Oswald Chambers challenges me like few authors do. He so plainly states how Scripture should be applied to my daily life that it often makes me squirm. In these two books about prayer: If Ye Shall Ask and Knocking At Heaven’s Door my prayer life is challenged.
In the preface to the first edition of If Ye Shall Ask in 1937, Oswald Chambers’ friend John Skidmore said that Chambers addressed “most of our difficulties concerning prayer.” And truly, Chambers makes it clear that most of our understandings about prayer are really misunderstandings which have been shaped by culture. So Chambers makes a strong case that we get back to exactly what Jesus said about prayer.
Chambers wrote, “Jesus Christ does not make monks and nuns, He makes men and women fit for the world as it is (see John 17:5).” Chambers makes sure that all of our prayer life is grounded on Scripture, not on what others have told us about prayer, to prepare us to live out God’s plan for our lives everyday.
Then in Knocking At Heaven’s Door we get a chance to see Oswald Chambers practice what he preaches. This book is a collection of prayers from his personal journals, which his wife compiled. Reading Chambers’ prayers we see that he believed and prayed just like he taught. A true treasure!
If you want to grow in your prayer life, these books will launch your forward.
Craig T. Owens 