Book Review: The Barber Who Wanted to Pray by R. C. Sproul, illustrated by T. Lively Fluharty

The Barber Who Wanted to Pray by R. C. Sproul, illustrated by T. Lively Fluharty
Published by Crossway
Hardcover with jacket, 40 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4335-2703-6
Retail: $17.99

Beautifully illustrated by T. Lively Fluharty, Sproul’s book focuses on praying to have our prayers heard. Not going through the ‘motions’ or praying a set prayer time after time, repetitively. At the same time we get a small glimpse into the life and times of Martin Luther, the instigator of the Protestant Reformation.

The story begins with a young girl asking her father to help her pray as he does- in a way that makes Jesus happy and that would help her feel that she was saying strong, worthwhile prayers. He tells her a story that his grandfather had told him- about the barber who wanted to pray.

I wasn’t expecting the end of this book. It wasn’t surprising that an historical figure was presented and that they were of help to the character in the story but what was said (or rather written) by the historical figure is what pleasantly surprised me. We learn that a question the barber asked prompted Martin Luther to write A Simple Way to Pray. I didn’t realize that A Simple Way to Pray was a book that Luther had actually written in his time and that it was indeed written to the barber.

In A Simple Way to Pray Luther tells the barber that if he will go ‘through’ the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostle’s Creed, his prayer will always be different and that he will be praying in a way that will reach farther than the ceiling. I had not thought of including the Ten Commandments or the Apostle’s Creed in helping myself when praying but had fairly recently been going ‘through’ the Lord’s Prayer for those times when my mind will not form a prayer.

The illustrations of this book make it wonderful to look at again and again (my kids really liked all of the cats) but the writing and the focus also make it inviting to be picked up again and again. When I first received it, I thought it was a kids book. I have two kids; a tween and a teen. I didn’t think it would be in their age group…but I was wrong. It’s even in my age group!

Very good book that I would recommend to others. It includes the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostle’s Creed at the back of the book.

*********************************************************************************************

About R. C. Sproul
Sproul is the founder and president of Ligonier Ministries and serves as senior minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida. His other illustrated books include The Prince’s Poison Cup and The Lightlings.

About T. Lively Fluharty:
Fluharty is an accomplished illustrator whose artwork has appeared in such publications as Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and Focus on the Family. His work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, Communications Arts, and Spectrum.

I received this book from Crossway.org in exchange for an honest review.