The Prayer of Agur focuses on a prayer made by a man few have heard of, one not mentioned again in the Bible. Yet his is the only prayer included in the book of Proverbs and he makes one of only four references (prophecies) in the Old Testament which specifically mentions God's son. Who was this man?

Payleitner gives us his in-depth look at Agur's thirty-three verses and how important they were for their time and for us today as well. Agur, as so many of us do, seeks balance in his life.

I enjoyed learning more about this often overlooked but important prayer.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Mulnomah for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed are my own.

he Book of Proverbs has many guiding lights for its readers. The only prayer in the book of Proverbs is the prayer of Agur and it has many of the ideas that we need today to get through difficult times and people. The author really uses this prayer as a guide for the reader to use to handle many of the difficult decisions and times we have as we move through our lives. I enjoyed the discussion of this passage and its application to my life.

There is such wisdom in this chapter of Proverbs. (Proverbs 30).

I was completely unaware of Agur or this wisdom until I came across the book on Netgalley. I discovered that Agur's prayer is the only prayer in Proverbs. Did you know that? And so little is known about Agur, yet the fact that he is included in the Bible is evidence that what he has to say is important.

In a world where the hunger for more 'stuff' is great and is seen as a sign of success, the premise behind the prayer resonated deeply. It's taken up residence in my mind and comes to the fore when I'm facing challenges.

I want to believe that I am enough. I want to believe that Jesus has a plan for my life. I am encouraged by the message that "modest lives' can still have an impact. "The author speaks about finding an ally in Agur, a fellow humble traveller on the road of life. Such a lovely notion, that we're all on a journey. There is room for us to move and to grow.

I just loved The Prayer of Agur, It's an easy read. I am sure I will go back to it repeatedly.

With thanks to #Netgalley, the author and Waterbrrok & Multnomah for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

A free copy from Net Galley the #1 source in ARC's
This book you will enjoy, it is based on a little known character known as Agur and the words are wise but the "finding your sweet spot in life" just grates on me.

That's personal though, overall the small book is good but must as with all scripture be taken in balance with the overall book. Thumbs up here and read for a lift.

This is the first time I've read anything by Jay Payleitner. I looked him up after reading the book just to get a better sense of the author's perspective and background. He's quite prolific.

The Prayer of Agur is an indepth eighty-ish page analysis and discussion of Proverbs 30. Generally, I enjoy these types of deep reviews of one small passage, chapter, or book of the bible. Overall, I enjoyed this book as well. I did feel at times that the writing went from focused narrative trying to contextualize, explain and apply the prayer of Agur to a preachy commentary on society. At the places where the book felt like it went to preachy commentary on society, I didn't particularly enjoy the book mostly because I didn't feel like it was where the writer shines brightest.

Where Payleitner analyzed and expanded on his thoughts of Proverbs 30 in a sort of biographical midrash of the possible thoughts of Agur, I think the book shines.

Overall, The Prayer of Agur is an incredibly approachable, easy read - I read it in just a couple of hours. It's clear that with discussion questions for each chapter at the end, the book is designed to be read by individuals or by small groups. It would be an interesting choice for a small group study or even for a whole church analysis. A pastor could easily adapt the book into a short sermon series on Proverbs 30 as well.