Simple Prayers for people of all faiths (or no faith)

Case provides a slim but thoughtful volume of prayers, based upon Christian Scripture but far from orthodox or didactic in character.

In each instance, Case provides a passage from the King James Version of the Bible— drawing from both the Old Testament and the New Testament—and then crafts a brief prayer in response. Her prayers are gathered under subject headings such as “Nearness,” “Assurance,” and “Healing.” The succinct nature of her prayers is somewhat surprising. None are more than a few lines in length. and some are quite brief, such as, “Thank you, Almighty Love, for holding all the power there is in Your hands. May I really trust this today.” Despite her use of the classic King James Bible, Case is certainly not bound by traditionalist approaches toward God. For instance, on various occasions she refers to God using feminine pronouns: “God, who is Love, is holding me in Her arms….She is holding me close.” In another instance, she imagines God as a spouse: “God, Love, you are my (husband)(wife).” Many of the prayers include questions to God within the text (“What is it You have to teach me today?”) This is a reminder that in many cases, prayer is about questioning and asking. Case has created a collection meant to be useful and accessible to any individual, even those whose faith in God is strained or intangible. Though she uses the Scriptures of her own faith tradition as a starting point, her prayers lack theological depth and rely instead upon universal needs and feelings for their substance. The experienced or dogmatic believer will find Case’s prayers lightweight or even uncomfortable. However, those who are seeking a faith tradition or who feel ostracized or alienated from a faith tradition may find these prayers to be simple affirmations of the idea of a loving God.

A good, undemanding collection for those seeking to understand and commune with God.