"Hearing Gods voice (in the Scriptures) and having his ear (in prayer) belong together. He is God; we are not. He takes the initiative and speaks first, revealing himself in his Word. But then, wonder upon wonder, he stops and stoops and wants to hear from us. We call it prayer. Our having Gods ear is as sure as our having his Son. And the heart of it is not getting things from God but getting God himself. How fitting to press Gods Word and our prayers together in this Bible. I will cherish this labor of love for years to come."
-- David Mathis, Executive Editor, desiringGod.org; Pastor, Cities Church, Saint Paul, Minnesota; author, Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines
"I was immediately thrilled when I saw the ESV Prayer Bible. At every turn, we are given tools and direction to inspire and encourage our prayer lives. Nothing is more important in prayer than learning to pray Scripture. It is the foundation of a praying life."
--Paul E. Miller, Executive Director, see Jesus; author, A Praying Life and J-Curve
"Some of the best advice I received in my early Christian walk was to read the Bible prayerfully; that is, to stop and pray anytime a biblical text led me to praise and thank God, convicted me of the need to confess a sin, or encouraged me to offer a petition. Peppered with honest, personal, relevant, and Scripture-saturated prayers from Christians throughout the ages and from among the nations, the
ESV Prayer Bible will help you cling to and cry out to the Lord who inspired his holy word."
--Douglas Sean O'Donnell, Senior Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Elgin, Illinois; author, Matthew and The Song of Solomon (Preaching the Word)
I will limit my commendation of the ESV Prayer Bible to an aspect that should not be allowed to go unnoticed, namely, that it is a triumph of scholarship. The excerpted prayers by famous Christians through the ages are the product of exemplary research. The items at the end of the book represent an 'over and above' effort: an author index consisting of brief biographies of the authors included and lists of Bible passages where their prayers appear; a unit of complete bibliographic information about the publications from which each excerpt was taken; a comprehensive index of all the prayers in the Bible; a brief Bible concordance; and a complete plan for reading through the Bible in a year. The edition merits the label 'instant classic.'"
--Leland Ryken, Emeritus Professor of English, Wheaton College
"The two greatest influences on my prayer life have been the Holy Scriptures and the written prayers of Gods people who have gone before us. The ESV Prayer Bible has brought the two together in a way I believe will be a great help to Christians who want to grow in the discipline of prayer and see how prayer should be rooted in Scripture itself."
--Joe Thorn, author, Experiencing the Trinity and The Heart of the Church; Lead Pastor, Redeemer Fellowship, St. Charles, Illinois
