Prayer Eleven

“Our house group in Swanage has just completed the Seekers course. Although we all started from different points in our prayer discipline everybody found benefit in going through the course. Many of us found the discipline challenging but thought the structure was helpful. Discussion subjects were good and enabled us to improve our dialogue with God. Listening is tough and many of us moved from asking to submitting to allow God’s will to be done through ourselves. Over all the feeling was that it was well worth doing.”

Mr Roger Arnett, Swanage.

“In Seekers through Prayer, Jonathan takes us by the hand through 6 steps. First comes an introduction to the requirements for prayer, with the focus on making one’s mind quiet and focussed on simple tasks (feeling, seeing, and perhaps most important, listening), then gradual steps into an encounter with Him who listens to our prayers. The steps are kept simple and gradual and I found that Jonathan’s gift in writing helps. He accompanies the reader and pray-er using some of his own experience, but maintaining a ‘light touch’ approach. We are all different and there is a realisation that the purpose is to find one’s own way in praying to God. Quotes are also used at the end of the lessons that are relevant to the topic of the day, some from friends, and some from wise pray-ers of the past. I have taken up the suggestion of looking up some of the books that are recommended, in particular one by Richard Foster. I was already familiar with Brother Lawrence’s excellent ‘classic’, which I also recommend. In summary, what I particularly liked about this course in Prayer Eleven is that after a structured little journey with the author (and those he cites), one is encouraged to seek God with personal, individual freedom.”

Dr Bruno Gran, Nottingham