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"I have had more of a desire to write this book," Ole Hallesby writes in his preface, "than possibly any other that I have written. And yet I have been more afraid of this one than of any { 56 } other. It seems to me that it is very difficult to speak or write about prayer."
Raised in a praying family near Oslo, Norway, Hallesby had drifted away from Christianity during his early college years. At the age of twenty-three, he had a deep conversion experience that drew him back to the pietistic Lutheran faith of his parents. He became an itinerant evangelist and witnessed many religious revivals. At age thirty, he was appointed professor of dogmatic theology at the Free Faculty of Theology, and taught there from 1909 to 1952. During World War II Hallesby, one of the most outspoken church leaders against the Nazi occupation, was put under arrest for two years.
Hallesby wrote sixty-seven books in all, many of them on dogmatic theology and ethics, but he is also known for his devo-tiorial writings. His little book Prayer, published first in 1931, and translated into English by Clarence J. Carlsen, has sold nearly a million copies. Its simplicity is disarming. ״This book does not presume to be anything more than a presentation of a few simple rules for the benefit of souls who are failing in prayer. It does not aim to give an exhaustive treatment of the great theme."
Hallesby doesn't focus on great philosophical or theological problems regarding prayer. Instead, he explains what it is and how it works, using language that any person of any ethnic group can comprehend.
To pray, he says, is nothing more than ״giving Jesus access to our needs and permitting Him to exercise His own power in dealing with them." Hallesby draws on the symbolism of Rev-
elation 3.20 ( Behold, I stand at the door, and knock") to explain prayer. ' To pray is to let Jesus glorify His name in the midst of our needs."
But prayer is more than words; it is an attitude of the heart.
And that attitude is characterized by helplessness and faith. ״Helplessness united with faith produces prayer," he says.
Prayer consists simply in telling God day by day in what ways we feel that we are helpless." How much faith is necessary? "We have faith enough when we in our helplessness turn to Jesus." Hallesby goes on to say, "It is not intended that our faith should help Jesus to fulfill our supplications. He does not need any help; all he needs is access."
The art of prayer can be developed through practice and perseverance (which should not be onerous but delightful) and by . ״ depending on the Spirit of prayer. Near the end of the book, 1 *
Hallesby discusses various problems of prayer. If God is allknowing and all-loving, he asks, why pray? "Prayer is not for the purpose of making God good or generous. . . . Nor is it for the purpose of informing God concerning our needs. . . . No, prayer has one function, and that is to answer 'Yes' when He knocks, to open the soul and give Him the opportunity to bring us the answer." So prayer is essential for us to enjoy personal fellowship with God. Why intercessory prayer for others?
Because God has chosen to transmit his power through those who open their hearts to the saving power of Jesus. "The supernatural influence of God's Spirit upon a believer's personal life results in an accession of eternal power which manifests itself in various ways in his environment and quietly but surely helps to transform this world into God's kingdom. The greatest transmission of power takes place through the believer's prayers and intercessions."