Book Review of “A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers” (D. A. Carson)
By Michael Locklear
When you see the book title, A Call to Spiritual Reformation, you may ask, “Is this just another book on prayer—and limited to the prayers of the apostle Paul at that? Should I take the time to even read this book?” To that, I answer no and yes.
In one sense, this is not just another book on prayer. In fact, Carson confesses “how little… biblical material on prayer” his short book actually covers [1]. He does not consider other prayers preserved in God’s Word, such as those in the Psalms, from our Christ, and many others. Instead, as the book’s subtitle indicates, Carson focuses on Paul’s prayers. But this book is not a “how to” manual on prayer. “Prayer is not like a good recipe,” states Carson, “simply follow a set of mechanical directions and everything turns out right in the end” [2].
Yet in another sense, Carson’s A Call to Spiritual Reformation is another book on prayer—and a wonderful and insightful book on prayer at that. He begins with this thought-provoking question: “What is the most urgent need of the church today?” After considering numerous possibilities, he concludes that the greatest need for churches today is “a deeper knowledge of God.” “One of the fundamental steps in knowing God,” Carson continues, “… is prayer” [3]. Throughout the book, he stresses our relationship with God and our need to nurture that relationship as we pray.
In the opening pages, Carson gives an overview of the book. He explains that his book is not a comprehensive theology of prayer. His aim is far simpler: “To work through several of Paul’s prayers in such a way that we hear God speak to us today, and to find strength and direction to improve our praying, for God’s glory and for our good” [4].
In the opening pages, Carson gives an overview of the book. He explains that his book is not a comprehensive theology of prayer. His aim is far simpler:
(1) To work through several of Paul’s prayers in such a way that we hear God speak to us today, and
(2) To find strength and direction to improve our own praying, for God’s glory and our good.
Throughout the book, Carson gives sound and heart-searching commentary on the apostle Paul’s prayers throughout his epistles. Then, he encourages us to compare the topics and themes of our own prayers to Paul’s as seen in God’s Word. He writes:
To restrict ourselves for a moment to the petitions in the prayers of Paul, we must ask ourselves how far the petitions we commonly present to God are in line with what Paul prays for. Suppose, for example, that 80 or 90 percent of our petitions ask God for good health, recovery from illness, safety on the road, a good job, success in exams, the emotional needs of our children, success in our mortgage application, and much more of the same. How much of Paul’s praying revolves around equivalent items? If the center of our praying is far removed from the center of Paul’s praying, then even our very praying may serve as a wretched testimony to the remarkable success of the processes of paganization in our life and thought [5].
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I look forward to sharing Carson’s many insights with my congregation during the coming years. In sum, I highly recommend it (as well of a good many of Carson’s books), be it for the benefit of your church, Sunday School class, small group, or personal edification.
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[1] D. A. Carson, A Call To Spiritual Reformation (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1992), 208.
[2] Ibid., 208.
[3] Ibid., 16.
[4] Ibid., 9, 10.
[5] Ibid., 96, 97.
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About the Author: Michael Locklear pastors the First FWB Church in Savannah, Georgia. He is a Welch College graduate in Nashville, TN. He and his wife, Beverly, have two children, Sarah and Caleb.
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