Book Review: The Barber Who Wanted to Pray

If a child asked you how to pray better, how would you respond? Would you have a clever story by which to draw them in and make the lesson memorable? I might not have, however, after reading R.C. Sproul's book The Barber Who Wanted to Pray, I am much better equipped to answer my child's question.

My simple answer to my children would probably have been that prayer is simply talking to God and that they don't need to worry about saying things just right. However, that answer probably wouldn't really prove much help to them. Instead, Sproul follows Luther's steps as Luther follows Christ's steps in providing a simple way to pray. He begins by showing how one can use The Lord's Prayer as a guide in personal prayer and then moves on to The Ten Commandments and the Apostle's Creed. The method isn't legalistic or rote and can easily be applied to any portion of God's Word.

As far as stories go, this one was heartwarming as the family shared devotion time together. It also contained an element of suspense as Sproul opened with an outlaw in a barber shop. My children have asked me to read The Barber Who Wanted to Pray again and again. It is a delightful story. I pray that God uses it to help my children and many others learn more about talking with Him.

You can read the whole book on Crossway's web site.

Kara has also written an excellent review at Home With Purpose and is hosting a giveaway (entries to be accepted until Dec. 12, 2011) which some of you may wish to enter.

*Many thanks to Crossway for providing a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!