Prayer in the Making: Trying it, talking it, sustaining it

BRF (Bible Reading Fellowship) 2019

‘Prayer in the Making’ came about because, like so many people, I got stuck in a vicious circle of guilt and failure when it came to prayer. I would listen to some inspiring teaching on it, or read a brilliant book about it, and immediately resolve to do better … work harder … become a true warrior in prayer. It probably didn’t help that many of my inspirations were heroes of the Church, like john Wesley, smith Wigglesworth and William Booth, all of whom seemed to live dramatic, world-changing lives fuelled by prayer. I suppose you could say I was setting myself some pretty high standards! My resolve would hold for a day or two, but then I’d oversleep, get behind in my daily bible readings, or get annoyed with God about something, and before I knew it, I’d be back to feeling like a failure in prayer again.

Fortunately, I have always known that God loves me. That is a precious gift given to me by those who raised me, and it stood me in good stead when it came to that pincer movement of guilt and failure. I knew, deep down, that God couldn’t be asking me to do something completely unattainable. I understood that God meant me to come joyfully to my times of prayer … not driven by guilt but drawn by love.

Much of the teaching I’d heard in prayer majored on how important it was or how powerful it was, but I needed to know how to do it … not how to do it William Booth style or john Wesley style, but how to do it Lyndall style. I needed to learn that there are many different kinds of prayer, and that, because of my personality, I would be better at some than others. I realised that my prayer-life needed to reflect who I am – the unique person God made me to be – and that journey of discovery has been the most exciting adventure of my life.

This book is the fruit of that journey. It takes you on a tour around 12 different types of prayer, using people and stories from the Bible to illustrate each one. Each chapter also contains suggestions to help you practise that particular type of prayer, as well as some discussion questions to help you think more deeply about what you’ve read. At the end of each chapter is a group exercise, should you want to try the prayer styles in a group setting.

As you read ‘Prayer in the Making”, I pray that you will find the unique, rich and utterly fulfilling prayer-life which Fits you perfectly, and which God longs to lead you into.

If you’re reading the book, why not accompany your reading with the podcast I recorded throughout Lent 2019, just after the book came out.

You can find links to all the episodes here.

You can buy the book here:

Buy direct from the publisher

Buy it from Waterstones online store

Buy it on Kindle from Amazon (paperback also available)

My sincere thanks go to Roy Searle of the Northumbria Community for writing the foreword to the book. As I have explored different prayer rhythms, both for myself and for prayer communities I’ve belonged to, the Northumbria Community, their gentle prayer practices and their profound liturgies, have been a constant inspiration to me.

This is one of the lovely things Roy has written about the book:

“Prayer in the Making is accessible, down-to-earth, insightful and inspiring. Journey with it as a companion and find its teaching, suggestions and activities an invaluable resource to a deeper, more intentional, life of prayer.”

And here are some other lovely comments about the book:

“I have known Lyndall for years through Connecting the Isles and always appreciated her clarity of thought and expression. I wouldn’t normally rush to buy or read a book on prayer. However, having read this one I find myself both encouraged and inspired. I really appreciated the practical aids that are found in every chapter and the sense of grounded reality. I liked it a lot.”
(Daphne Godwin, The Ffald-y-Brenin Trust)

“I am delighted to endorse Lyndall Bywater’s book, Prayer in the Making. Lyndall lives and practices what she preaches; the messenger incarnates the message. So many books about prayer lead to a confusion regarding what our personal prayer life is supposed to look like. Condemnation quickly weighs on our hearts. But here, Lyndall writes from the heart about relationship, not performance. Love, not law. Grace to be ourselves and enter into the discovery of how and where God might meet us in our own personal, unique way. Acceptance by Jesus beats failure and condemnation any day. Read this book and enjoy being a Life in the Making.”
(Roy Godwin Executive Director, The Ffald-y-Brenin Trust)

“It is rare to come across a book that succeeds so successfully in inspiring both those who are new to the faith and those who have been walking with the Lord for many years to find new ways to develop their prayer life. The twelve themes that Lyndall introduces – Encounter, Worship, Listening, Stillness, Action, Intercession, Strategies, Restoration, Voice and body, Scripture, Warfare and Resilience – lead the reader almost without them noticing into the presence of God and make each theme and concept their own.

The stories Lyndall tells of significant moments in her life are both relevant and impactful, as are the delightful retelling of Scripture passages, which pinpoint how the power of prayer was at work in each one. Taken together they provide a platform and a launch pad for the reader to go as deep with the Lord as they want and are able – a process greatly helped by making good use of the threefold invitation at the end of each section: Trying it, Talking it and Sustaining it.

Above all, Lyndall reminds us that prayer is action, which in turn leads to further action.”

(Robert Weston, author and teacher)