Life-Changing Prayers, (Paperback)

In the introduction of his new book Michael Youssef offers these encouraging words. "...God loves ordinary people. Most of the heroes in the Bible were ordinary people whom God used in extraordinary ways". He then goes on to explain that they stood out because they were people of prayer. Youssef shares the stories of seven of these ordinary but very extraordinary people and he relates how God heard and answered their powerful prayers. Eliezer, Hannah, David, Daniel, Jonah, Habakkuk and Mary all had different needs and concerns so their prayers were very different but they all knew that they had to pray believing; they had to pray with persistence and they had to pray expecting an answer. I loved how the author related some of his own life experiences as he focuses on these seven people and their prayers. I appreciated that he used Bible scripture throughout the text and listed notes with bibliographical references at the end of his book to help further my understanding. I was both encouraged and uplifted by this book and some of this encouragement is offered in the conclusion when Youssef tells us that "All things are possible when God is at the center of our lives. Even when we feel like giving up, He can give us the strength to carry on". I recommend "Life Changing Prayers" to anyone who wants to strengthen their prayer life and deepen their relationship with God. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Publishing and was under no obligation to post a favorable review. These are my honest opinions.