Praying Through: Overcoming the Obstacles That Keep Us from God

by Jarrett Stevens, John Ortberg (Foreword by)

Overview

Life can be hard. Prayer doesn’t have to be.
Whatever is going on with you right now, God is actually interested. And yet connecting with God through prayer can often feel foreign, challenging, or beyond our reach.

But here’s the thing: You’re already awesome at prayer.

You just don’t know it . . . yet.

Through over twenty years of pastoring and writing, Jarrett Stevens has made it his mission to connect the dots between God and our everyday lives. With fresh biblical insights, powerful stories, and spiritually practical practices, Praying Through will help you connect with God in fresh and meaningful ways no matter what season you may be going through.

Whether you’re new to prayer, or God seems silent, or you’re grieving a loss, or you need direction, or you're feeling grateful and don’t know how to express it—you don’t have to let these obstacles keep you from God.

There is a way for you to pray through!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631469817
Publisher:	Tyndale House Publishers
Publication date:	01/07/2020
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jarrett Stevens founded and copastors Soul City Church with his wife, Jeanne. He is also the author of Four Small Words: A Simple Way to Understand the Bible and The Deity Formerly Known as God.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Introduction: Dear God … 1

1 When Everything Is New 11

2 When I Need to Say Thanks 39

3 When I Need Help 65

4 When I Am Worried 93

5 When I Am Gripped by Grief 113

6 When I Need Direction 135

7 When I Don't Hear Anything 159

8 When I Am out of Words 177

Conclusion: Amen 195

Thanks To … 199

Notes 201

About the Author 205

What People are Saying About This

Carlos Whittaker

We serve a conversational God, a God who wants to know us and who wants us to know him through every season of life. What Jarrett has done through this book is to uncomplicate what so many Christians have complicated: how to simply have a conversation with God. I thank God for this book and for my friend Jarrett.

Sam Collier

You don’t find many books on prayer that are written in the voice of this generation. This is that kind of book! Praying Through is honest, hilarious, and helpful. Jarrett has a way of turning deep spiritual disciplines into helpful habits that we can actually practice in each and every season of life. No matter where you’re at with God or with prayer, this book is for you!

Mike Foster

Jarrett Stevens is a dear friend and a deep soul. And what he has given us through this book is a real gift. If you’re looking to connect with God in real and authentic ways but find yourself stuck or lost, this book is for you. Through refreshing honesty and humor and spiritually practical wisdom, Praying Through helps you find your way to deeper places with God no matter what season you find yourself in.

Dan Kimball

There are many books out there on prayer, but not like this one. Praying Through is not just theoretical or overly mystical or written so long ago that it is hard to apply today. It doesn’t leave you feeling defeated and guilty because you aren’t praying enough. It is an encouraging, practical, real-life, sticking-to-the-actual-Bible-teachings guide to prayer. By the end of this book, because it relates to the real struggles we have today, you will find yourself becoming increasingly aware of how much God loves us, and you’ll pray more naturally and often as a result.

Kyle Korver

Over the past decade, I have watched Jarrett Stevens get on his knees and seek the heart of God through so many circumstances. The honesty and openness of his process has allowed him to become a trusted voice in my life—and through this book, I believe he can become the same to you.

Bianca Juarez Olthoff

As the daughter of a pastor, I grew up around prayer. It was like a second language in our home. But just because I grew up around prayer doesn’t mean that I grew up in prayer. Over the years, I’ve found myself occasionally stuck and lost, passionless and purposeless in prayer. We all have. That’s why I love this book: Jarrett Stevens has given us a deep and simple guidebook for navigating all of life’s seasons through prayer. If you want to grow in prayer and your relationship with God, then TREAT YO SELF to this book!

Aaron Niequist

I’ve known Jarrett for almost twenty years, and he is honestly one of the most gifted teachers around. He has a brilliant way of bringing lofty theological ideas into the messy reality of everyday life. This book is no exception. Jarrett has taken a topic that feels both overfamiliar and overwhelming and offers tangible handles and on-ramps. Through stories, Scripture, a great sense of humor, and the weighty wisdom of someone who has walked the journey for many years, this book will help you move from feeling paralyzed by the idea of prayer to saying, “I can do this!”