The Art of Prayer: A Simple Guide to Conversation with God

“I often shrink from books about prayer, because they usually produce in me feelings of inadequacy. I was delighted to find Tim Jones to be a sympathetic, not intimidating, guide. He writes with humility, clarity, and practicality–exactly the qualities I want in a book on prayer.”
–Philip Yancey

Revised and Expanded Edition with Study Guide Included


“Timothy Jones…guides us into a life of prayer not by cramming us with knowledge and technique, but by quietly returning us to simplicity of soul and the presence of God.”
–Eugene Peterson



Something within us wants to grow closer to the God who loves to relate to us. But we often hesitate. Even though we have a desire to pray, questions nag us:

Can I pray when I feel distant from God?
Is it okay to ask God for help in “little” things?
What do I do when I don’t know what to say?
What sense can I make of seemingly unanswered prayer?
How do I keep growing closer to God?

In The Art of Prayer, Timothy Jones honestly shares his own struggles with prayer and invites you to be honest–and hopeful–as well. Offering biblically wise, warmly instructive explorations of our questions, Jones considers how you can become fluent in the world’s simplest language: talking with God.

Includes a full-length inductive Bible study guide on prayer, ideal for small groups or individual readers.

“…wisely human, spiritually practical, and wonderfully interesting.”
– the late Lewis Smedes, author of My God and I

“…luminous prose and…lucid insights.”
–Publishers Weekly

Timothy Jones leads a campus ministry at Middle Tennessee State University and is an associate pastor at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is the author of several noted books on the spiritual life, including Awake My Soul, A Place for God, Nurturing a Child’s Soul, and the bestselling Celebration of Angels. With pollster George Gallup, Jr., he coauthored The Next American Spirituality. He lives in the Nashville area with his wife and children.