The following is a book review I recently had published on Bonnie Thurston’s For God Alone: A Primer on Prayer.
I believe that God is always present and waiting for me to pay attention, and that prayer is the way I attend to God’s presence. Prayer is how I relate to God, and my “methods” of prayer have changed over time. I have learned how to pray by praying; it takes practice. One of the most significant things I do as a spiritual director is explore how people experience prayer.
In For God Alone, Bonnie Thurston gives us a very personal and a very helpful primer on private prayer. She reminds us several times that there are no experts on prayer, that we are all beginners and will always be so, and that there are no wrong ways to pray. Her book is an excellent place to begin, no matter how long you have been exploring the vast dimensions of God’s gift of prayer.
This primer not only “primes the pump,” but also reminds us that, “As a book, a primer is a brief introduction to a subject. In painting, the primer is the material used to prepare the surface before the paint is applied; it gets the material ready for the real thing. In genetics the primer is the molecule (of RNA or DNA) required for the longer chain of DNA to form. In explosives, the primer contains the compound used to ignite the explosive charge. This is a beginner’s book, but it might be a dangerous one!”
A prolific author and scholar with a strong foundation in Christian faith and prayer practices, Thurston reaches out to include and draw from several other faith traditions. Incorporating both tangible exercises and deep thoughtfulness, she explores the three traditional trajectories of Christian prayer that have endured through history: voiced prayer; prayer of thought and intellect; and prayer of quiet, rest, and waiting. She also draws on her personal experience and intellectual gifts to help us move toward deeper understanding of the definition, anthropology, and cosmology of prayer.
In addition, she recognizes that each person’s experience and appreciation of prayer is unique. Each person’s prayer is an intimate relationship with God, and leads to the freedom that is based in the truth of that relationship. Even the most comprehensive introduction can go only so far, which highlights the value of spiritual direction.
For God Alone is thought provoking and accessible; it is also a pleasure to read. Bonnie Thurston has filled it with the references and notes that give us new paths to explore, and with her own poetry. It is a powerful resource for me, and for the people with whom I meet as a spiritual director.
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