E
verything is bigger in Texas—even prayer. Davis pastors the Austin Christian Fellowship church, whose attendance averages 1,100 strong and where he challenges his congregation to “pray big”: praying in specifics rather than generalities and pleading with such focus as to pinpoint the exact need. Davis dissects the Lord's Prayer, telling readers that today's believers should follow the same precise pattern for every prayer offered. Analyzing Jesus' prayer, Christians can see that Christ petitioned for certain exact “targets”: God's glory, God's agenda, God's provision, relational health and God's protection. Davis encourages fellow intercessors to begin developing a prayer discipline that beseeches God's favor for the mundane as well as the miraculous, for the rejuvenation of the spiritually dead and for unifying agreement with spouses, children and even oneself. A particularly insightful section deals with effectively interceding for nonbelievers through persistent and continuous prayer, asking Jesus to have compassion on those individuals, meet them where they are, call them by name and remove any spiritual stumbling blocks from their lives. Davis's work not only urges Christians to pray, but teaches them how to do so with theological accuracy. (July)
