Review of Before Amen

Max Lucado. Before Amen: Power of a Simple Prayer. Thomas Nelson, 2014.

In many respects I enjoyed this book.  Pastor Lucado excels at telling stories about people and situations they are in, then applying Scripture to their situation.  He is a clear, effective communicator.  I suspect that this book is a sermon series that has been re-worked for publication as a book.  The edition I read also includes a study guide written by a family member that includes discussion questions along with instructions on how to connect with a website for further devotional possibilities.  

Several times while reading the book, I applauded his presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in clear, unambiguous language. I also appreciated his clever use of the alphabet to help the reader develop a more disciplined time of prayer and reflection.  On page 23, Pr. Lucado observes that “Most people suffer from small thoughts about God.”  He goes on to speak truth to those who think they’ve got God figured out. “In an effort to see him as our friend, we have lost his immensity.  In our desire to understand him, we have sought to contain him.  The God of the Bible cannot be contained.  He brought order out of chaos and created creation.  With a word he called Adam out of dust and Eve out of bone.  He consulted no committee.  He sought no counsel.” His confession of who God is and how he is different from us is essential reading for all of us.  

The simple prayer that is alluded to in the subtitle of the book is what Pr. Lucado calls “The Pocket Prayer.” It is indeed a simple prayer: “Father, you are good. I need help.  Heal me and forgive me. They need help. Thank you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”  

What I found odd is that while Pr. Lucado does mention the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples as found in Luke 11, he does not deal directly with what most Christians know to call the “Our Father” or “Lord’s Prayer.”  Why does someone with such a strong biblical orientation as Pr. Lucado not focus on the prayer that Jesus taught us?  Especially, as he correctly observes, that prayer is the one thing that the disciples requested Jesus teach them.  In fact, the Lord’s Prayer is in both Luke 11 and Matthew 6.  

When one compares The Pocket Prayer with the Lord’s Prayer (looking at both Luke 11 and Matthew 6), we see that the Pocket Prayer leaves a few things out.  For example, there is no “Our” as in “Our Father.” Nor is there a specific seeking of God’s holiness; nor is there a “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” And, where is the kingdom? 

Somewhere in the course of the book, I became aware that Pr. Lucado is addressing an assembly of individuals who probably do not know one another, rather than a community of faith.  A community is concerned with their friends and thinks in terms of “our.” As a collection of individuals, while there is an acknowledgment of sin or falling short of God’s expectations, there is precious little conversation about how we need to forgive one another.  Community is great, but it only grows and thrives when forgiveness of each other is a regular part of the communal spirituality.  Pr. Lucado speaks well of the need for God’s forgiveness, but I wished he would have also written more about the power of Christ enabling us to forgive one another. 

I rejoice that Pr. Lucado uses traditional church language to describe God and the human condition. However, I was a bit taken aback when he states on page 83 that “ingratitude is the original sin.”  The original sin is disobedience which is fueled by pride.  Ingratitude is but one symptom of the problem. Additional symptoms are jealousy, lust for power and knowledge, the desire to be like God and lessen the degree of difference between creator and created, and the plain lack of trust in the Lord who walked in the garden every evening with Adam and Eve. 

Despite my reservations, I am glad I spent time with this book. There are numerous ways to talk about prayer.  This book focuses on the individual’s relationship with God. While my “pocket prayer” remains the Lord’s Prayer, Pr. Lucado’s pocket prayer will benefit many.