A Call to Spiritual Reformation

Title: A Call to Spiritual Reformation
Author: D. A. Carson
Publisher: Baker, 1992
Pages: 226
Begun: October 15, 2008
Finished: January13, 2009
Rating: *****

Carson, in A Call to Spiritual Reformation, lays a theological framework for prayer by surveying and unpacking the prayers of the Apostle Paul. The subtitle of the book summarizes Carson's purpose: "priorities from Paul and his prayers." The First Chapter is practical in which Carson shares some personal thoughts and considerations on one's prayer life.

"We will not grow in prayer unless we plan to pray......Prayer is His ordained means of conveying His blessings to His people. That means we must pray according to His will, in line with His values, in conformity with His own character and purposes, claiming His own promises" (19, 32).

In Chapters Two and Three, Carson leads his readers through 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 in which Paul petitions God in behalf of the Thessalonian Church. Through Paul's prayer, he stresses the theocentric nature of prayer. This theocentric focus in praying affects the way one prays for others as described in Chapters Four and Five.

About half-way through the book, Carson hits it on the head with this statement which pretty much sums up the thesis of the book:

"The more we learn about God and His ways and His perspectives, the more we improve our grasp not only of elemental theology but of prayer as well. All praying presupposes an underlying theology; conversely, our theology will have a decisive influence on our praying" (95).

In Chapter Seven Carson gives the most common excuses Christians use in covering up their prayerlessness. Then in Chapter Eight he unpacks Philippians 1:9-11, a passage giving hope for spiritual barrenness.

The closing chapters center around the seemingly conflicting facts of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility to pray. These chapters are especially well worth the read of the book. Carson explores a number of passages in Scripture revealing these two truths.

The closing pages of this book yield some convicting thoughts:

"We want to experience power so that we can be in control; Paul prays for power so that we will be controlled by God Himself. Our deep and pathetic self-centeredness is precisely why it takes the power of God to transform us, if we are to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge and grow to the maturity the Scriptures hold out before us" (197).

This book is not and should not be a fast read, so be prepared to glean it and benefit from it.