Book Review of 10 Prayers You Can't Live Without by Rick Hamlin

10 Prayers You Can't Live Without: How to Talk to God about Anything
by Rick Hamlin
ISBN 978-0-8249-3218-3
Guideposts
Reviewed by Clint Walker

Have you ever felt like you needed to pray and did not know how? Or have you ever felt like there was more to a life of prayer than you have discovered yet? Many of us have, and we don't do anything about it. Instead we just stay spiritually stagnant, unwilling or unable to grow to be the person of prayer that we long to be.

It is into this community of people who want to pray more, or pray better, but do not quite know how that Rick Hamlin shares 10 Prayers You Can't Live Without. This book contains 10 relatively simple prayers that can change anyone's life. Each of these ways of praying is thoroughly Biblical, and will add depth to a persons spiritual journey.

As is typical of Guideposts, there are plenty of stories to illustrate each prayer the author presents. Some of the stories are fairly cheesy (rescuing a skunk from a yogurt container--really?). Others stories are very moving, such as the story of Robin Roberts' mother's Christmas prayer after her husband had died earlier in the year.

When I ordered this book to review from a media group, I neglected to notice that the book was written by Guideposts. What I knew about Guideposts was that it was the devotional that old ladies read, and that the folks with Guideposts talked a lot about angel visitation. So, the book kept moving to the back of my review cue. I was pleasantly surprised to find the depth and thoughtfulness that has went into this book, and may even have to give the Guideposts folks another shot at gaining my attention and support.

I plan on using this book either in a teaching series, or as a guide for a sermon series in the next year or two. I think anyone who reads this fine book will find something that they can grow from on their Christian journey.