We all know that prayer matters, and most of us know that our own praying is thinner than it should be. John MacArthur's approach here is to stop looking for techniques and go to the one perfect mentor on the subject, Jesus Christ. He works through the pattern Christ gave his disciples, taking the Lord's Prayer phrase by phrase, and sets it alongside the prayers of Scripture and the practice of Christ himself.

What emerges is less a method than a reorientation: prayer as communion with a Father who is actually listening, rather than a transaction to be managed. MacArthur also treats the obstacles honestly, including the sense that God is distant and the habit of praying only under pressure. This David C. Cook edition runs 240 pages and includes a guide for personal and group study, which makes it workable for a small group as well as private reading.