Sunday, February 6, 2011

City on Our Knees - Book Review

I had "City on Our Knees" sitting around for a while as other books got moved to the top of the pile. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. Even as short as it is, there is a lot of power packed into this little book. I've read lots of these "inspirational" books before and come away disappointed. That was not the case here. Toby Mac chose stories of real people and heroes of the faith to illustrate the importance of prayer in our lives. All too often we as Christians cheapen prayer or treat our prayer lives like a cosmic "wish list." Ever since I read this little book, I've been convicted to examine my own prayer life and spend time really focusing on how I'm praying and why I'm praying. There is a particular passage from the chapter on John Hyde (starts on pg. 113) that has stuck with me...questions Hyde asked...I've continued to struggle with these questions.

I wonder if Toby Mac thought about the impact this little book would have on the prayer lives of readers. I know I walked away different. Sure, there are inspirational stories throughout but what I walked away with was the underlying concept that prayer has and will continue to change the world.

Bethany House Publishers provided me a free copy of this book in exchange for my review. No other compensation was provided.