Book Review – Does Prayer Change Things? by R.C. Sproul

Sproul On Prayer

Does Prayer Change Things? by R.C. Sproul

Synopsis:

Does prayer make any difference? Does it really change anything? Yes, says Dr. R. C. Sproul in this Crucial Questions booklet. Though we cannot hope that our prayers will change God’s mind, prevailing upon Him to act against His will, we can be sure that prayer does change things including our own hearts. Plus, it is one of the chief means by which God carries out His will in the world. For these reasons, Dr. Sproul argues, prayer has a vital place in the life of the Christian. In short chapters packed with practical wisdom, he unveils the purpose, the pattern, the practice, the prohibitions, and the power of prayer, calling Christians to come before God’s presence with joy and hope. (Taken from GoodReads page)

Review

I’m on my way to read any book on prayer I can get my hands on and I’m glad Sproul is in my early days of reading on the subject. Just under 100 pages (and free in Kindle form) this book covers some really good points. However, there is one miss that is a little bit glaring.

Sproul is best when he’s his Sproul-ist. That is, when he’s reminding you about the character of God, God’s sovereignty, and to look away from what you think you know and to check Scripture as your ultimate authority. His best chapter of the book is discussing the purpose of prayer (Chapter 2). The title is chosen from this section and it covers a lot of key and overlooked parts. There is something you’re going to find in most prayer books and that’s a later discussion of the Lord’s Prayer (Chapter 3). In this short-form book that makes a lot of sense. However, if you’ve read a book on prayer from a good exegetical speaker, then there isn’t a lot of new ground here. For someone new, this is a good walk-through.

The most glaring issue with the book is that there isn’t a deeper dive into the answer to the question to the title of the book. There are some introductory topics addressed that were great on if prayer changes things. There is some coverage on prayer’s effectiveness and that it does work. And yet, finding that a central part of the book or really covered fully enough to name the book what it is doesn’t quite meet the standard I really had.

Is it a good book that covers the topic of prayer well in the short page length? Absolutely. If you were looking to answer the question of whether prayer changes things, however, you will be found wanting.

Final Grade