The Prayer of Unwanting

Pastor and novelist Rev. Dr. David Williams explores the power of the Lords Prayer and offers a faithful, grounded reframing of the purpose of prayer in our lives.

An astute, lively book about the Lords Prayer--the ancient Christian prayer that helps us get over ourselves, which is sometimes exactly what we didnt know we needed.

Sometimes we imagine prayer as a magical incantation--a way to change our circumstances. We try to pray our way toward success, safety, health, or love. But what if true prayer is more about undoing our desires for power and profit than indulging them? What if the purpose of prayer isnt to give us what we want but to change the very heart of our wanting?

Novelist and pastor David Williams leads us toward a new encounter with the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. Prayed through millennia by believers in groups and alone, the Lords Prayer speaks precisely to our age. Jesus taught his followers this prayer for a reason, and this same prayer rings true to those of us with a hunch that our desires are being endlessly manufactured, manipulated, and managed. If we are to be good little consumers, our hunger must be endless. We want because we are afraid of not having enough. We want because we feel compelled to have more than our neighbor. We want power over others. Our broken wanting can break the world. So Jesus gave us the prayer we need: one that repairs and reorients our longings.

With stories from scripture, whimsical anecdotes, and pastoral wisdom, Williams guides us into profound interaction with each line of the Lords Prayer. Questions and ideas for ways to experience the Lords Prayer can facilitate and deepen group conversation and individual prayer. Theres power in the Lords Prayer, Williams testifies, even if its a power we have yet to understand.