Guide
First, Skye Jethani has an epic name. Second, he is brilliant, witty, and deeply biblical. Third, get this book. It will transform your prayer life.
DERWIN L. GRAY Lead Pastor, Transformation Church; author of God, Do You Hear Me: Discovering the Prayer God Always Answers
What If Jesus Was Serious about Prayer is creative and convicting, with memorable images rather than formulas or rules. This is a valuable resource that will influence your theology of prayer as well as your practice of it.
KAITLYN SCHIESS author of The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor
Skye Jethani provides a life-giving reminder that prayer is not reserved for the polished, tidy, and presentable moments of life, but rather, God yearns to be in constant communion with us in our messy, ordinary, everyday lives.
GARY HAUGEN founder and CEO of International Justice Mission
Ive read dozens of books on prayer, but Skye Jethanis is now one of my favorites. This practical book left me motivated to pray more and equipped to develop a praying life that can change me, the people closest to me, and even our world.
KARA POWELL Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Seminary, Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute, and coauthor of 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager
The great gift of Skye is to cut through the muddle of confused thinking around the subject of prayer and focus on the profoundly simple instruction Jesus offers. He combines deep theology with practical and accessible illustrations that are incredibly helpful in getting to the heart of what Jesus taught and modeled. Skyes book will be of great help to those whove always found prayer confusing or boring.
MIKE ERRE pastor, author, and host of the VOX Podcast
Popular forms of Christianity are obsessed with teaching us how to live for God, but they rarely equip us to live with Him. And the key to a radically transformed life with God? Prayer. Skye Jethani is back with an eminently accessible, highly useful guide to the kind of Christ-centered life so many young Christians are thirsty for. Highly recommended!
PHIL VISCHER creator of VeggieTales and cohost of The Holy Post podcast
Skye has done it again. In his winsome blend of engaging stories, perceptive insights, creative sketches, and much-needed challenges, he offers new ways to engage with an ancientand still incredibly significantpractice and posture of prayer. Jesus certainly was serious about prayerand Skye communicates that truth in a seriously engaging way.
J.R. BRIGGS author, The Sacred Overlap: Learning to Live Faithfully in the Space Between; founder, Kairos Partnerships
Could there be a more important question than, How do we pray? Of course not. Sadly, when most people hear the word prayer, they only think of asking God for things (one type of prayer). Skye Jethani, in his characteristic flare many of us have come to love, opens up a wider, deeper, more ancient vision of prayeras the pathway to union with God. I can think of no better book to get you started on your journey.
JOHN MARK COMER pastor of Bridgetown Church and author of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Skye Jethani has a refreshingly distinct angle of vision about Jesus and the world. Like the first book in the What If Jesus Was Serious? series, this second one reflects Jethanis careful reading of Scripture, and his commitment to help the reader hear and respond. This is just the kind of provocation and encouragement that should come from taking Jesusand what He taught and embodiedseriously. Watch out or this will change your life!
MARK LABBERTON president, Fuller Theological Seminary
2021 by
SKYE JETHANI
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Some content in this book was previously published on the authors blog or email devotionals.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Edited by Kevin Mungons
Interior and cover design: Erik M. Peterson
Interior and cover illustrations: Skye Jethani
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Jethani, Skye, 1976- author.
Title: What if Jesus was serious about prayer? : a visual guide to the spiritual practice most of us get wrong / Skye Jethani.
Description: Chicago, IL : Moody Publishers, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: Skye Jethani wants you to know that prayer is so much more than a two-way transaction with a heavenly vending machine. Jesus didnt pray like that. And with a pastors heart, Skye wants to take you deeper into what Jesus had to say about talking with God-- Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020057846 (print) | LCCN 2020057847 (ebook) | ISBN 9780802424167 (paperback) | ISBN 9780802499837 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Jesus Christ--Prayers. | Jesus Christ--Example--Biblical teaching. | Prayer--Christianity. | Prayer--Biblical teaching.
Classification: LCC BV229 .J48 2021 (print) | LCC BV229 (ebook) | DDC 248.3/2--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020057846
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020057847
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For Dan Haase
The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Friend,
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PRAYER (IN PARENTHESES)