Prayerstreaming: Staying in Touch with God All Day Long

by Janet Holm McHenry

Book Overview

Pray Your Way Through Your Day. More than two thousand years ago Jesus taught about the importance of prayer and the apostle Paul urged Christians to "pray without ceasing." Yet a rewarding prayer... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578568358
• ISBN13: 9781578568352
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Waterbrook Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

It Really is Possible to Stay in Touch with God All Day Long

With family, work, activities, and other important things to fill our day, how does one find time to pray? In her unique and engrossing book PrayerStreaming, Janet Holm McHenry showed me that it truly is possible, not only to find time to talk with God, but to stay in touch with Him all day long. Each chapter focuses on the example set by a well-known prayer warrior from the past who modeled the discipline of praying without ceasing. By weaving in stories from her own life, the author brings century-old illustrations into the reality of today. Reading about the lives of men and women like Andrew Murray, Teresa of Avila, and Madame Guyon, as well as the author's trials and victories, showed me the irreplaceable benefits of sticking close to the Father through the good, the bad, and the ordinary. I closed this book praying that God would teach me to apply what I learned. I recommend this book to anyone with a desire to draw closer to God through prayer.

For those who couldn't believe, it is possible...

We all struggle with Paul's exhortation to "pray without ceasing." After realizing her days were filled with thoughts that weren't so much wrong, as they were simply unspiritual, Janet Holm McHenry decided to delve into the lives of eight great "pray-ers" in church history. The result is her book PrayerStreaming, "a life-changing guide to praying through the clutter and clatter of everyday life" (cover). Eight of ten chapters are devoted to the following historical pray-ers: the Pilgrim, Frank Laubach, Madame Guyon, Teresa of Avila, Andrew Murray, C. H. Spurgeon, E. M. Bounds, and Brother Lawrence. Each figure has a different personality, and therefore touched God differently. Chapter by chapter, the author identifies each pray-er's heart, that attitude within that allowed him/her to maintain constant communion with God. As you read, you get take bits of each with you, as well as start to develop a personal method of heart to heart communication with God. I must admit, that at first I found it difficult to "find the writer's voice," which can hold me back from getting interested in the book. But the material kept me interested, and I actually took a lot away from the book. For example, the Pilgrim prayed a very simple prayer at every opportunity to help attune himself to the things of God, as well as to keep his life in a state of constant surrender. That prayer, referred to most often as the Jesus Prayer, is simply: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me (p. 8). The following statement from Chapter 5 is filled implications and insight: "Teresa of Avila wrote that we think too much of ourselves and do not wholly give ourselves over to God. We think we've given everything to him when instead we've only offered the produce or rent the land generates while we retain the title to the deed" (p. 67). We all know we can pray more, and we hear Paul's words so very often. But rather than be discourage at our procrastination, inadequacy, and frequent insincerity in prayer, we can find hope in knowing that prayer is from our heart, and doesn't have to be grandiose or repetitive to be unceasing. I've been inspired to learn more about each of these pray-ers, and to read for myself their writings and encouragements. Thankfully, the author includes an extensive bibliography and recommended reading appendix. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a theology of prayer, or who desires further insight into make prayer personal, and not just a task to be completed or checked off of our daily routine.

"Just Do It"

Many Christians claim that the frantic pace of modern life makes growing closer to God difficult. Much of our time and energy is spent on meeting the demands of our jobs, families, and even our churches. But if our faith in Christ is based on relationship, how can we not communicate with Him throughout our day? When confronted with the possibility of constant prayer as a solution, we are at a loss on how to proceed. Perhaps we simply lack an example of how it's done. "PrayerStreaming," based on Paul's admonition to "pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17)," was written to remedy that shortcoming. Janet Holm McHenry has compiled the prayer habits of exemplary saints like Teresa of Avila, Andrew Murray, and Brother Lawrence. She devotes a chapter each to eight prayer warriors, and then shows how we can emulate them in our modern-day hectic lives. For example, Brother Lawrence communed with God while washing dishes and fixing sandals. He bathed his work with prayer in order to glorify God and include Him in all aspects of his life. Mrs. McHenry applied Brother Lawrence's prayer habits to her own daily grind. She found that practicing God's presence brought positive change to her job performance and improved relations with her family. Of course, we have to be careful that the means do not become the end. When technique and result are the main focus, we miss out on their real purpose - loving communion with our Savior. The author warns against vain repetition, which ultimately leads to frustration and emptiness. The purpose of prayerstreaming is primarily to know, love, and glorify God. When that is the goal, the rest takes care of itself. On the other hand, we can't allow ourselves to be paralyzed by motive analysis. God can work in our hearts despite our shortcomings. Ultimately, we must step out in faith and pray within our weakness and sin. As The Pilgrim demonstrates in Chapter 2, we can ask for and receive mercy from God. Most of us won't become monks and embrace a life of non-stop prayer. But we can pray while we work, play, or relax. Soaking our activities in prayer is a way of relating to God and putting Him first in our lives so we can forget ourselves. From there, He can change us so we bless (instead of curse) the guy who cut us off in traffic, or enable us to persevere through a trial of physical illness. Mrs. McHenry writes that she stole Nike's "just do it" slogan because it best expresses the attitude of these saints on prayer (pg. 138). Sometimes the simplest answers are the best ones. Highly recommended.