Endless Grace

Prayers Inspired by the Psalms

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Pub Date 24 Jan 2023 | Archive Date 10 Feb 2023

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Description

Endless Grace helps us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms--through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns--as a guide to personal devotion and meditation.

The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. This book contains seventy-five prayers drawn from Psalms 76-150, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning in the Psalms. While each prayer corresponds to a particular psalm and touches on its themes and ideas, it is not a new translation of the Psalms or an attempt to modernize or contextualize their content or language. Rather, the prayers are responses to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and remember the Lord's daily mercies.

This artful, poetic, and classic devotional book features compelling custom illustrations and beautiful hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms.
Endless Grace helps us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms--through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns--as a guide to personal devotion and meditation.

The church has always...

Advance Praise

“Wouldn’t it have been sublime to have had Jesus teach us to pray the Psalms? In Endless Grace we have the next best thing: two devoted followers of Jesus, Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt, guiding us. Some days prayer flows with ease. But on many days I need help praying with the Scriptures. This need makes Endless Grace a sheer gift! A soul that is made well and given peace awaits those who sit with Ryan and Dan, their poetry, and the Psalms.”—Bishop Todd Hunter, author of Deep Peace: Finding Calm in a World of Conflict and Anxiety

“Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt have done it again. Endless Grace reads like the journal of a great poet. Each page is an invitation to dive in the depths of God’s grace—each word, a beckoning call to the weary to come and swim in the unending mercy of God. This is a worshipful work of art.”—Tara Beth Leach, author of Emboldened and Radiant Church

“Wouldn’t it have been sublime to have had Jesus teach us to pray the Psalms? In Endless Grace we have the next best thing: two devoted followers of Jesus, Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt, guiding...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781587435478
PRICE $19.99 (USD)
PAGES 240

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Average rating from 12 members


Featured Reviews

I am not naturally inclined to this style of book, but I do appreciate what the authors are providing. The psalms (prayers) flow from study and meditation on the text and can provide a wonderful guide for believers. I would get a copy of this book for further reflection but it is also encouraging me to attempt my own biblical reflections in the form of prayers.

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This is a nice resource or companion book (along with the first book, Sheltering Mercy, which covers Psalms 1-75) for someone planning to do a deep dive into the book of Psalms. It contains 75 prayers inspired by Psalms 76-150.

I think it’s probably most impactful when reading along with the Psalms each prayer is inspired by and, as mentioned by another reviewer, could encourage the reader to write out their own prayers. I plan to reference back to this book during my own reading of Psalms next year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brazos Press for an opportunity to read this book in advance. All opinions are my own.

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Weaving in language from hundreds of other Scriptures, Endless Grace is a beautiful collection of prayers based on/inspired by the Psalms. Personally, I preferred Volume One (Sheltering Mercy) more, but this still deserves four stars.

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This is such a beautiful book! The cover art is amazing! But what is in the pages, is even better. This is the second book that these authors have banded together in to share the wonder of the Psalms in free verse. The result is incredible. The beauty of free verse combined with the praise and exaltations of Psalms, turns this into a heartfelt prayer book. The writing is poetic but not so lofty that the common reader is untouched.

I am very grateful to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book and it will be one that I buy in its physical form for my own bookshelf.

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This book is beautiful inside and out. The Authors have shared intimate and beautiful prayers inspired by the psalms. They are encouraging to read and encouraged me to be more creative in prayer to the Creator himself.

My only caution would be to read this as art and as the authors personal prayers and not as a devotion. Pour through the psalms yourself but use these beautiful prayers as inspiration for your own personal prayer. Otherwise, I enjoyed reading this!

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Love this prayer book. It takes many of the Psalms and translates them into prayers. I read this ARC on my e-reader, but I can see how this would make a great addition to a personal library or a gift.

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If your prayer life needs an infusion of fresh language; if you’ve realized that your prayers seem cramped and claustrophobic, centered around your brittle little world, maybe it’s time to start praying through the psalms. I’ve found it to be a rejuvenating experience, and Endless Grace by Ryan Smith and Dan Wilt comes alongside the reader to bridge the centuries. They lead us in the practice of contemplative reading, a lost art in this world of internet skimming.

The psalms were designed for prayerful meditation, and the authors’ combined efforts have yielded an impressionistic poem for each one with Psalms 1-75 covered in volume one (Sheltering Mercy) and this latest volume covering Psalms 76-150.

I began by reading the entries for the psalms I know best. Connecting those much-loved words with Wilt and Smith’s renderings revealed each psalm anew in its refreshing honesty.

Viewed through a New Testament lens, the psalms clearly magnify Christ. Received as an invitation to personal prayer, they open a window to praise and offer a gritty script to the desperate. Praying scripture may be the strong medicine needed by 21st-century believers who have become perfunctory in our prayer life.

The psalms provide words for exulting in the presence of the Divine Author behind all the psalms’ human authors. God gives joy for the heart and strength for the soul. Praying the psalms reminds our hearts that God’s relentless presence is every bit as real today.

Many thanks to Brazos Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which, of course, is offered freely and with honesty.

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I'm always reading the Psalms. They've become an intimate companion to me over the past few years and I use many varied sources to gain fresh insights.

I hadn't read the first book in this duopoly, "Sheltering Mercy", and was fortunate to discover "Endless Grace" in NetGalley and so picked it up to review. Thank you Brazos Press for your kindness.

These are the authors reflections of each Psalm (76-150) in prayer form. They are not an alternative version of the Psalms. And they're beautiful. Drawing on other Scriptures which I think is brilliant, these prayers have become an invaluable addition to my daily devotions and are a fresh tonic to the wonder and beauty of the Psalms.

I will be acquiring the first in the series and may indeed purchase Endless Grace as the ebook ARC misses some of the beauty of the completed version.

Having benefited from the gift of the early ARC in no way influenced my review of this wonderful book.

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The second in a series of lyrical prayers for each Psalm. They would make excellent companions for those making their way through the psalms, although, as the writers would encourage you, do this slowly, meditatively, perhaps with a notebook by your side.

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Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC. This is a gorgeous collection of poem/prayers based on the psalms and the story of scripture. They give voice the voiceless emotions and unshakeable hope.

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I really enjoyed this collection of poems written in response to Psalms 76-150 (and a sequel-ish to the first book, _Sheltering Mercy_, which covers Psalms 1-75). They were thought-provoking and encouraging, often prompting me to look at the corresponding psalms in a different way than I had before.

I've been enjoying Keith and Kristen Getty's _ESV Psalms, Photography Edition_ lately, and think this would be a wonderful complement to that. The combination of Scripture, photography, and free-verse response--wow!

Inspiring and well done. I'm particularly excited to see the artwork in the published version; the eARC I read unfortunately didn't have any, and I think it would really add to the experience.

5/5 stars.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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This book was a balm to me. I don’t generally go for devotional-style books but frequently found myself reaching for this one when I was having trouble sleeping.

I appreciate that the authors up front State that this is not the same as reading the Bible itself and should not be read as such. Because I’ve read the Psalms many times I was able to really enjoy the paraphrase and the way the authors read the New Testament back into the Old Testament Psalms.

As someone who’s frequently struggles sleeping and also who has an interest in praying the Psalms, I’d buy this as a bedside book. Five stars.

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