Mickey Weston
When Prayer Is a Struggle truly is a practical guide that helps us to connect, or reconnect, to the heart of the Father. Kevin honestly shares his own journey while asking us to consider our relationship with God and with others through prayer. I was challenged once again to pray the Word through Kevin’s encouragement. His excellent, thought-provoking questions at the end of each section help us to explore the heart of the matter. Helpful, insightful, and timely for each of us—and especially for the world in which we live today. Well done, brother!
Kristen Wetherell
Kevin’s book on prayer is incredibly heartfelt. He is a praying person, and it makes me want to be a prayerful person too. Offering us practical wisdom for growing in the discipline of prayer, Kevin writes with a pastoral heart and an obvious love for God. I now have several takeaways that I’m eager to use when I pray!
Gregory C. Strand
A summary of the beginning and end of the Christian life might be that “the righteous shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17). And for an explanation of the essence of that life of faith, one can do no better than that of Calvin, who writes that “the chief exercise of faith is prayer.” So what do Christians do when we struggle to pray? Does it mean that our faith is inadequate when this happens? The resounding answer is no. Kevin Halloran, as a fellow struggler, identifies some of the obstacles we face to the exercising of our faith through a life of prayer, and he guides us in how we can overcome those struggles. This is not just another book about prayer; rather, it is intended to be a Spirit-prompted aid to fostering and nourishing prayer. I recommend that you first read through the book prayerfully while pondering the questions about each of the obstacles to prayer that it tackles. And then I encourage you to do the same with another Christian or in a small group. In the Lord’s kindness, may this book be used to bear the fruit of a life of prayer in its readers.
Craig Parro
How often I have reached toward my bookcase for a book on prayer, only to pivot to another volume. What's that about? Guilt . . . shame . . . embarrassment over my pathetic prayer life. Books that are written by prayer masters too often intimidate rather than inspire me. Kevin Halloran's When Prayer Is a Struggle has had the opposite effect on my soul. Here's a fellow traveler—a fellow failure—who has identified obstacles (my obstacles) to praying and provided a hope-filled way forward. Kevin is a wise yet approachable coach who will encourage you to keep praying and not lose heart.
Jairo Namnún
Let me be honest: my heart’s reaction to another book about prayer is that I’d rather spend more time praying than reading about it. As I was reading When Prayer Is a Struggle, however, I felt as if I had a friend leading me, on a path, to pray more, to pray better, to pray until I could pray. I just couldn’t put it down, except to pause regularly to pray about a particular truth or with the prayers at the end of every chapter. Before I started, I wasn’t aware of how much I needed the wisdom in this book. More importantly, I now feel motivated (and more prepared) to spend more time before the throne. And for that, I’m so thankful to the Lord for moving Kevin to write this.
Jeff and Sarah Walton
Prayer is one of the greatest privileges and weapons that we have as believers—and it’s also one of the things that the enemy most seeks to distract, discourage, and derail us from. And, despite the fact that prayer struggles are common to man, we often feel alone in them. For that reason, we’ve been encouraged and blessed by Kevin Halloran’s down-to-earth, relatable, and practically helpful approach to addressing the most typical hindrances to our prayer lives—and to addressing how we can grow to see prayer as a gift and joy rather than a duty or struggle. Whatever the state of your prayer life may be, you will find yourself somewhere in the pages of this book—and you will be encouraged and challenged to experience the depth and richness of communing with your heavenly Father.
Trevin Wax
Prayer is a challenge for me, as it is for most Christians—probably because we fail to fully feel just how dependent we are on God. Kevin Halloran's book offers a wise combination of theological reflection and practical helps—both of which are intended to drive us to our knees in prayer to the One who knows and loves us.
Jairo Namnún
Let me be honest: my heart’s reaction to another book about prayer is that I’d rather spend more time praying than reading about prayer. As I was reading When Prayer is a Struggle, however, I felt as if I had a friend leading me on a path to pray more, to pray better, to pray until I could pray. I just couldn’t put it down, except for pausing regularly to pray about a particular truth or with the prayers at the end of every chapter. Before I started, I wasn’t aware of how much I needed the wisdom deposited in this book. More importantly, I feel motivated (and more prepared) to spend more time before the throne. And for that, I’m so thankful to the Lord for moving Kevin to write it.
Gregory C. Strand Executive Director of Theology and Credentialing
If one were to describe the beginning and end of the Christian life, it might be summarized as “the righteous shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17). If one were to explain the essence of that life of faith, one can do no better than Calvin who writes, “the chief exercise of faith is prayer.” So, as Christians, what do we do when we struggle to pray? Does that mean our faith is inadequate? The resounding answer is No. Kevin Halloran, as a fellow struggler, identifies some of those struggles, and he also guides us in how to overcome those obstacles to the exercise of our faith in a life of prayer. This is not just another book about prayer. Rather, this work is intended to be a Spirit-prompted aid to foster and nourish prayer. I recommend that you first read through the book prayerfully, pondering the questions related to each of the obstacles to prayer. And then second, I encourage you to do the same with another Christian or in a small group. In the Lord’s kindness, might this book be used in the lives of readers to bear fruit in a life of prayer.
Jeff and Sarah Walton Authors of Together Through the Storms: Biblical Encouragements For Your M
Prayer is one of the greatest privileges and weapons that we have as believers, yet it’s also one of the greatest areas the enemy seeks to distract, discourage, and derail us from. And despite prayer being a common struggle to man, we often feel alone in it. For that reason, we’ve been encouraged and blessed by Kevin Halloran’s down-to-earth, relatable, and practically helpful way of addressing the most typical hindrances to our prayer life - and how we can grow to see prayer as a gift and joy, rather than a duty or struggle. Whatever the state of your prayer life may be, you will find yourself somewhere in the pages of this book, and will be encouraged and challenged to experience the depth and richness of communing with your Heavenly Father.
Jairo Namnún Director for International Coalitions The Gospel Coalition
Let me be honest: my heart’s reaction to another book about prayer is that I’d rather spend more time praying than reading about prayer. As I was reading When Prayer is a Struggle, however, I felt as if I had a friend leading me on a path to pray more, to pray better, to pray until I could pray. I just couldn’t put it down, except for pausing regularly to pray about a particular truth or with the prayers at the end of every chapter. Before I started, I wasn’t aware of how much I needed the wisdom deposited in this book. More importantly, I feel motivated (and more prepared) to spend more time before the throne. And for that, I’m so thankful to the Lord for moving Kevin to write it.
Mickey Weston Executive Director
When Prayer is a Struggle truly is a practical guide that helps us connect or re-connect to the heart of the Father. Kevin honestly shares his own journey while asking us to consider our relationship to God and with others through prayer. I was challenged once again to pray the Word through Kevin’s encouragement. His excellent thought provoking questions at the end of each section help us explore the heart of the matter. Helpful, insightful, and timely for each of us, especially for the world in which we live today. Well done, brother!
