That prayer is most likely to pierce heaven, which first pierces one’s own heart.
Thomas Watson
Piercing Heaven is a collection of prayers from various Puritan authors like John Owen, Matthew Henry, Thomas Brooks, Phillip Doddridge, Richard Baxter, etc. The Puritans were known for their high view of doctrine and piety, and their prayers reflect that.
“For the Puritans, prayer was neither casual nor dull. Their prayers were passionate affairs, from earnestly pleading for mercy to joyful praise. Their rich expressions of deep Christian faith are shining examples of holy living.”
Therefore, Robert Elmer compiled and slightly updated these prayers so that Christians today could learn to pray earnestly and fervently as the puritans did.
The prayers in Piercing Heaven are arranged into sixteen categories such as Help me Through my Doubts, Help me Endure Temptation, Forgive my Sins, Help me Praise and Thank the Lord, Help me Live the Day, and a few others. Each category features several prayers addressing a variety of subjects, and they all come with titles and the name of authors.
The prayers are also grouped by authors at the back of the book. One neat addition to the book is the short biographies of the authors and the list of sources.
There are several wonderful things about Piercing Heaven. I love how the book is designed to appeal to our eyes and endure in our hands. The book comes with exquisite gold engravings on a gorgeous blue sturdy cloth bound hardcover. The strength of the binding will most likely withstand the frequent usage it begets.
As for the content, the prayers are simply beautiful! They are all deeply anchored in Scriptures and soul-stirring. One of my favorite prayers from the book, Show me the way from your Word, is entirely from the Bible and is tremendously inspiring. The puritans indeed knew the value of praying God’s Word back to Him.
I highly recommend Piercing Heaven to all Christians. Not only are the prayers within Scripture-based, Christ-centered, and God-honoring, but they are also beautifully written and poetic. They will move you to utter prayers that will pierce your heart and hopefully pierce heaven.
Furthermore, it’s an excellent resource to help you pray for those days when you don’t have words but want to communicate with God.
It has been a blessing in my prayer life, and I have no doubt it will bless yours too.
*Lexham Press graciously gave a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review*
