Prayer: More than Just Words Before Dinner

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Former Atheist Seeks to Invigorate Prayer Lives of Christians

For immediate release: “Prayer changes things.” We’ve all heard it before, but sometimes prayer can feel overwhelming. We don’t always know exactly what we should say, and many of us feel insecure in our prayer lives. Author William Ray offers a solution to our anxieties. In Answered Prayer: The Jesus Plan (Ambassador International; July 2015; $12.99, paperback), Ray walks through the most famous prayer in Scripture to encourage and revitalize readers in their own prayer lives.

Answered PrayerRay uses personal anecdotes as a testimony to the miraculous power of prayer. “As a former atheist who had an experience with God through a simple, heart-felt prayer, I understandably have been fascinated by prayer ever since,” writes Ray. Readers are continually reminded of how prayer can and will dramatically draw one closer to the Lord.

The Lord’s Prayer, or as Ray calls it—the Model Prayer— is central to Answered Prayer. Ray dissects each phrase of the prayer as outlined in the book of Matthew and reveals how it applies to a twenty-first century Christian’s prayer life. Ray reminds readers that God wouldn’t have given His children a prayer that didn’t work. Therefore, we can confidently base our personal prayer lives off of this Model Prayer.

Answered Prayer also addresses many of the contemporary issues people have with prayer, such as the misunderstanding of what prayer is and means. Readers will discover:

  • How to have a relationship with God through prayer
  • Understanding God’s four answers to prayer (No, Slow, Grow and Go)
  • Using prayer as a form of worship
  • Why specific prayers are more powerful

Each chapter contains study sections for readers to “Dig Deeper” into the truths of Answered Prayer. Ray utilizes external Bible verses to reinforce his main points about each phrase of the Model Prayer. In addition, each chapter includes a series of questions to help readers assess and further shape their own prayer life.

About the Author: William Ray served as a pastor for nearly 25 years, mostly in the Phoenix area. He holds the Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and an English degree from Grand Canyon University. William is the author of Bible Study for Beginners, the science fiction series The White Hole Universe Chronicles, and the light-hearted reference book The 100 Most Entertaining Predictions about the 21st Century (co-authored with his wife, Lynette). William also provides a sermon illustration service for pastors at illustrationsforsermons.com. William and Lynette have been married for more than 30 years and have two lovely daughters and one beautiful granddaughter.

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