries is not the only time we should talk to Him. We all need to spend time praising Him. Nothing pleases God more than to hear our praise, and He wants to dwell even more with us during that time. I haven't found a Yancey book that I didn't like and this book is no exception.

Doug Bolton



5 out of 5 stars Provoking . . . in a good way   January 21, 2008
  2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is no self-help book on prayer. It is, rather, a series of meditations, a personal memoir, if you will. While I do not agree with Yancey on every area of doctrine, I was provoked, in a good way, to examine my own prayer life and grow, especially in the direction of viewing prayer from God's perspective. Along with, Lewis's Letters to Malcomb, Chiefly on Prayer and MacIntyre's Hidden Life of Prayer (free on the internet), Yancey's book has had a sanctifying effect on me and, therefore, meditating on his thoughts through the lense of biblical context is something I recommend to others.


1 out of 5 stars Lots of Questions, No real answers   December 9, 2007
  4 out of 10 found this review helpful

If you enjoy reading personal accounts of peoples struggles in life and prayer this book may be for you. But if you are truly interested in a solid biblical understanding of prayer, look elsewhere. While the chapter titles would lead you believe there is substance to be found, the content is sadly lacking. Dr. Yancey seems to believe that we can learn about prayer from just about anyone....Mother Teresa, Oscar Wilde, Bono...to be fair, he also quotes from many fine biblical scholars, but it all seems to come to the same man centered conclusions. In an effort to be all inclusive, the author leaves the reader with very few clear truths to understand the critical importance and privilege of prayer. Perhaps it is a sign of our times that so many other reviews would see this book as helpful. My conclusion is clearly otherwise. Psalm 62:8 NKJV


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