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    Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer
    Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer
    Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer
    Ebook147 pages2 hours

    Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer

    By Max Lucado

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    About this ebook

    We all pray. . . some. But wouldn’t we like to pray better? Stronger? With more fire, faith and fervency?

    We aren’t the first to struggle with prayer. The first followers of Jesus needed prayer guidance too. In fact, prayer is the only tutorial they ever requested. In Before Amen, New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado helps readers discover the very heart of biblical prayer, offering hope for doubters and confidence for both prayer beginners and experts.

    In this book, Max will help you:

    • Distill prayers in the Bible down to one pocket-sized prayer.
    • Remember that the Good Shepherd has authority over your life.
    • Learn that prayer is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and his child.

    Don’t be bogged down by crafting elegant words or apologizing for incoherent sentences. Climb into God’s lap and tell him everything on your heart. Today is the day to let the conversation begin.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThomas Nelson
    Release dateOct 7, 2014
    ISBN9780529123909
    Author

    Max Lucado

    Since entering the ministry in 1978, Max Lucado has served churches in Miami, Florida; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and San Antonio, Texas. He currently serves as the teaching minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. He is the recipient of the 2021 ECPA Pinnacle Award for his outstanding contribution to the publishing industry and society at large. He is America's bestselling inspirational author with more than 150 million products in print. Visit his website at MaxLucado.com Facebook.com/MaxLucado Instagram.com/MaxLucado Twitter.com/MaxLucado Youtube.com/MaxLucadoOfficial The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast

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      Book preview

      Before Amen - Max Lucado

      Acknowledgments

      My longtime editors, Liz Heaney and Karen Hill. You are Michelangelo on a manuscript. You keep chiseling until something emerges that is worth seeing. Thank you for pounding away.

      The publishing team of David Moberg, Paula Major, Liz Johnson, LeeEric Fesko, Greg and Susan Ligon, Jana Muntsinger, and Pamela McClure. You are ever energetic, accessible, creative, and passionate.

      Steve and Cheryl Green. You captain countless projects and comfort dozens of people. You solve problems like superheroes. I don’t know what I did to deserve friends like you, but I would do it again.

      Carol Bartley, copy editor. We all feel better knowing this: Carol will make sure it is done correctly. So grateful for your diligence.

      Randy and Rozanne Frazee. Steady, sturdy, and strong. What an honor to work with you.

      The Oak Hills Church. After a quarter of a century, we are still growing together.

      Special appreciation to Tina Chisholm, Margaret Mechinus, Janie Padilla, and Ashley Rosales. You serve quietly and graciously, and you deserve far more applause than you receive. Thank you.

      David Drury. Ever available to disentangle knots and thoughts and to offer advice.

      David Treat. Always prayerful, always praying.

      My daughters and son-in-law: Andrea, Sara, Jenna, Brett. When I look at you, I know the meaning of blessing.

      And Denalyn, my dear wife. My favorite answered prayer? Lord, let her say yes. He did. You placed the ring on your finger and took your place in my heart . . . forever.

      one

      The Pocket Prayer

      Hello, my name is Max. I’m a recovering prayer wimp. I doze off when I pray. My thoughts zig, then zag, then zig again. Distractions swarm like gnats on a summer night. If attention deficit disorder applies to prayer, I am afflicted. When I pray, I think of a thousand things I need to do. I forget the one thing I set out to do: pray.

      Some people excel in prayer. They inhale heaven and exhale God. They are the SEAL Team Six of intercession. They would rather pray than sleep. Why is it that I sleep when I pray? They belong to the PGA: Prayer Giants Association. I am a card-carrying member of the PWA: Prayer Wimps Anonymous.

      Can you relate? It’s not that we don’t pray at all. We all pray some.

      On tearstained pillows we pray.

      In grand liturgies we pray.

      At the sight of geese in flight, we pray.

      Quoting ancient devotions, we pray.

      This week more of us will pray than will exercise, go to work, or have sex.¹ Surveys indicate that one in five unbelievers prays daily.² Just in case?

      We pray to stay sober, centered, or solvent. We pray when the lump is deemed malignant. When the money runs out before the month does. When the unborn baby hasn’t kicked in a while. We all pray . . . some.

      But wouldn’t we all like to pray . . .

      More?

      Better?

      Deeper?

      Stronger?

      With more fire, faith, or fervency?

      Yet we have kids to feed, bills to pay, deadlines to meet. The calendar pounces on our good intentions like a tiger on a rabbit. We want to pray, but when?

      We want to pray, but why? We might as well admit it. Prayer is odd, peculiar. Speaking into space. Lifting words into the sky. We can’t even get the cable company to answer us, yet God will? The doctor is too busy, but God isn’t? We have our doubts about prayer.

      And we have our checkered history with prayer: unmet expectations, unanswered requests. We can barely genuflect for the scar tissue on our knees. God, to some, is the ultimate heartbreaker. Why keep tossing the coins of our longings into a silent pool? He jilted me once . . . but not twice.

      Oh, the peculiar puzzle of prayer.

      We aren’t the first to struggle. The sign-up sheet for Prayer 101 contains some familiar names: the apostles John, James, Andrew, and Peter. When one of Jesus’ disciples requested, Lord, teach us to pray (Luke 11:1 NIV), none of the others objected. No one walked away saying, Hey, I have prayer figured out. The first followers of Jesus needed prayer

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