Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home

Richard Foster wrote this comprehensive guide to prayer following the widespread success of his earlier work on spiritual disciplines, responding to countless requests for deeper teaching on the prayer life specifically. Drawing from his decades as a Quaker pastor and his extensive study of Christian contemplative traditions, Foster crafted what became his most personal and practical exploration of communion with God. The book emerged from Foster's conviction that many Christians struggle with prayer not from lack of desire, but from inadequate understanding of prayer's diverse forms and movements.

Foster organizes the prayer life around three primary movements: inward, upward, and outward. The inward disciplines include simple prayer, the prayer of the forsaken, and the prayer of examen, helping readers develop authentic relationship with God beneath surface religious performance. The upward prayers encompass adoration, rest, and sacramental prayer, drawing practitioners into worship and contemplative union. The outward movement covers intercession, healing prayer, the prayer of tears, and radical prayer, extending prayer's reach into the world's needs and God's kingdom purposes. Throughout, Foster weaves together Scripture, insights from classical spiritual writers like Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, and contemporary pastoral wisdom, always emphasizing prayer as relationship rather than technique.

The work has endured as one of the most trusted introductions to Christian prayer across denominational lines, helping millions discover prayer as their spiritual home rather than duty or discipline alone. Foster's gentle, encouraging tone and his integration of various Christian traditions have made this a standard resource in churches, seminaries, and retreat centers. Who should read this: Christians seeking to deepen their prayer life beyond basic petition and those who find prayer difficult or dry will benefit most from Foster's compassionate guidance. Readers looking for advanced mystical theology or detailed historical analysis should look elsewhere.