Moving Mountains: Praying with Passion, Confidence, and Authority

When was the last time you prayed with passion, confidence, and authority? I mean, really prayed, not so much out of desperation as out of conviction that praying in the name of Jesus actually makes a difference? Over the course of nearly 250 easy-to-read (but not shallow) pages, Eldredge describes prayer that works – prayer that moves mountains. It is, without a doubt, the most helpful, practical, and downright useful book on prayer I’ve ever read. Eldredge begins with a simple premise, one that all of us who have been Christians for any length of time know too well: some prayers work, and some prayers don’t. What is it that makes the difference? Eldredge writes: “The problem is, sometimes God comes through, often he doesn’t, and we have no idea for the rhyme or reason why. We lose heart, and abandon prayer.” Isn’t that true? Haven’t you been there? Eldredge suggests that many of us are operating from a naïve understanding of prayer that goes something like this: “God is loving and powerful. We need his help. So we ask for help, as best we know how. The rest is up to him. After all – he’s God. He can do anything.” Eldredge suggests this understanding of prayer is incomplete – “dangerously incomplete,” he says. Through a combination of biblical examples and true stories from contemporary life, Eldredge unpacks deeper dimensions of prayer. “If you are interested in prayer at all, you are interested in prayer that works.” You want your marriage to be better. You want healing for your cancer-stricken loved one. You want your adult child (or adult parent!) to be making different choices with their life. You want to be free from the shame and guilt of what you did, or what happened, long ago. You’ve prayed about all of this – and you haven’t seen any significant results. So you think your prayers aren’t working, or that God isn’t listening, or that God doesn’t care. Eldredge says, too often, our prayers are like “hitting the beach at Normandy not with a battalion of marines, but with Mrs. Simpson’s third-grade class,” or like “a hobbit with a handkerchief going to slay a dragon.” If we want our prayers to make a difference, we need to pray with a more mature understanding of what prayer is all about and how it actually affects things in the spiritual realm. There’s the cry of the heart, the prayer of intervention, prayers of consecration, daily prayer, prayers for guidance – Eldredge covers all of these, in detail, and more. Towards the end of the book he moves into more difficult territory: prayers for inner healing, prayers for physical healing, and – yes – prayers for spiritual warfare, when you or someone you love is battling demons. Some Christians don’t want to go there; we think we’re too “enlightened” for that; we neglect the consistent witness of the New Testament, stubbornly refusing to believe that there are spiritual powers of darkness at work in the cosmos. But, if we’re brave enough to keep reading, Eldredge gives us practical, concrete steps to help in each of those situations, along with suggestions of other books that will help us go even deeper. Finally, in a concluding chapter, Eldredge deals with the question of unanswered prayer. “We tried it; we went out on a limb; we put our hopes in God” – and it didn’t work. “Now what do we do?” Eldredge gives some practical suggestions of things to do – and things to not do – when it seems like God hasn’t come through. But don’t jump to that chapter first. Work your way through the rest of the book before you read that one. There’s a tremendous amount of depth in the first 16 chapters that is worth gold; I need to go back and read the whole book a second time (taking copious notes!) so I start making my prayers more effective and powerful. If you read only one book to help you grow in your spiritual life this year … make it this one. Honest: it’s that good.

Before getting into my review, I want to say that I am super glad I did NOT read Tim Challies' 1-star review of this title until after I'd finished reading "Moving Mountains" cover to cover. Had I seen that review first, I would have thought twice about purchasing this book. That would have been a BIG mistake! Reading what Challies wrote caused me to wonder if he and I actually read the same book. It also gave me pause to wonder what his axe to grind with Eldredge might be. I am no John Eldredge groupie. There was a time when I followed and supported his ministry. But that was quite awhile ago now. So, I was surprised when Amazon recommended his latest book to me. I'm glad they did. The author's gift of words -- his voice -- shines through every page brilliantly! Eldredge makes it clear prayer is not a quickie wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am two minute sort of thing. He uses the word "intentionality" to relate this idea. The book is excellently balanced with supporting Bible passages and resources for further study. I found I'd already read a number of the books by other authors he recommends. He uses the phrase "there is a way things work" as an overall theme to connect the dots. I enjoyed this little creation to reveal that I was about to partake in one of those deep mysteries he'd uncovered. I sometimes need someone waving a caution flag that says "slow down... don't rush through this part." Another thing I like is Eldredge's use of his own experiences in prayer. He describes them and then provides the prayer words he uses. I find that immensely helpful, akin to standing on his shoulders, rather than having to flounder away on my own. Prayers he's developed are printed in full at the end of the book. I get the feeling he really does want his readers to delve into this prayer adventure. One thing I wish he had developed further was the idea of provision. One of the resources John offers is Dr. Ed Murphy's "The Handbook For Spiritual Warfare." It's one of those I mentioned earlier that I've read. Appendix B in the back of that book is a prayer that I think might be one of the inspirations to Eldrede's "Daily Prayer." There are several parts to it emphasizing God's provision which are only slightly implied in "Moving Mountains." I'd prefer he plumb the amazing provision of God deeper. John Eldredge has sold millions of copies of his bestseller, "Wild At Heart." This book is on that level and I hope he sells millions of "Moving Mountains," too. My recommendation is that you read the entire book cover to cover first. That way you'll have the 30,000 foot view... the big picture. Then go back and take it slowly, applying..... no, PRAYING.... what John Eldredge has revealed. As I said in the headline, based on what I've gleaned from this book, if I had been told I was terminally ill, I'd want John Eldredge praying for me. "Moving Mountains: Praying with Passion" holds my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!

I just finished reading this book through and there are so many things to reread. If you want to grow deeper with Christ and union with Him this is a fantastic book to help you on your journey

If you want to learn depth in prayer this is where to find it. I found it to be pretty heavy and at times exhausting but also my heart knows this is the maturity in prayer I need to advance to. I’ve known for years the simple prayers we occasionally throw out there through the day are not the depth that we are intended to stay at forever. Our position with Christ requires more and there truly is a spiritual battle happening in the Heavenlies that we are called to partner with God in and prayer is how that happens. John does a great job laying out and showing example of what kind of prayers are effective and powerful. Only reason I give it a 4 is because I feel like the content is so heavy that it can be discouraging like we will never be able to pray like this realistically because it’s exhausting and who has time to really pray this way every day over every topic that comes to mind. But overall if you want to learn how to pray, read this. I will be reading it again and taking notes. I will also probably go back through and list out the concepts in each prayer as a “cheat sheet” to jog my memory as I practice this style of praying. Good luck on your prayer journey friend. May you be blessed for your desire to become more intimate with the Father.

Book was Not in good confition, but I recieved a quick refund.

After reading this book through twice, I found it clear and practical in teaching about the various facets of prayer. Prayer is more than asking for what we want from God, but it's comprised of a variety of ways to approach God and seek Him to move in our lives and in the circumstances and lives of those we love. Prayer reflects our "growing up" in Christ, and maturing in our understanding that there is a way that things work with God. We need to embrace this journey of dialogue with God. He has so much to teach and give us as we cultivate a life of prayer. John Eldredge explores prayer as: the cry of the heart, an intervention for others, a place to consecrate our lives to Him, a place where we learn to listen to God, a weapon of warfare against darkness, a tool God uses to heal, a place to relinquish our will and commit to trusting God and His ways. With the Bible being our primary prayer guide, this book is a valuable asset to teach, inspire, and encourage us to grow in our walk with Jesus Christ and our life of prayer. The DVD series and study guide is ideal for a small group study on Prayer. It offers clear demonstrations of what the various prayer models sound like and provides clear teaching from scripture to support each model.

Great study guide. Lots of strong practical guidance to making prakre effective you need the dvd to go with this. I would also recommend purchasing book to read at the same time.

I enjoyed this one very much. It definitely revives my prayer life. Don't expect to read this on a weekend and just put it aside - it's an invitation to go deeper in your relationship with God.

Lovely way to talk about such a deep and important topic: prayer. I loved Eldredge’s poetic pen.