THIS is not your average how-to-pray book. It may open traditionally, with a brief study of George Herbert’s sonnet “Prayer”, but the author offers fresh, original, and dynamic approaches to the ways in which we can liberate what he describes as the “prayer instinct” within us all.

Each of the three parts opens with the gripping story of Tom, a teenage boy who is lost in the mountains, humiliated, and grieving his dead father. Saunders ingeniously weaves this thrillingly metaphorical tale throughout as a means to explore not only the joy and transforming power of prayer, but also the magisterial love of God.

Enthusiasm abounds. Saunders is an author and deputy chief executive of Youthscape. His vast experience in communicating with young people shines through. The tone shifts from enthusiastic and playful to contemplative and sober as he reflects on his own experiences, as well as others’. There is little in the way of practical instruction, but, instead, a lot of warm encouragement and inspiration is offered. Saunders invites readers to search within rather than reach for words and tools without.

While Saunders frequently includes Bible passages, he also introduces original methods to shed new light on the ways in which prayer can be a way of life and a way of being. For instance, the dramatic accident of the Chilean miners trapped deep underground in 2010 is vividly told. Saunders examines how the miners’ inner prayer instincts enabled them to endure and survive their horrific ordeal. Always with an eye to the bigger picture beyond our inner worlds, Saunders writes: “The miners were rescued, and the church bells rang. The trapped miners lit a fire on earth, and heaven saw.”

No previous experience of God or prayer is presumed here. Each chapter ends with insightful questions to discuss or think through, making it an excellent resource for groups or newcomers. And, while this might suit those who normally shun books on God or prayer, it may also help those who feel that their prayer life has lost its spark.

The Revd Jennie Hogan is a psychotherapist and the author of This is My Body: A story of sickness and health (Canterbury Press, 2017).

Signal Fire: A guide for putting prayer into practice
Martin Saunders
SPCK £11.99
(978-0-281-09033-4)
Church Times Bookshop £10.79