"This corruptible clay cannot support itself under the weight of your love." - Hester Ann Roe Rogers

When I don't know what to pray, I turn to the great cloud of witnesses from the past. Those who have desperately tried to walk with Jesus arm in arm, breath by breath. Those men and women who carried timeless theology within them and wrote their hearts' cries on paper. That is exactly what this book is.

"You see the good seed sown in my heart. As yet, it is a very small grain of mustard seed. With the dew of your heavenly blessing, continue to water what your own hand has planted - and it will become a great tree." - George Whitefield

In Joy of Heaven: Prayers of the Church, the reader gets to pray with men and women from the 1700's to early 1900's, covering revivalists of the Great Awakenings to those living out the gospel in their ordinary day-to-day lives. Praying along with Amy Carmichael, Charles & Susannah Spurgeon, Dwight L. Moody, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, and many others, the reader learns quickly that time is no barrier when relating to those who carry our heritage of faith.

"May our ears be tuned to catch the whispers of your will, and so not need its thunders. May we dwell in you, and love the commander so much that we delight in all that he commands." - Alexander Mclaren

These monuments of faith have stood beside me in silence on several mornings filled with pain, joy, anxiety, work, and rest. I gravitate to men and women who have surrendered their lives to Jesus and lived on this earth as good and faithful servants. And though our worlds may look different through time, our heart songs are the same. Our griefs long to rest in the same Person. This is a powerful book of prayers filled with rock-solid theology.

I am so grateful to NetGalley, Baker Books - Lexham Press, and Robert Elmer for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a beautiful book to read in the spring to revive our hearts and for us for God’s work. I highly recommend this book and its trip into the prayers of past giants in the Christian faith. This book is sure to stir your heart and make you want to draw closer to God. I give it 5 stars. I received a complimentary review copy of this book and writing this review voluntarily.

One can easily find prayer books, or a collection of prayers written by an individual saint, but to have such a comprehensive collection of prayers by giants of the faith spanning two centuries is a blessing indeed. This book is well edited with prayers for various occasions. A careful reading makes one marvel at the hearts of ordinary men and women who possessed an extraordinary gift for pouring out their hearts in prayer. The only thing I wish were different about this book is to have the author's name at the beginning of each prayer. I would like to know who penned the words as I am reading and praying them, rather than waiting to the end, especially when the prayer spans several pages. Otherwise, this is a lovely book that would make a great gift for anyone looking to deepen their own prayer life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Joy of Heaven
Prayers of the Revivals by Robert Elmer

Joy of Heaven (Prayers of the Church): Prayers of the Revivals Kindle Edition
by Robert Elmer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
Part of: Prayers of the Church (4 books)
See all formats and editions
Prayers for your need and season from faithful Christians of the past

• Pray with the revivalists of the Great Awakenings
• Gain inspiration from faithful Christians of the past
• Elegant linen-over-board cover and gold gilding make for an ideal gift

Includes prayers by:
• Jonathan Edwards
• John Wesley
• Charles Wesley
• D. L. Moody
• F. B. Meyer
• Amy Carmichael
• George Müller
• Charles Spurgeon
• Susannah Spurgeon
• William Wilberforce
• Robert Murray M'Cheyne

***

"Let me fall again to prayer and praise."--William Wilberforce

Covering a span from the early 1700s to the early 1900s, Joy of Heaven captures prayers from dedicated believers who lived out their faith in a rapidly changing world. In the midst of upheaval there also came a spirit of revival, particularly during the times we call the First and Second Great Awakenings. The early evangelicals prioritized holy living, seeking God in his word, and sharing their faith. Their prayers are arranged by topic and time―whether praise or petition, morning or evening―so that your prayer life can be interwoven with the rich tapestry of prayers of faithful Christians from the past.

By praying along with Amy Carmichael, Charles and Susannah Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, John and Charles Wesley, and many others, we learn from those who came before us and build a stronger connection with our heritage--as well as to the Lord who spans the centuries.
The book is easy to read and understand.
A good resource.
I recommend this book.
Joy of Heaven
Prayers of the Revivals by Robert Elmer is a 5-star book.
I am looking forward to reading more books by Robert Elmer.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions shared here in this review are my own.

I rarely begin with the final volume of a series, but Joy of Heaven proved to be a happy exception. Now that I have finished it, I know I will need to seek out the other three books in the series. This collection is deep, unapologetically biblical, and quietly transformative—if one dares to truly pray the prayers it contains.

What struck me most is the book’s emphasis on absolute surrender. These are not safe, vague, or sentimental prayers. They ask something of the reader. Again and again, the prayers return to the theme of yielding—of handing over not only belief, but will, habits, desires, time, and ambition. The prayer by Susannah Sturgeon on surrender, in particular, is breathtaking in both its tenderness and its seriousness. Its repeated confession—“I am yours”—is not abstract or poetic only, but worked out in the practical realities of money, time, self-denial, and daily obedience. It is the kind of prayer that exposes how easily devotion can remain theoretical rather than lived.

Equally arresting is Henry Venn’s prayer on denying the self. This is a searching prayer, one that leaves no room for self-deception. It confronts not merely outward sin, but the inward orientation of the heart—the slow drift toward comfort, indulgence, approval, and self-rule. And yet, despite its severity, it does not feel despairing. The prayer presses toward repentance with the clear hope of grace, grounding its plea firmly in Christ’s atonement and resurrection. The seriousness here is medicinal rather than crushing.

Throughout the book, the prayers echo this same tone: reverent, Scripture-saturated, and concerned with holiness of heart rather than emotional uplift alone. Readers familiar with The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions will recognise a similar depth and spiritual gravity. Like that classic collection, Joy of Heaven is not meant to be rushed or skimmed, but prayed slowly and thoughtfully.

This is not a light devotional, nor is it fear-driven or moralistic for its own sake. Instead, it invites the reader into a deeper attentiveness to God—one that may purify, reorient, and unsettle, but ultimately leads toward joy that is rooted in surrender rather than self-fulfilment.

For those willing to pray honestly and allow these words to examine them, this book offers real spiritual nourishment. Five stars, without hesitation.

Some books slip quietly onto a shelf; others move in and take up residence beside your Bible and journal. Joy of Heaven is the latter … a fantastic companion for our journey, a gathering of voices who prayed through revivals, heartaches, ordinary mornings, and long sleepless nights.

Each page invites us to echo the longing of believers whose lives were marked by surrender and hope. Reading through these prayers, I found myself whispering, “Let Your love compel us. Let Your name be glorified, and Your will be done by us and in us. Let us count all things loss… for the excellence of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord.” (John Newton). What a rare gift: to borrow the vocabulary of the saints when my own words fall short.

The wisdom and humility of these prayers seep into my heart every day. They call me to a higher, deeper life like Stephen Tyng said: Set a watch before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips. Wean my affections from things below, and let me be eager and fixed upon heaven and heavenly things.

I found myself praying the essence of his prayer when my attention so easily drifted or my heart grew restless, so grateful to be reminded that heavenly hope has always been the antidote to earthly distraction.

Susannah Spurgeon’s prayer has reminded me that this life is practice for eternity: “Doing the will of God from the heart must be at least the reflection, the copy, of the perfect obedience of the saints in light. Oh, to begin the service of heaven, while yet on earth! Practicing here, to be made perfect there! Learning the laws, manners, and customs of the land where our eternal inheritance awaits us!”

The prayers are both beautiful and bracing. There’s nothing generic or vague. Only honest heart-felt pleas for holiness, repentance, and truth. I’ve underlined Thomas Chambers’ request, needing it often:
…let me live in holy abstinence from sin, even in the least appearance and degree of it.

And in a world where truth is so easily bent, I’ve lingered over B. F. Westcott’s words: Almighty God, You have sent the Spirit of truth to guide us into all truth. Now rule our lives by Your power in such a way that we may always be truthful in thought, word, and deed.

These prayers do so much more than fill a book, they thread together centuries of faith, sorrow, revival, and perseverance. They offer guidance and companionship for days when my prayers are faltering or my gratitude is overflowing … yet my words don’t flow.

The structure is quietly brilliant: prayers for every season and circumstance, elegantly arranged, and bound in a way that fits the sacred. I’ll return to it daily because these priceless and cherished words help me live more faithfully in the present as I pour my heart, mind, and soul out to Almighty God, my Lord and Savior.

Five stars. Very, very highly recommended! What a treasure and a companion for every believer longing to pray with depth, history, and honesty.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review nor paid to do so. This is my honest and unbiased review. My thoughts and opinions expressed in this book review are my own. My review focuses on the writing and story’s content, ensuring transparency and reliability.

I love everything about this prayer book. It is complex yet simple. Deep yet tangible. It truly feeds the connection when I feel like I can’t find the words to communicate with God. It’s a favorite.