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Dr. William Varner is a humble man and an engaging instructor. He was also one of my college professors, who in the area of biblical studies and eschatology, made a significant impact in my theological development. It is a great honor to read any of his books and this one in particular, I wanted to write a review to share with you.

Varner’s latest work, Handbook for Praying Scripture, is (as the title states) a handbook or guide to praying through scripture. The preface of the book must be read, not just because it is one of the few areas where you feel the heart of the author, but without it, the reader will not understand how to best utilize this valuable spiritual tool. Varner gives his reasoning for use of the Legacy Standard Bible version (LSB) and explains the categories of Adoration, Thanksgiving, Confession, Affirmation, Petition, Intercession and Benediction. He also explains the reason each day includes The Disciples’ Prayer (classically known as the Lord’s Prayer) as the only repetitive element, which Varner argues was the original intent of this prayer, taught to the disciples by Jesus Himself.

The book itself is broken up into these sections: 1) Praying Scripture For a Month; 2) Praying Scripture For A Week; 3) Appendix 1–Prayers From Church History; 4) Appendix 2–-Prayers For Christian Holidays and 5) Appendix 3–Prayers For The Christian Life.

In the section, Praying Scripture For A Month, Varner breaks each day into the categories mentioned above, integrating scriptures within each category. Each category contains a “pause”, which encourages the reader to stop and pray over the specific section of verses. These “pauses” are super helpful and Varner makes sure the “pauses” are applicational in nature, which helps the reader draw out whatever is within his/her heart. It is different for each person, but from my personal experience, depending on how in-depth you get, praying through scripture each day will take anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes.

Praying Scripture For A Week is virtually the same as the monthly version, just broken down Sunday through Satuday.

Appendix 1–Prayers From Church History includes the Historic Creeds, The Ten Commandments and some of the favorite prayers of the giants of church history. Varner only includes the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed, choosing to leave out the other fundamental creeds, such as the Athanasian Creed and the creed of Chalcedon. Varner gives no reasoning for these exclusions, other than the desire to only include the earliest creeds.

Appendix 2–Prayers For Christian Holidays is a needed inclusion. Holidays in general, even if they are religious in general, are often devoid of a praying focus. This section will help, especially parents, in leading their kids during these festive times.

Finally Appendix 3–Prayers For The Christian Life is invaluable, especially for those who enjoy a topical breakdown. Varner highlights the scriptures that address fear, spiritual warfare, temptation, evangelism, marriage and grief, just to name a few. This section is user-friendly and can be a resource to come back to, especially during seasons of trials and tribulations.

I have written enough formal book reviews to know that some criticism is normally addressed at this point. It almost seems sacreligious to offer anything negative, especially with a handbook that is so needed in every generation, especially this one. If I had anything to offer (which isn’t much) I would say this. Even though Dr. Varner in the “pauses” elucidates what intercession (and the other categories are), for example, he states on page 48, “pause to intercede with God for the Jewish people”, I would have liked a more detailed breakdown of each category (Adoration, Confession, Benediction, etc.), probably in the beginning of the book, which would have helped the Christian, who is just learning, to understand what a biblically-driven prayer life looks like.

But honestly, this resource by Dr. Varner is a must read. I am only a week into it, but it is transformative, resurrecting the spirit of George Muller, who I am fully confident would have given his endorsement, which without question, is more valuable than mine.

Is it this century’s Book of Common Prayer? Varner would not appreciate such parallels. But this portable version, with its practical and user-friendly focus, makes it unique among its literary peers.

Go buy one today. Every Christian, no matter the degree of maturity, should have this on their nightstand.