Praying Backwards?

Bryan Chapell's book "Praying Backwards" caught my attention a few weeks ago for reasons I still can't explain. The title is a bit intriguing. The subtitle-- "Transform your prayer life by beginning in Jesus' name" That expresses it a bit better so it keeps my attention further.
Once I opened the book his introduction begins...
"How would your prayer change if you began where you normally end?
We habitually end our prayers with the phrase "In Jesus' name, amen."
The amen means "truly" or even "I really mean this".
But what are we actually saying?
We are supposed to be saying that everything we prayed for was offered "in Jesus name"---for His honor and purposes.
When we pray "in Jesus name" we pray for His sake more than ours"....
Yikes! he has me now. "We pray for His sake more than ours" Is that really how I am supposed to pray? Let me see...I ask..I ask again...and most of what I ask is for relief, for comfort, for direction. Is that for His sake or mine? I think when I really began to let these words settle in my heart, I realized how much of what I pray is for me and how little is for Him.
When we looked at the prayers in the Bible ( Feb 4-21 posts) I think it was clear that these prayers were focused on God's purposes, God's riches, God's merit, God's full authority to judge our sins and His faithfulness to His promises. Quite different prayer life than most of us can claim.

Mr. Chapell goes on to say ...
"Often we focus on asking God to ease our worries and satisfy our wants before adding "in Jesus' name" as an obligatory seasoning to make our petitions palatable to God. Some of us may even have been taught to use the name of Jesus to "claim the desires of our heart". Such teachings encourages to end our prayer "in the name of Jesus" to get whatever we want."


I am so thrilled to begin this book. Already it has challenged my prayer life.
He finishes his introduction with...
"Praying backwards simply ensures that He (Jesus) comes first in our thoughts so that we are prompted to make Him first in our priorities. Such Christ-centered prayer is no great sacrifice; for when He is first in our priorities, our needs are first in His heart...When we pray "all for Jesus", He makes our life a candle that lights this present darkness and burns for His glory forever."
I hope you will find this book heart-changing and prayer-stimulating. Prayer is our dialogue with God. It is how we elevate our minds and hearts so that when we look at our earthly circumstances we say "it is all for His glory". Does your prayer life need such a change?
If so, it is not too late to join us.
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A couple of questions to think about...
Who is the focus of my prayer?
Do I seek God's glory as I pray?
Am I challenged by this thought..."Praying Backwards"?