FIVE THINGS TO PRAY FOR A SUFFERING
FRIEND:
Prayers that Change Things for Friends
or Family who are Walking through Trials
By Helen Thorne
Good Book Company. 93 pages. £5.99
ISBN 978 1 784 989 873
‘Five things to pray…’ is series of short books from The Good Book Company designed to boost our prayer lives by giving us fresh ideas. The latest addition is Five Things to Pray for Friends or Family who are Walking through Trials by Helen Thorne.
If we feel at a loss to know how to pray for a friend or loved one who is engulfed by deep waters, take heart. As Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK, Thorne is a sure-footed guide. Shaped around four big themes – speaking out, looking up, soaking in and pressing on – she takes 21 passages of Scripture and explores five ways in which each one can shape the way we pray. Her suggestions are thoughtful and sensitive. Some are obvious; others wonderfully stimulating and fresh.
The majority of the prayer-prompts assume that we are praying for fellow Christians, but some are geared towards folk who don’t share our faith.
Don’t be misled by the title; this book may be simple, but it’s not simplistic. It may be short, but it’s profound and powerful. Helen never offers trite answers; instead she encourages us – both prayed-for and pray-er – to look for hope from the deep well of kindness that is the heart of our Father God. The Father God who promises to make all things new. I’m pretty sure that as you take Five Things to Pray for a Suffering Friend to heart, not only will they be blessed but you will too. Let me leave the last word to the final sentence from Helen’s introduction: ‘As you begin, think widely about who you can pray for – think creatively about which prayers to pray for which person – and enjoy speaking to your Father who will, without doubt, answer in the ways he knows to be best.’ Amen!
