Dr. David Jeremiah - Prayer, the Great Adventure

David Jeremiah has been an incredible inspiration and encouragement to me over the years. His books continue to challenge me in my walk with God. In this book, Prayer: the Great Adventure, he has once again challenged me to take a good hard look at my prayer life and ask the question, Why do I pray?

Unfortunately, for many of us, our need for God doesnt become desperate until tragedy strikes. This has been true in my own life. Through cancer I became desperate, not only because I needed Gods strength for the journey but because I was also desperate to tell Him how much I needed Him. Over the past few years I have lost that attitude toward prayer because life has become comfortable once again. I needed to be smacked up side the head, to be reminded that without Him I am nothing. Thank you, David, for reminding me that my prayers must be out of desperation no matter what the circumstance.

DAVE DRAVECKY
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO

If youre tired of books written with the saint in mindbooks which say good and true things about prayer but arent very helpfulthis is your book. Biblical and practical, this book could send you on an well, an adventure. David Jeremiah has paid his dues and now he shares with us the reality he has discovered. Dont miss this one!

STEVE BROWN
KEY LIFE NETWORK
MAITLAND, FL

No subject could be more timely in our day than David Jeremiahs Prayer: the Great Adventure. There is a beautiful honesty in his handling of the promises, pitfalls, and power potential connected to the simple act of praying. Read it and be inspired to call on God in a new and deeper way.

PASTOR JIM CYMBALA
THE BROOKLYN TABERNACLE
BROOKLYN, NY

My life resonates with David Jeremiahs feeling that sometimes he is praying to his computer. In our see-it, grab-it, sinkhole society, prayer as a habitual pattern seems like a misfit, but the writers stepping stones to making Jesus agenda our own provide a clear guide to mastering this life-changing discipline.

HOWARD G. HENDRICKS
DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
CHAIRMAN, CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP
DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Bravo! Dr. Jeremiah gives us a powerful and sincere message concerning prayer. His personal testimony demonstrates firsthand the example that Christ set forth for us in the Gospels. Read it and discover the keys to unlock your own adventure to glorious prayer.

BILL GAITHER
ALEXANDRIA, IN

PRAYER
THE GREAT ADVENTURE
published by Multnomah Books

1997 by David P. Jeremiah, Trustee of the David P. Jeremiah Family Trust dated March 15, 1999
Published in association with the literary agency of
Yates and Yates, 1100 Town & Country Rd., Suite 1300, Orange, CA 92868

Most Scripture quotations are from:
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 1960, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation, used by permission.

Also quoted:
The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV) 1973, 1984
by International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House
The Holy Bible: authorized King James Version (KJV).
The Bible: The New King James Version 1984 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission.

For information:
Multnomah Books
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200 Colorado Springs, CO 80921

Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

Multnomah and its mountain colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Jeremiah, David.
Prayer: the great adventure/by David Jeremiah.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-57673-131-6 (alk. paper)
1-57673-486-2
1-59052-182-X
eBook ISBN: 978-0-307-83128-6
1. PrayerChristianity. I. title
BV215.J47 1997
248.32DC21

97-20802

v3.1

To the Watchmen on the Wall
of the Shadow Mountain Community Church
who stand watch day and night through intercessory prayer.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
being watchful to this end with all perseverance
and supplication for all the saints.

E PHESIANS 6:18

C ONTENTS

A CKNOWLEDGMENTS

The New Testament uses many intense words to describe the discipline of prayeragonize, wrestle, labor, groanjust to mention a few. Similar words could be employed to describe this attempt to write about prayer. At times, it has been an agonizing experience. I am grateful to those who have jumped into the midst of the battle and provided strength and encouragement.

Sealy Yates has been a constant encouragement and has kept me focused on the importance of this project.

Steve Halliday has liberally invested his gifts as writer and editor.

Helen Barnhart has worked diligently to type and retype manuscripts.

Glenda Parker has watched over my schedule so I could have blocks of time to study.

My son, David Michael, has picked up a huge part of the load at Turning Point so that my mind could be freed of administrative details.

Paul Joiner has illustrated many of the concepts in this book with his dramatic productions each Sunday. Some of his pictures have been translated into words.

My wife, Donna, continues to be my greatest human inspiration for all that I do.

In his classic work With Christ in the School of Prayer, Andrew Murray pointedly writes, Moses gave neither command nor regulation with regard to prayer: even the prophets say little directly of the duty of prayer. It is Christ who teaches to pray.

Jesus is our tutor and example in all things, and nowhere is that more clear than in our prayer lives. It is no exaggeration to say that prayer undergirded and preceded and empowered everything that our Lord did while He walked on this earth. He frequently spoke about prayer and even more frequently taught by example. It is a telling fact that Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, only how to pray. He did not speak much of what was needed to preach well, but much of praying well. To know how to speak to God is more important than knowing how to speak to man. Not power with men, but power with God is the first thing. Jesus loves to teach us how to pray.

How glad I am that He is still in the business of teaching His children how to pray! Although I have prayed since childhood, my praying habits have changed a great deal in the past few years. There is something different and new about my praying these daysand it is not hard at all to identify the reason for the change. A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with cancer and very quickly prayer took on new meaning for me. I discovered a dimension to prayer that I had never known before. Jesus enrolled me in His intensive course on prayer and I became an eager learner.