Spurgeon on the Priority of Prayer (Spurgeon Speaks)

Jason Allen is the president of Midwest Baptist Theological Seminary and the Spurgeon College, which not only bears Spurgeon's name but houses his personal library and sponsors ongoing Spurgeon research. Therefore, the access to information and ability to compile makes this new series, Spurgeon Speaks, notable. This book, Spurgeon on the Priority of Prayer, is simply volume one in that new series (volume two is titled Spurgeon on the Power of Scripture, but I am unaware of any forthcoming volumes).I must confess that while I am continuously thankful for the Lord’s work through Spurgeon and find myself frequently learning from the teachings of Spurgeon. However, I also struggle much with his teachings because I often find that, while helpful and biblical, they are not always textual. Charles Spurgeon frequently makes points about verses that simply are not there. While notable at a couple of points, that was not the general character of this book as I expected.This does not leave the book without the necessity for discernment. Trouble comes towards the beginning in which Spurgeon’s teaching about leans dangerously close to a works-based prayer. He toes the line too close to the notion that God will honor the prayer of those who are without sin and obedient and will ignore the prayers of those who are not (please recognize that as my paraphrase). While recognizing our ability to grieve the Holy Spirit by our sinfulness, I am concerned about the presentation by Spurgeon of this fact.With that understanding, the book maintains a tremendous value. Each of the eight chapters is an exposition of a primary text and begins with a summary of the chapter, a notation of the text, and highlights of key quotes. Spurgeon’s writings are intensely practical and relevant. While Spurgeon’s task is to examine biblical texts, priorities, and attitudes, readers instinctively respond with a thorough examination of themselves. It would be difficult to interact with the text of the chapter and remain unconvinced of the need for prayer and unconvicted.My general response to books like this is to direct readers towards the original writings by the author. Frequently, it seems much better to read from original sources than to read summaries or compilations put together by others (especially others who are many generations removed). Yet, this short, concise volume is well-done and very useful. For a short prompter on prayer, this is a great resource to place in the hands of fellow Christians.Disclaimer: This book was received for the purposes of review but I was not compensated for this review or influenced in any way.

The Spurgeon Speaks Series is a new series on Spurgeon by Moody Publishers. In this series, Jason K. Allen, the president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Spurgeon College, compiled several Spurgeon’s sermons and organized them topically. The first volume of the series is on prayer, and it’s titled Spurgeon on the Priority of Prayer.Spurgeon, who is best known for his powerful preaching, was also a devoted man of prayer. He attributed his ministry success and church growth to prayer and frequently preached about its power. And in this volume of the Spurgeon Speaks series, Allen curated Spurgeon’s best eight sermons on prayer. They are, The Conditions of Power in Prayer, Praying and Waiting, David’s Dying Prayer, The Golden Key of Prayer, Prayer the Proof of Godliness, Lead us not into Temptation, Pray Without Ceasing, and Thanksgiving and Prayer. Each sermon features a summary and a few notable quotes.I tremendously enjoyed this little book! I couldn’t stop highlighting as Spurgeon shares so much wisdom on prayer and has such elegant prose. Each sermon is short, easy to read, and filled with wonderful insights on prayer that will convict and encourage you to pray more.I was particularly encouraged by Praying and Waiting, which is undoubtedly a struggle for many Christians. My only “critique” of the book is that the sermons were slightly edited and abridged. I understand it was to make them more accessible for modern readers. Still, I would have preferred if they were as Spurgeon delivered them.Be that as it may, I highly recommend Spurgeon on the Priority of Prayer to anyone who wants to enrich their praying life. Spurgeon shares many precious nuggets about prayer, and when he speaks, you would be indeed wise to listen.Moody Publishers graciously gave me a copy for an honest review.

From the back cover, “The Spurgeon Speaks Series begins in Volume 1 where Spurgeon always began: with prayer. You’ll be encouraged-not shamed- to deepen your experience of prayer and make speaking with your heavenly Father a priority in your life.” They weren’t wrong.This book challenged, encouraged, and convicted me. I like to think that I have a good prayer life. It’s not the best, but I pray, and I enjoy it. However, the Lord used this book to increase, even more, my desire to pray. Spurgeon pulls no punches. He’s honest, Biblical, and uncomplicated. From the first chapter, my highlighter didn’t stop.I honestly wish I could write all my highlighted material from the book in this review. I can’t. But what I can say is that I would strongly encourage this book to you. If you’re a Christian, you need this book. If you’re a pastor or leader in the local church, I encourage you to buy a couple and give them to your members. You and they will benefit greatly. This isn’t an overly dense book, but it is Spurgeon, so be ready for illustrations and phrases that may be outdated. However, you won’t regret having this in your library!**Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.