Hendrickson Publishers - The Kneeling Christian

I magine a best-selling book whose author has no name. Consider the publishers quandary: no high-profile author with his own media empire. No big-bucks marketing budget, no author tour, no magazine covers, no interviews, nothing. Nothing but a great book that people likea book that changes livesa book they tell their friends about. That is this book.

In stark contrast to the cult of celebrity that surrounds books published today, The Kneeling Christian is ascribed simply to Anonymous or An Unknown Christianno name and few clues. Most readers never know anything about the author of this international best-seller, a slim primer on the life of prayer.

Based on the book itself as it was originally published, we know little about the author of this classic from the early twentieth century. The book itself reveals a few facts: the author seems to be male, British, Anglican, and writing at a mature age. The book was written between the two World Wars, in the 1920s or early thirties. The author doesnt mention a spouse or family life. He is well versed in Scripture and in religious biography and devotional literature. He seems to be in the know, in terms of contemporary religious personage. His preface says this book was written by requestbut based on the text, its not clear that he is a cleric.

In fact, the records of the British Library tell us that the Unknown Christian was an Anglican clergyman named Albert Ernest Richardson, who was born around 1868. He was educated at the University of Oxford, ordained as a priest in 1897, and in 1898 he was accepted as a missionary and left for the Hausaland Mission in Africa. (Hausaland straddled todays nations of Nigeria and Niger.) He returned to England in 1900, only to turn around in 1903 and go out again, this time to serve in Bombay, India, until 1905. Following his return from India, Richardsons passion for evangelism was channeled into his career with the Church Army, a society of evangelists with the Anglican Communion. Then he began publishing his writings in 1921. The Kneeling Christian was his second book.

The Kneeling Christian welcomes novice and veteran Christian alike to answer Gods invitation into the life of prayer. The disciples asked Jesus, Lord, teach us to pray; so do we as well. The author understands and addresses our fears and concerns, encouraging us to embrace wholeheartedly the instructions of Jesus: If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (NLT). And with such encouragement, with such a warm welcome, can we resist?

The author punctuates his teaching with memorable wisdom, such as,

We are never so high as when we are on our knees.

If we ask and God does not give, then the fault is with us.

True prayer never goes unanswered.

But these bold statements shouldnt be taken out of context of the whole work, in which the author explores Scripture, including a compelling discussion of Jesus sevenfold invitation to pray found in John 1416. He draws the reader along with engaging anecdotes set in broad international settings, revealing a passion for missions and evangelism and the intercessory prayer that is the foundation for effective ministry. The result is a tender and loving invitation into a living and vital relationship with the Living Godan invitation to prayer issued to us throughout Scripture and the ages by God himself.

The Kneeling Christian closes with this challenge:

Prayer is our highest privilege, our gravest responsibility, and the greatest power God has put into our hands. Prayer, real prayer, is the noblest, the sublimest, the most stupendous act that any creature of God can perform.

May we all enter into the joy of prayer.

AUTHORS PREFACE

A traveler in China visited a heathen temple on a great feast-day. Many were the worshipers of the hideous idol enclosed in a sacred shrine. The visitor noticed that most of the devotees brought with them small pieces of paper on which prayers had been written or printed. These they would wrap up in little balls of stiff mud, and fling at the idol. He [the visitor] inquired the reason for this strange proceeding, and was told that if the mud ball stuck fast to the idol, then the prayer would assuredly be answered; but if the mud fell off, the prayer was rejected by the god.

We may smile at this peculiar way of testing the acceptability of a prayer. But is it not a fact that the majority of Christian men and women who pray to a Living God know very little about real prevailing prayer? Yet prayer is the key which unlocks the door of Gods treasure-house.

It is not too much to say that all real growth in the spiritual lifeall victory over temptation, all confidence and peace in the presence of difficulties and dangers, all repose of spirit in times of great disappointment or loss, all habitual communion with Goddepend upon the practice of secret prayer.

This book was written by request, and with much hesitancy. It goes forth with much prayer. May He who said, Men ought always to pray, and not to faint,teach us to pray.

CHAPTER 1

Gods Great Need

G od wondered. This is a very striking thought! The very boldness of the idea ought surely to arrest the attention of every earnest Christian man, woman, and child. A wondering God! Why, how staggered we might well be if we knew the cause of Gods wonder! Yet we find it to be, apparently, a very little thing. But if we are willing to consider the matter carefully, we shall discover it to be one of the greatest possible importance to every believer on the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else is so momentousso vitalto our spiritual welfare.

God wondered that there was no intercessor (Isa. 59:16) none to interpose (RV, marg.). But this was in the days of long ago, before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ full of grace and truthbefore the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, full of grace and power, helping our infirmity, himself making intercession for us and in us (Rom. 8:26). Yes, and before the truly amazing promises of our Savior regarding prayer; before men knew very much about prayer; in the days when sacrifices for their sins loomed larger in their eyes than supplication for other sinners.