Prayer is, arguably, the central Christian practice. In prayer, we express our dependence on God and grasp the promises sealed to us by the Spirit in the gospel. There are many great resources on prayer linked below. But the way to grow in prayer isn’t by reading about prayer. It’s by praying.

Some of the most helpful resources on the practice of prayer that we’ve found come from Prayer Current, out of Vancouver, especially Prayer for the City: Bootcamp for Urban Mission. If you’re new to prayer, they have a (great) free, online resource here. Also check out:

  • Tim Keller’s recent book Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God is a great contemporary place to start, or you could watch Keller discuss his book.
  • The Prayers of Charles Spurgeon is a devotional classic. Here at New City we love Spurgeon and we love old books. This is a book of prayers that will both be a blessing personally and can also help teach us to pray better.
  • Matthew Henry’s classic A Method of Prayer offers more great instruction on how to pray more deeply and more richly and, most importantly, more biblically.
  • Early Christian Prayers is a comprehensive collection of prayers from the early church. A great devotional resource.
  • Prayermate is a great – free! – app for smartphone/tablet users. Make prayer lists, keep them updated, set up reminders to stay consistent.

Please let us know how we at New City can be praying for you

Bible Reading

The Bible shapes our life together - so we put a heavy, primary emphasis on its role in our gatherings. But that doesn't change the fact that personal bible reading is absolutely crucial in the Christian life, so we want to point out a few helpful resources on developing a healthy, bible saturated life. For personal Bible reading we suggest one of the following reading plans:

  • Robert Murray M’Cheyne has a wonderful plan that you can move through at your own pace, reading anything from 1-4 chapters per day (if you read four chapters a day, it’ll take you through the New Testament and Psalms twice and the Old Testament once every year). And Crossway has made available both the First and Second Volume of D.A. Carson’s For the Love of God – a devotional that offers brief, one-page devotional thoughts on one of the M’Cheyne readings each day.
  • Alternatively, you could use a lectionary plan, like the Anglican Church of North America. It can be found in their free Book of Common Prayer.
  • Olive Tree has a number of great online resources and apps, complete with lots of Bible reading plans you can personalize
New City Presbyterian Church