A Diary of Private Prayer Paperback – July 16, 1996

This collection of private prayers has wondrously opened to me the Scripture: Matthew 22:36-38: To get the context of verses 36-38, more verses are quoted in this Message Bible translation:34 When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. 35 One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: 36 "Teacher, which command in God's Law is the most important?" 37 Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' 38 This is the most important, the first on any list. 39 But there is a second to set alongside it: "Love others as well as you love yourself.' 40 These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."In Baillie's diary, much of the prayer content has to do with confession of sin. I now realize my confession of sin has been unwittingly perfunctory. 1 John 1.9 (KJV) reads: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." In a sense and until I studied Baillie's Diary of Private Prayer, I have confessed my sins so that I might be forgiven - period.In Baillie's prayers, it seems his sin confessions were a direct outflow of his abounding love for God. Now, when I confess my sins -even as I read the confessions in A Diary of Private Prayer - I consciously realize the "First Cause." Now my overriding motivation is an outflow of my love for God and not just a desire to gain forgiveness. I am grateful for that insight.

If you are on the staff (or volunteer) at a church or nonprofit ministry, this review might also be a gentle reminder about the kingdom power of thank you gifts.This powerful devotional book is a perfect gift to encourage your team members in their walk with God.John Baillie (1886 - 1960) understood servant leadership when he prayed, "I would hold myself in readiness today for Thy least word of command. Give me the spirit, I pray Thee, to keep myself in continual training for the punctual fulfillment of Thy most holy will."THE PERPETUAL POWER OF A PERFECT GIFT: Will your donors and volunteers remember your gifts 20 years from now?The next time your team brainstorms donor gifts, volunteer appreciation gifts or seemingly insignificant thank you gifts--pray first!I received a powerful thank you gift in the 1980s from Lloyd Ogilvie's television ministry, "Let God Love You" In response to a very small gift, the team sent me John Baillie's devotional classic, "A Diary of Private Prayer. " (Ogilvie studied under Baillie in Scotland.)I've given the book to dozens of people. It's a classic flywheel--it perpetually gains steam year after year and colleagues continue to tell me how much they read it. The simplicity is brilliant. There are 31 morning prayers and 31 evening prayers--and a blank page next to each. I read them regularly for more than 20 years and they consistently connected me with our Father. It's a gift, as they say, that keeps on giving with more than one million copies in print.

Old fashion language but very well thought out prayers.

Yes, this book is an authentic 1954 printing of A Diary of Prayer by John Baillie. The binding is very secure. Not the fastest shipping, but it was worth the wait. It is a wonderful and deep daily devotion. I am so happy I purchased it.

I have a used copy of the original that I prefer. I don’t care for the updated language. Somehow it looses its authenticity and sense of weight one’s. To me personally it feels a bit trivialized. But if that kind of thing doesn’t bother you or older language feels too flowery, this may be a good choice for you.

I received my first copy of this prayer guide in 1956. It is as relevant to todays issues which need prayer and time to be with the Lord after reading the prayers daily. I recommend this to anyone starting a prayer life. It has been nicely revised in small ways to be Intune with our way of speaking but the beauty of the original is very much there still. This is in my opinion one of the GREAT daily prayer books.

I start my prayer time off everyday with this little book. Its wonderful truths in simple form are just what I need to remember who God is. If you use the ACTS method of prayer, this is a wonderful way to show adoration for the Master. I am going to try to get one for everyone in my family. I would suggest a slow reading, however. It is an easy read, so it is possible to read the words without getting the most out of the book's depth. I also like how the devotions remind us to pray about those in certain circumstances by leaving three periods ... so we can fill in a name in our private thoughts. It is a short book with only a month's worth devotions, but I suspect I will use it for many months because the truths remain the same. It also has places in the book in each section and at the end for personal notes. I highly recommend John Baillie's A Diary of Private Prayer for a daily dose of God's greatness.

It stinks inside book terribly. I will not use.

This is an exceptional book of devotionsThe antiquity and style of writing adds a timeless quality to the prayers withinWithin these pages lies timeless wisdom.The text is clear and easy to read.Highly recommended.

I have used these prayers over the last month and found them so helpful as a framework for extending my prayer life.The language is old fashioned and therefore a bit distracting but the content and focus of each morning and evening is great.Well worth the effort. Will carry on using them

This review relates to the quality and not the content. I purchased the Kindle version and am disappointed. It takes real effort and eye strain to read as a result concentrating on the text is difficult. What appears on the screen seems to be an image of the original, therefore the contrast is poor and you cannot increase the size of the font. I may purchase the printed version.

Nothing

A wonderful little book of daily devotions for morning and evening both. Directs the mind and spirit towards greater meditation and prayer. Many copies have been bought as gifts.