The Prayer of Unwanting
How the Lord's Prayer Helps Us Get Over Ourselves--and Why That Might Be a Good Thing
by David Williams
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Pub Date Feb 11 2025 | Archive Date Not set
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Description
An astute, lively book about the Lord's Prayer--the ancient Christian prayer that helps us get over ourselves, which is sometimes exactly what we didn't know we needed.
Sometimes we imagine prayer as a magical incantation--a way to change our circumstances. We try to pray our way toward success, safety, health, or love. But what if true prayer is more about undoing our desires for power and profit than indulging them? What if the purpose of prayer isn't to give us what we want but to change the very heart of our wanting?
Novelist and pastor David Williams leads us toward a new encounter with the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. Prayed through millennia by believers in groups and alone, the Lord's Prayer speaks precisely to our age. Jesus taught his followers this prayer for a reason, and this same prayer rings true to those of us with a hunch that our desires are being endlessly manufactured, manipulated, and managed. If we are to be good little consumers, our hunger must be endless. We want because we are afraid of not having enough. We want because we feel compelled to have more than our neighbor. We want power over others. Our broken wanting can break the world. So Jesus gave us the prayer we need: one that repairs and reorients our longings.
With stories from scripture, whimsical anecdotes, and pastoral wisdom, Williams guides us into profound interaction with each line of the Lord's Prayer. Questions and ideas for ways to experience the Lord's Prayer can facilitate and deepen group conversation and individual prayer. There's power in the Lord's Prayer, Williams testifies, even if it's a power we have yet to understand.
A Note From the Publisher
- Offers a respectful, grounded reframing of the purpose of prayer in the life of the church
- Can be used individually or in group settings for those who want to deepen their spiritual growth and practice
- Back matter includes additional resources such as reflection and discussion questions and ideas for different ways to pray the Lord's Prayer
- Written in pastoral and down-to-earth tone by novelist and pastor Rev. Dr. David Williams
Advance Praise
"Our common practice of prayer is inescapably elusive, open-ended, and somewhat hidden in our faith. In this winsome exposition of prayer, David Williams offers us practical guidance with prayer that is honest, accessible, and filled with insight. Williams walks us through the Lord's Prayer phrase by phrase, with an awareness wrought of real personal engagement and with an eye on contemporary connections. Williams suggests that we can, in our practice, be engaged in 'praying without ceasing.' Those engaged in growth in faith will be grateful for the wise, knowing instruction on offer here." —Walter Brueggemann, biblical scholar and author of more than one hundred books
"What this profound book offers its reader is the gift of encountering a familiar prayer as if for the first time. Excavating the depths of transformative grace in Jesus' ancient words, The Prayer of Unwanting is a timeless and necessary book." —Amanda Held Opelt, songwriter and author of A Hole in the World and Holy Unhappiness
"What do we want when we come to prayer? In The Prayer of Unwanting, David Williams looks at Jesus' ancient teachings and winsomely places them into the realities of our own days and desires. If you've ever wondered what prayer is or is meant to be, let these down-to-earth reflections wash over your mind and heart, pointing the way back to Jesus." —Catherine McNeil, author of Fearing Bravely: Risking Love for Our Neighbors, Strangers, and Enemies
Marketing Plan
- National and online publicity campaign to Christian and spirituality media
- Christian advertising
- Social media and digital campaign targeting centrist to progressive Christians
- Congregational outreach
- Seasonal promotion especially for Lent 2025
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9798889833291 |
| PRICE | $16.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 176 |
Available on NetGalley
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