Reclaiming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation - A Review

Reclaiming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation

by

Robert J. Morgan

A Review

Robert J. Morgan has a reputation for compiling material suitable for personal or corporate devotions. In the past these have included collections of sermons, hymn stories, and church history. This book serves a similar purpose, but also guides the reader toward developing the spiritual discipline of Biblical Meditation in his or her own life.

At one level the book is a guided look at the Biblical principle of meditation. It does this by guiding the reader through examples - both from scripture and by guiding the reader through key scripture passages. Chapters demonstrate the principles, states them explicitly, and provide opportunities for the readers to put these principles into practice.

The middle portion of the book contains suggested meditations based on each chapter. This of course requires the reader to review, again, the principles discussed in the book. Plenty of blank space is provided for the reader to make his or her own personal comments.

The book concludes by gathering the key Biblical passages used as examples throughout the book. This allows the reader to use the tools and guidelines provided throughout the book without the intrusion of the author’s commentary.

I found the authors approach helpful. Having spent much of the early years as a believer using Bible study materials developed by other publishers, this book takes that approach one step further - by using the Bible Study material to teach the reader to develop skills that can be used independently of a publisher’s pre-printed manual. Part of discipleship is teaching believers to study and apply the scriptures for themselves. This book does that well.

This reviewer would recommend this book for use as an individual’s personal study or as a unit in a small group study. It would make a handy gift for a new believer who is ready to study scripture independently. I would also recommend that it be placed on the shelves of a church library, making it available to a larger audience over time.

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This review is based on a free copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Classic Prayers for Every Need - A Review

Classic Prayers for Every Need

Edited by

Donna K. Maltese

A Review

Prayers are difficult. Well, they feel difficult. Sometimes it is good to have a collection of prayers that have server believers in earlier times to begin with - whether as sermon illustrations, for use as encouragement for others, or just for personal meditation. This book can meet those needs.

The reader will find prayers dating from the middle of the 2nd century (Origen) to the end of the 20th century (Michel Quoist). Some are well known (John Newton), others less so (Ashton Oxenden); but each is a look at the heart of the author and his or her relationship to God.  

The provided prayers are not long.  Grouped into 57 different topics (e.g. Forgiveness, Grace, Rest, Stress, Vision, etc.), there are normally five or more prayers for each topic:

O Lord our God, safe under the shadow of your wings, let us hope.

You will support us both when we are little and when we are old.

When our strength is from you it is real strength,

when it springs from us it is weakness.

Leaning upon you we can find our way back to you,

who are our refreshment and true strength.

Amen.

Saint Augustine

The introduction explains that the author has collected 280 prayers from over 140 different Christians who have lived a life of faith throughout the centuries.  The Table of Contents lists the topics in alphabetical order. However, though a list of authors is provided near the beginning of the book, there is no index that allows the reader to locate the prayers associated to a specific one. Thus, there is no easy way (unless one has an electronic copy of the book) to find prayers by Mother Theresa. The prayers are thought provoking and meditative. They serve as devotionals in their own right for the believer seeking to follow the Savior. Whether in the home, the pastor’s desk, or in the church library, this volume may serve believers around the world.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.