The Dazzling Darkness by Guy Bowden

I bought The Dazzling Darkness (1950, Longmans, Green and Co.) mostly because it was the perfect size for reading in bed at night. It was also hard cover, inexpensive, and about a subject that I always enjoy. The subtitle is “An Essay on the Experience of Prayer” and the main title is taken from Henry Vaughan’s poem, The Night. I couldn’t find any pertinent information on Bowden so I went into the book “blind,” which was an advantage since I couldn’t judge the content by any pre-conceived notions.

Bowden opens the book self-deprecatingly: Books about golf are usually written by experts; so are books about Prayer. This one is not. It is written by one who has made, by personal experience, most of the mistakes it is possible to make in praying, and has discovered by the method of trial and error a great deal about “How Not to Pray.” His advice is extremely practical and his excellent prose is sprinkled with quotes from a variety of writers such as St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis de Sales, Anthony Trollope, C.S. Lewis, E.M. Forster, Shakespeare, Dante, biblical authors, and Carl Jung (more about that later).

Although Bowden does not deny the mystical aspects of prayer, he affirms again and again that it is often just plain hard work. Yet it is a "duty" that brings rich spiritual dividends. I loved his constant emphasis on prayer as willful obedience – not as a slave to a master, but as a son to a beloved father. If we wait until we “feel like” praying, it will rarely happen.

To realize His presence is a very different thing from having sentimental fancies of sugary religiosity in which we can imagine ourselves to be enveloped as it were in the eiderdown of His protective care. To seek for an emotional thrill in every prayer is sentimental nonsense. If the emotion comes, it comes; let us thank God for the refreshment, take courage and go forward. If it does not come, it does not; we have to accept the fact.

We must not think, then, that because there may be very little pleasure in prayer, we must, therefore, be failing miserably. To judge the worth or the value of prayer by the amount of pleasure it affords is to apply far too subjective a test. It directs attention to us and our feelings rather than to God and His purpose and thereby makes us the center of interest instead of Him. If we expect prayer to be always pleasant, we are saying in effect, “Every time I say my prayers I ought to be provided with appropriate feelings” – presumably by God. But the assumption that God ought to do anything wrecks the whole relationship between soul and God, because it puts God in the position of a servant who is expected to perform certain duties, whereas He is King and sitteth between the cherubim. (p. 24)

My only quibble with the book is Bowden’s occasional nod to psychology. He never lets it take precedence over true faith, but he interjects a Jungian understanding of the soul when he talks about repression and the subconscious in chapter 10. That did not, however, dampen my enthusiasm for the book. It was a great encouragement to me to be more diligent in this area of my Christian life knowing that God is greater than all my weaknesses. And that the rewards far surpass any effort involved.

Blessings,

The Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett

The Valley of Vision is a powerful antidote to the popular teaching that Christianity is primarily about personal success and happiness. My husband and I have been reading a prayer a day for the past year and have often been overwhelmed with the beauty and clarity of each one. 

The focus is always on Christ rather than self. An example from the prayer on repose: Thou art so good, wise, just, holy, that no mistake is possible to thee... I yield to thy sovereignty all that I am and have; do thou with me as thou wilt. Thou has given me silence in my heart in place of murmurings and complaints. Keep my wishes from growing into willings, my willings from becoming fault-finding with thy providences, and have mercy on me.

I loved the book so much that I hate to mention my one quibble with it: the occasional emphasis on self-loathing. A humble recognition of our unworthiness to receive God's grace is everywhere in Scripture. Self-hatred is not. Many verses remind us that God has blotted out our transgressions to remember them no more. Who are we to undo what God has done?

That was a minor complaint. Overall, The Valley of Vision is a rich resource for godly, heartfelt prayers that point us to our heavenly Father in trust and worship. A final quote that I loved was, Give me knowledge of thy goodness that I might not be over-awed by thy greatness; give me Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God, that I might not be terrified, but be drawn near with filial love and holy boldness. 

The Gospel Coalition has an interesting post on the origin of these prayers, which were written by Arthur Bennett (1915-1994). Because Bennett uses the beautiful language of the original prayers (adapting them very slightly), it is hard to believe that this classic was first published in 1975. 

Blessings

What I Read and Watched in October

I usually have three or four books going at the same time, but for the second half of October, I had six, which made it impossible to finish anything. Earlier in the month I read The Day of Small Things and Jane's Parlor by O. Douglas, which I did not enjoy as much as the first book in the series (The Proper Place). I got these quite cheaply for my Kindle and am not sure why there are no longer links to them at Amazon. (The best Douglas novel, Penny Plain, by the way, is always free.) I read Helen Keller's The Story of My Life while listening along on YouTube. Thomas Ramundo's The Prayer Life You've Always Wanted was simple, but encouraging. 

The books I'm presently reading at a snail's pace are: (1) Dante's Inferno, (2) Six Centuries of Great Poetry, (3) Mansfield Park (audiobook), (4) C.S. Lewis' Letters (Vol II), (5) Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, and (6) Christian Faith in the Old Testament by Cockerill. 

We watched Blue Miracle with Dennis Quaid (2021) and Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson (1995). For some odd reason I love stories of unrequited love and enjoyed suffering along with Colonel Brandon! Come to think of it, that may be why I love most of Jane Austen's novels. Anyone else suffer from that malady?

Blessings,

The Ministry of Intercession by Andrew Murray

We all know we should pray more, but why are we so reluctant? Andrew Murray deals with this question head on in his book The Ministry of Intercession. And he does not waste any time mollycoddling his readers. We may complain of lack of time or lack of motivation, but Murray writes,

Feebleness and failure in prayer is a sign of feebleness in the spiritual life. If we lack in this area, we lack in many others. Prayer is meant to be as simple and natural as breathing to a healthy person. The reluctance we feel, and the failure to confess, are God’s own voice calling us to acknowledge our disease, and to come to Him for the healing He has promised…. To pray aright, the life of the Spirit must be right in us. For praying the effectual, much-availing prayer of the righteous man, everything depends on being full of the Spirit…. Beware of grieving him by sin, by unbelief, by selfishness, by unfaithfulness to His voice in your conscience. You can count on him to do in your heart all that ought to be done there.

That last sentence is crucial. Instead of loading us with guilt for not praying enough, Murray emphasizes over and over that when Christ calls us to do something, He also enables it. Rest assured that if Christ is calling you to prayer, he will heal your reluctance and your lethargy. You can trust Him to restore your spiritual strength. Pray with humility and yet with confidence that He will teach you.

I appreciated Murray’s thorough explanations of several key Bible passages on prayer, especially the one in Luke 11 that appears to teach that if we nag God long enough, He has to give in to us. I also appreciated his emphasis on the privilege of prayer: Christ has taken believers up into partnership with himself; He has honored them, and bound Himself, by making their prayers one of the standard measures of the working of His power.

The appendix of the book is a thirty-day plan for taking baby steps toward a deeper prayer life. I highly recommend this book if you want to grow in the area of intercession. I have one caveat though. If you are not familiar with Murray’s other books, which emphasize complete surrender to God and to His will, you could misconstrue several statements in this book that seem to reflect the “name it, claim it” mentality of the prosperity gospel.

This title was free at the time of posting. If you have never read Murray, I would suggest these other (more accessible) titles first. The True Vine (99 cents) and Humility (free) are two of my favorites.

Blessings,

Two Wonderful Quotes on Prayer

A heart clogged with care is like a man trying to swim with heavy clothes upon him, he must get them off if he hopes to swim to shore. Many a sailor has cut his clothes to pieces, because he felt he should sink if he did not get clear of them. I could wish that many Christians would tear themselves away from their excessive worldly engagements, for they have such a mass of care upon them that they scarcely keep their heads above water. Oh, for more grace and less worry! More praying and less hoarding! More intercession and less speculating! As it is, prayers are sadly hindered. - Charles Spurgeon

(Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash)

Pray without ceasing. How can one do it who is surrounded by the cares of daily life? How can a mother love her child without ceasing? How can the eyelid, without ceasing, hold itself ready to protect the eye? How can I breathe and feel and hear without ceasing? I can do all these things because they are the functions of a healthy, natural life. And so, if the spiritual life is healthy, under the full power of the Holy Spirit, praying without ceasing will be natural… Pray without ceasing. How can I learn it? The best way of learning is to do a thing – in fact, the only way – is to do it. Begin by setting apart some time every day, say ten or fifteen minutes, in which you say to God and to yourself, that you come to Him now as an intercessor for others. If at first you do not feel any special urgency or faith or power in your prayers, let not that hinder you. Quietly tell your Lord Jesus of your feebleness; believe that the Holy Spirit is in you to teach you to pray, and be assured that if you begin, God will help you. - Andrew Murray

Blessings,

A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

I do not come from a tradition of written prayers, so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this devotional classic. A Diary of Private Prayer, written by Scottish theologian John Baillie (1886-1960), contains a month of heartfelt prayers, one for each morning and evening. Frankly, the humble, submissive attitude of these prayers was a welcome change from much of modern Christian literature.

An example from Day Four: Do not let me embark on anything today that is not in line with your will for my life, nor shirk from any sacrifice that your will demands.

Mingled with the prayers of surrender to God's will are praises for His goodness and power. On Day Twenty-Two, he writes, O Lord, my God, I kneel before you in humble adoration as I set out to face the tasks and interests of another day. Thank you for the blessed assurance that I shall not be called upon to face them alone or in my own strength, but that at all times I will be accompanied by your presence and strengthened by your grace.

One final favorite prayer: O Holy Spirit, visit my soul and stay within me all day. Inspire all my thoughts. Pervade all my imagination. Suggest all my decisions. Make your home in the most secret place of my will and inspire all my actions. Be with me in my silence and in my speech, in my hurry and in my leisure, in company and in solitude, in the freshness of the morning and in the weariness of the evening; and give me grace at all times to rejoice in the comforting mystery of your companionship.

My only quibble is the occasional general prayer for "all the workers in the world," or "all who suffer." I have a hard time understanding how God is supposed to answer such non-specific petitions, but I may be underestimating His far-reaching grace.

It's hard to imagine that anyone could read this book every day and not be changed by it. My edition, with updated language by Susanna Wright, was very readable. The hard cover and ribbon bookmark guarantee its use for many years to come.

Blessings,

Thoughts on Prayer by Oswald Chambers

Prayer develops and nourishes the life of God in us. We generally look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the biblical idea of prayer is that God’s holiness, purpose, and wise order may be brought about. 

“Your Father knows the thing you have need of before you ask Him”(Matt 6:8). Then why ask? Very evidently our ideas about prayer and Jesus Christ’s are not the same. Prayer to Him is not a way to get things from God, but so that we may get to know God. Prayer is not to be used as the privilege of a spoiled child seeking ideal conditions to indulge his spiritual propensities. The purpose of prayer is to reveal the presence of God, equally present at all times and in every condition.

During a war many pray for the first time. It is not cowardly to pray when we are at our wits’ end. It is the only way to get in touch with reality. As long as we are self-sufficient and complacent, we don’t need to ask God for anything. We don’t want Him. It is only when we know we are powerless that we are prepared to listen to Jesus and to do what He says.

It is not so true that “prayer changes things” as that prayer changes us.

(All above quotes are from If You Will Ask: Reflections on Prayer by Oswald Chambers)

Blessings,

The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children by Stormie Omartian

Fifteen years ago, while raising four young sons, I read The Power of a Praying Parent. It challenged me to pray specifically for the Lord’s help to overcome their weaknesses and for the Lord to be glorified in their strengths. I adapted a few of Omartian’s prayers for each boy and have used them off and on through the years (in between extemporaneous prayers.)

Now that my children are grown, I was feeling the need to update those written prayers. So I was pleased to find The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children when I was on furlough. While I don’t agree with every bit of Omartian’s theology, I greatly appreciate her encouragement to keep praying and believing for God’s best for our kids.

She begins the book with a chapter on parental guilt as an impediment to faith-filled praying, which I really needed to hear. Assuming that you and I have done the best we knew how at the time we raised our children, and knowing that we were not perfect parents, we can trust that our children can still be taught by the Lord today and for the rest of their lives. They can learn the things we didn’t teach them – or didn’t teach them as well as we should have – and they can unlearn things we taught them that were wrong. . . . Whatever wasn’t perfect about the way we taught our children, God can redeem. But we need to pray for that to happen.

The following chapters deal with prayer concerns such as growth in wisdom, financial stability, sexual purity, health, marriage, and child-rearing. After this book had been out for several years, Omartian saw that many young people who had grown up in Christian homes had wandered from the faith without really seeing the danger. So she added a new chapter on prayers to help your adult children to see their need for God.

I guarantee that anyone who doesn’t recognize their need for the Lord is trying to fulfill their needs in some way that is empty. And they are becoming hooked on it and obsessed with it to the point of idolizing it to numb them to the voice of God speaking to their heart. They are missing all that God has for them. . . . One of the greatest gifts we can give our adult children is to pray they will have the understanding that they need God and that without Him they can do nothing great or lasting. . . . Being an intercessor for your adult children’s lives helps them to have a great ability to not only hear from God, but to respond to God as well. (pp. 231-233)

A good quote: Prayer is not telling God what to do. Prayer is partnering with God to see that His will is done. The confidence we have in approaching God is that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, then we know that we will have what we asked of Him. (1 Jn 5:14-15)

Omartian’s words encouraged me to be faithful and specific in my prayers. A very helpful book.

Blessings,

A Simple Prayer

In my reading this week I came across this quote. It was tucked away in an article from the latest edition of Books and Culture (Mar/April 2009). This prayer took me by surprise with its heartfelt simplicity: