I am thrilled to be able to introduce you to my next book! It is titled Pilgrim Prayers: Devotional Poems That Awaken Your Heart to the Goodness, Greatness, and Glory of God. It will be available on September 10 from wherever good books are sold. And it would mean a lot if you would consider pre-ordering it.
Let me tell you what this book is all about. There was a time, and it was not so very long ago, when Christians valued poetry. There were entire ages when poetry was among the major forms of communication and when both reading and writing it was a common element of Christian spirituality. Thousands of Christians wrote devotional poems meant to express their praise to God or to offer their prayers to him in poetic form. Thousands more Christians read these poems and benefited from them. Today, though, few people are aware of the vast treasuries that our forebears have bequeathed to us.
Long ago I began to integrate these poetic prayers into my time of daily devotion. In Pilgrim Prayers I have collected and shared some of the best of them so you can do the same. Each one is accompanied by a brief devotional, some reflective thoughts, and, where necessary, a few words of explanation. But the heart of it all is a collection of poems that provide you with words to pray. You simply pray the poems as a part of your devotion to the Lord!
Pre-order it at Amazon or Westminster Books
Here is an example that comes from the pen of Joseph Dacre Carlyle and is perhaps especially suitable for beginning a time of prayer.
Lord, when I bend before thy throne,
And my confessions pour,
Teach me to feel the sins I own,
And hate what I deplore.My broken spirit, pitying see;
True penitence impart;
And let a kindling glance from thee
Beam hope upon my heart.When I disclose my wants in prayer,
May I my will resign;
And not a thought my bosom share
That is not wholly thine.Let faith each weak petition fill
And waft it to the skies,
And teach my heart ‘tis goodness still
That grants it or denies.
And another example from Charles Ebert Orr for times when you are seeking God’s guidance:
I do not pray that life be spent
On flow’ry beds of ease;
I only pray that Christ may guide
Across the stormy seas.I do not pray that flow’rs may bloom
Along my pilgrim way;
I only ask that Christ may guide
My footsteps lest I stray.If Thou wilt lead me by the hand,
And guide my trembling feet,
For Thee, O Christ, I’ll gladly drink
The bitter with the sweet.What though my life be peace or pain,
’Twill only soon be o’er;
I want to walk the way that leads
To heav’n’s eternal shore.
Endorsements
- Tim Challies has drawn from the warmhearted expressions of saints who have gone before us and added thoughtful reflections of his own. The result, Pilgrim Prayers, will provide fresh fuel for the fire of your devotion to the Lord. (Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth)
- When I first began investigating the Bible as an atheist, I simply wanted to know if Christianity was true. I discovered it was both true and good; factual and beautiful. In Pilgrim Prayers, Tim Challies gifts the Church with a moving reminder of Christianity’s incredible power through inspiring poetry. This book will change the way you rejoice in God’s grace in periods of plenty and trust in His provision in seasons of suffering. Let Pilgrim Prayers deepen your devotional life as it helps you explore the rich, beautiful, and creative history of Christian poetry. (J. Warner Wallace)
- Tim Challies is a treasure hunter. He has rummaged through the attic of Christian history, he has rediscovered priceless prayers written as poetry, he has dusted them off, and he has now brought them back out for use today. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses—men and women who ran the race faithfully through prayer, and with Tim as a guide to deeper devotion to our Lord, we now can join our hearts to theirs, echoing their praises and petitions, giving glory to the same God who saves and sanctifies His people.” (Trevin Wax)
Pre-order it at Amazon or Westminster Books
