Growing Deep In Faith - Edmund Chan

Title : Growing Deep In Faith

Author: Edmund Chan

Description

This book chronicles lessons on prayer that Rev Edmund Chan has learnt. The main difference between this and other books on prayer is its emphasis on theology as the background to praying. It is in 4 sections: Getting our theology right, rising above the status quo, learning from the past and growing deeper yet.

The first section is perhaps where this book stands out. Rev Chan takes some pains to explain that in answer to the disciples' request that Jesus teach them how to pray, Jesus not only gave them the Lord's Prayer but also followed up with a parable (Luke 11:5-8) and an abiding principle. The parable which Jesus told is that of the persistent friend in need of three loaves of bread.

Rev Chan points out that persistence is not the primary emphasis of this parable. Rather Jesus is using the pedagogy of contrasts here to make the point that God is not like the reluctant friend but is in fact the God of the How Much More (Luke 11:11-13).

This then is getting the theology of prayer right: that "prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance; it is believing in a God who hears, answers and even exceeds our prayers."

In the section on learning from the past, Rev Chan uses examples of old testament characters including Abraham, Joshua, Rahab, David and Jehoshaphat to teach further lessons on theology and prayer. The prayer by Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20) as he faced a national crisis of monumental proportions is worth studying. Essentially Jehoshaphat focussed on God and asked three rhetorical questions:

1. Are you not God in the heavens, that is, sovereign and in control?

2. Did you not? Here Jehoshaphat proceeded to detail God's track record.

3. Will you not? Save us.

And Jehoshaphat, knowing that the answer to all three questions was a resounding yes, gave us the key to powerful prayers - and that is to recognise that the battle belongs to God.

The final section talks about leaving a legacy of prayer and suggests that for us to do so in this day and age, we shall need to simplify our pace, purpose, priorities and possessions. Rev Chan tells the story of his grandfather's legacy to him: since the day Rev Chan went to the Singapore Bible College, his grandfather prayed for him everyday and fasted once a week, that God would be pleased to use him mightily for His Kingdom.

Will we be able to leave a legacy of prayer behind us?


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