A Review of Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels

(2^nd edition, InterVarsity Press, 1998.)

In his usual relevant, personal style, Bill Hybels promotes a practical look at the discipline of prayer in a believer’s life. This is not simply a truth he teaches but one he has personally applied. We can desire his results when he says “the greatest thrill has been the qualitative difference in my relationship with God” (11). We can relate to his struggles when he readily admits that “the real reason my prayers were weak was that my faith was weak” (31). We can begin to follow his journey into a life of prayer by considering his take on re-ordering life – “We just cannot grow with no structure, no sense of intentionality about our spiritual life, any more than we can lower our body fat or develop good muscle tone or increase our net worth by just sitting back and waiting for whatever happens” (44). Too Busy Not to Pray would be a helpful beginning for some while it might be too light for others.

In terms of weaknesses, we can consider the loose biblical support for this look at prayer. As an example, Hybels begins his journey with a very exciting look at the newly rescued Hebrews and their battle with Amalek. Hybels is not alone in his interpretation of this text as one supporting prayer, but many theologians would disagree. In Exodus 17, Moses raises his staff, and Joshua wins. When his arms are lowered, the Hebrews struggle. Two come alongside to hold up Moses’ arms and thus the staff to ensure the win for the Hebrews. Nowhere in this text does Moses mouth words of prayer, nor do we see any evidence later of this being an instance of prayer. It is a beautiful picture of God’s power and protection (“The LORD is my banner”), but it does not adequately fit a foundational text on prayer. Yet Hybels suggests that “Moses discovered that day that God’s prevailing power is released through prayer” (15).

Another difficulty with the book is the, perhaps, overemphasis of blessings or results from prayer. Hybels suggests that “Prayer is the key to unlocking God’s prevailing power in your life” (16). As a result, he uses the first half of his work to focus more on blessings from prayer as opposed to sacrifice. He gets to that point later when he speaks candidly about time and priority, but it left something to be desired to show the sense of humility and sacrifice apparent in the prayerful life. While it is true that “when we make a habit of prayer, we stay constantly tuned to God’s presence and open to receive his blessings” (43); we must also be aware that prayer is done with God’s best in mind as opposed to our hopeful rewards for speaking with Him.

Hybels also offers a look at The Lord’s Prayer in Chapters 5 & 6. It is helpful in that it encourages a time set aside for prayer as well as considering the pattern present in Jesus’ words. However, Hybels treats this too much like a formula for receiving the above-mentioned blessings. “Once I’ve worshiped God , confessed my sins, and given thanks, it’s okay for me to take our my shopping list” (72). Later he states: “Nothing motivates people to develop their prayer lives more than unanswered prayers. And once the prayer busters are dealt with and dispatched, the way is clear for God to answer one prayer after another” (109). This would surely be an encouragement to young believers to enter a life of prayer, but it also does not provide a biblically balanced perspective that would serve as a foundation for the Christian life. Hybels deals shortly with unanswered prayer, and he admits this will be a great, unexplained struggle for the believer. Perhaps considering Jesus’ prayer inGethsemanewould be helpful here in our sacrificial obedience to the Lord’s will as opposed to an over-emphasized importance on getting our needs and wants met.

On the other hand, Hybels practically and masterfully works through the idea of his subtitle in the final chapters of the book. As we enter the prayerful life, there is a real important for slowing down to be with God. Hybels suggests that “prayer needs to be part of the rhythm of our daily lives” (115). This step in spiritual growth is a process, or, as Hybels states: “It is a walk – a supernatural walk with a living, dynamic, communicating God. Thus the heart and soul of the Christian life is learning to hear God’s voice and developing the courage to do what he tells us to do” (125). The genius of this book is in these final chapters. For here, Hybels cuts us to the quick when he states that “any way you cut it, a key ingredient in authentic Christianity is time. Not leftover time, not throwaway time, but quality time. Time for contemplation, meditation and reflection. Unhurried, uninterrupted time” (126). He even offers immediate, practical steps to beginning this life. For example: “Suppose that right after reading this chapter you put down the book and quiet your spirit before God. You wait until you are focused on him, and then you say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:9). In the solitude and stillness, what might God say to you?” (149).

Another strength is in his three “tests” for our prayers. He encourages the reader to ask whether our prayers are consistent with Scripture, consistent with our gifting, and whether they promote servanthood or self. These are helpful points with which we can grasp and apply to our lives right away as we enter into a life marked by prayer. The focus of Hybels life is shown through this writing in that “faith comes from looking at God, not at the mountain” (76). It is evident that Hybels has a concern for people and a love for God’s Word. He attests to this in giving a personal illustration of how he reads through Scripture: “I read and reread all those stories about God’s power over nature until once again I was convinced that they really happened in history” (33).

For someone looking to grow in the area of prayer, Too Busy Not to Pray would be a practical guide if read alongside a classical, theological work on prayer to provide a balanced perspective. Again, we would all do well to consider the last half of this book and seek to make immediate applications. However if we are seeking a deep, biblical understanding of prayer, we might do well to seek elsewhere.

The Sweet Life

The following is an excerpt from the upcoming release Creative Bible Lessons on The Trinity–

I don’t have a green thumb. Actually, that’s an understatement. I have the ability to kill any plant growing within twenty feet of me. I’ve tried to learn and be careful with how I water and care for them, but every effort of mine inevitably sucks the life out of every plant. My wife, however, can bring a struggling flower back to life. She has something like “green hands.” As any plant-lover would say, they can only watch for signs and set the stage for health and growth. The rest is up to nature. In our Christian worldview, we know the rest is up to God.

The fruit of the Spirit works much the same way. The Father has planted a vineyard in which the Son is the vine, and we are the branches. We look for signs of connectedness between our life and the vine and place ourselves in the hands of our Father, the Vinedresser, for our health. In this, the Spirit feeds and empowers us to grow fruit – fruit reminiscent of the character of Christ. As Jerry Bridges puts it, “A life that grows in loving God becomes like God.”[1] May we as leaders model a fruitful life on the vine so our teens can experience the sweet life in community with God and others.

*Pre-order your copy of Creative Bible Lessons on the Trinity HERE.

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[1] Bridges, Jerry. The Fruitful Life: The Overflow of God’s Love Through You (2006), p. 11.

What We Leave Behind

Men don’t mind getting their hands dirty. Even if we don’t know what we’re doing, we’ll put our hands under the hood, under the faucet, and under the dirt. It’s how we learn. I’ve rarely learned more from a lecture than I have from actually getting my hands on a project. It doesn’t matter if his interest is mechanical, artistic, historical or otherwise, a man has evidence of his work on his hands.

I’m fascinated by things we find in the earth. A highlight of my trip to Israel was an opportunity to be a small part of an archaeological dig in The Shephelah. Even with my Closter phobic tendencies, I crawled on my belly through underground passages and dug up fragments from an ancient civilization. I found that the room I was exploring must have been an ancient kitchen. We found bone fragments of Shlomo’s supper and pieces of cookware. From these bits, you can learn about what how an ancient culture lived, ate, traded with others, and much more. It’s amazing what we as humans leave behind.

A deep sadness wells up inside when I think about today’s society. Have you ever thought about what we are leaving behind for future archaeologists? When they dig up cell phones, what will they be able to learn about how we communicate? If someone uncovers an iPad, what will they learn of our literature? What structures will even remain for them to study how we slept and ate? We are a “throwaway” culture. We are so focused on the present that we care little of the future.

Have you ever wondered what difference there is in the Church today? We spend hours creating and figuring out the newest technology but spend minutes reflecting on the information we are communicating. We put so much time and manpower into creating and running programs to train and entertain with little life-on-life talks and experiences that leave a lasting impression.

Have you ever wondered what difference there is in the family today? We spend hours creating and figuring out the newest toys and devices but spend minutes reflecting on the information that is going into our children’s minds. We put so much time and energy into running from game to game or finding activities to keep our kids busy with little family talks and experiences that leave a lasting impression.

I believe it’s high time we begin evaluating our culture in terms of what future generations will find. We need to move beyond our present-day “must-have’s” and prayerfully consider the next generation’s needs. The overriding theme of today’s society is busyness, but the overriding theme of Scripture is faithfulness. Our God has been faithful to us, and those yet unborn desperately need us to be faithful to pass on The Story of God. While we all need to be involved in this effort, I feel compelled to talk to the men specifically.

Men, it’s time to get our hands dirty at home. I’m not just referring to the fix-it projects we all like to do. I’m talking about dishes and diapers. I’m talking about asking ourselves every day how we’ve done sharing Christ with our children. I’m talking about asking our wives every day how we are doing loving them as Christ loves the Church.

Men, it’s time to get our hands dirty in the Church. I’m not just referring to passing an offering basket or setting up chairs. I’m talking about dishes and diapers. I’m talking about asking ourselves every week how we’ve done modeling Christ for the teenagers and children. I’m talking about asking our leaders every month how we can take up the call to love God and love others better.

A sense of hope wells up inside every time I see another man step up to the plate for his family and church. Can you imagine what it would be like if our men were leading the way in asking us all what we were leaving behind for future generations? Can you imagine a generation of men and women who were committed to being intentional about passing on their faith to their children? Can you imagine a Church whose primary desire was to see God’s name be praised on earth long after their time here was done?

I can imagine this, but I can’t see it apart from getting our hands messy. We can’t create technology to do it for us. We can’t assume someone else will do it. We need to heed the call of Christ to begin investing our lives now in such a way that brings glory to our great God for generations to come. We need to start asking, “What are we leaving behind for future generations?” May God be praised both now and forevermore because we chose today to get our hands dirty.