The Light of His Presence: Prayers to Draw You Near to the Heart of God

Many times as I sit to pray I do not know where to start. There are acronyms to use (ACTS and REST) but where to begin with specific focused requests and not wishful thinking. This book is a \”fire starter\”. This book lists prayers with focused intent written in such a way that it is specific but also opens the door to continue that prayer on your own if you chose. These prayers are needed in a time such as this. We need to pray as never before and not throw up generalizations but specific requests for a nation that needs to repent and return to her first love which she was founded on, for courage to speak to those who need to hear the love of a Saviour and being reminded of the trustworthiness of our Great God to name a few. There are pages to write your own prayer and quotes from others that encourage the soul. This book will encourage your faith and will become a companion during your quiet time and during your day.

As I opened Ann Graham Lotz\’s book The Light of His Presence I didn\’t realize that I would be met by God even as I read the first prayer – a prayer for the weary. With all going on in the world and daily life I am weary and worn. Ann\’s prayer for the weary had me in tears as she cried out to God who understands our weariness and struggles then prays for encouragement for others and to be an encourager herself. Ann states in the introduction that she struggles with prayer- she tells how she struggles with prayer and provides a template to use in praying- worship, confession, thanksgiving, and intercession. After the introduction Ann has quotes from various sources before each prayer. These prayers are written by Ann and are based on Scripture covering various themes we may encounter in our lives – from being weary, strength, wisdom, worship, and more. Ann uses the template of worship, confession, thanksgiving, and intercession in her prayers. She prays Scripture back to God and earnestly seeks God. Her prayers are relevant to the situations going on in the world today and in individual lives. Two appendixes are included; one of the believers birthright (blessings) and another on preparing your heart through confession (a list of sins). A note section is also included with the resources for the quotes and also references for the Scriptures used in each prayer. I enjoyed this prayer book a lot and loved the heartfelt, honest prayers written by Ann even when confessing her sins to God. I would prefer the Scripture references in the prayers or at least at the end of the prayers instead of at the end of the book. I can see how others may find including the references in the prayers distracting though. I love this book and can see it as a guide to connect with God and for helping my prayer life, which I struggle in praying also- getting distracted, not knowing what to pray, feeling hurt and not wanting to pray, and wondering if my prayers are even heard. I recommend this book for everyone but especially those seeking guidance in praying or wanting heartfelt prayers to pray in their circumstances. I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

With all that’s going on in this crazy world and my husband’s bout with Covid, I confess I have been struggling in prayer lately. What a blessing to have this book! I have found that no matter how I “feel”, the Holy Spirit is working through the prayers in this book to soften my heart and draw me into His presence, which then leads me to spend more alone time with Him. How refreshing this has been! Thank you Anne!

I love this book. The prayers are so beautiful and so helpful to me in my own prayer life when words often fail, or I get distracted. She covers so many of the issues of life and makes them very personal to your own life. Her books have been a blessing to me and I would recommend them to everyone. The believer will be encouraged and the unbeliever will be drawn to the Savior. There is one issue, I\’m sorry to say, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. The glue they used on the book smells terrible. I have to hold it away from my face because of the smell. I hope they can do something about that.

Anne Graham Lotz has written another great book. The prayers are topical and there is even a place to write your personal prayers. I see this book as a guide for when I don’t know how to pray and that in turn guides you further with prayer. I highly recommend this book.

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