Prayer Resources

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! ” - Jesus (Matthew 7:7-11)

“What a man is on his knees before God, that he is, and no more” – Robert Murray M’Cheyne

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We provide this list to help energize your prayer life. Here you will find biblical teaching about prayer and practical information on strengthening your prayer life. However, don’t feel like you need to read over all of these resources. The best thing to do is simply pray!

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Understanding Christian Prayer

> Kingdom-Centered Prayer – Jesus said that we should “seek first the kingdom of God.” Thus, it is no surprise that when his disciples ask him how to pray, he teaches them to begin praying with their hearts fixed on God, asking for his kingdom to come and his will be done. Here Tim Keller explain more about what it means to have a Kingdom-Centered prayer life; the kind of prayer life we encourage at BBC!

> Biblical Theology of Prayer – Excellent article that builds a theology of prayer by looking at the Bible’s teaching on prayer from Genesis to Revelation. This is a downloadable article.

> Prayer – This is an excerpt from Calvin’s classic work, The Institues of the Christian Religion. Here he gives an excellent overview of why Christians pray, along with some biblical rational for certain practices in prayer.

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Fasting and Prayer

> Fasting – This is a very simple introduction to the very basics of fasting.

> A Hunger for God – John Piper provides a more comprehensive view of fasting, showing what it means to hunger for God and why we should fast as Christians. This is a downloadable book.

> Guide to Fasting – Practical help on fasting.

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Encouragements to Prayer

> Sermons on Prayer – The “prince of preachers” himself, C. H. Spurgeon said that all of the power of his ministry came from God in answer to the prayers of his people. With biblical truth and a passionate heart, Spurgeon’s messages on prayer will help excite you to spend more time with God. You can find more from Spurgeon on prayer here.

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Practical Helps for Prayer

> Prayer and the Gospel – Tim Keller provides excellent help with prayer, showing how the gospel itself should encourage and sustain our praying.

> A Method for Prayer – Matthew Henry’s classic work that show you both what kinds of things to prayer for, beyond mere physical needs as well as how to do it using the language of the Bible. Henry teaches you how to pray in God’s own words. This is a link to a downloadable version of the book. Pastor John is also working on an updated version using the English Standard Version of the Bible.

> A Simple Way to Pray – Martin Luther’s barber once asked him to give him some advice on how to pray. What resulted is a booklet-length letter of practical advice on a simple, but effective prayer life. This is a link to a downloadbale version.

> Guide for Public Prayer – A practical guide for making the most of your opportunities to pray publicly with God’s people.

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*look for more resources soon!