Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer

Read this a long time ago and just bought it for my C. S> Lewis bookshelf....All of Lewis' writings are stimulating, interesting and he really makes you think.

This books consists of several letters written by CS Lewis to his friend and fellow author, Malcolm Muggeridge, on the topic of prayer. They write about some other issues as well, but (as the title indicates), chiefly about prayer.I love everything by CS Lewis, but this book would have been slightly better if it also contained the letters from Muggeridge. As it is, we only hear half of the conversation between the two men. Nevertheless, Lewis does a fairly good job filling in the blanks. He often summarizes the point or question of Muggeridge which Lewis then responds to.Not surprisingly, the ideas and thinking from Lewis on prayer is often surprising and intriguing. He addresses the issue of how to pray according to the will of God, and whether our prayers truly matter or not from the divine perspective, since God already know what we need and what we are going to pray for. He also talks about the dangers of prayer, and praying to the dead, and a variety of other topics.If you want to learn more about prayer, or want to get another perspective on prayer, this book is a good place to start.

This is one of those books where I found myself taking an hour to read a paragraph, which I had previously read. I just needed to ruminate on Lewis' thoughts. It's not theological in the sense of  Mere Christianity  or  The Four Loves - he is clear here and elsewhere that he does not want to write a devotional book and indeed thinks he has little to offer on the subject, as he is untrained in these areas. So while he covers the same areas as Richard Foster's  Prayer , this book has a decidedly different feel. It is personal, as if it were a collection of real letters.And thus these are just letters. Often Lewis doesn't fully explain his ideas in an understandable way, to make it appear as if he is not writing to the general public, but only to Malcolm- a friend with whom he has a lot in common, with that secret language that all friends have. I appreciated too how personal asides were imagined, like "Your son is very welcome. We do *not* dress for dinner normally." and "Please tell Betty I do not need a bed downstairs, I am feeling much better." and, contrary to what  Walter Hooper  would have us believe, references to his conjugal life with his former wife.Lewis' musings have the advantage of coming at the end of his life, with the full wisdom available. I especially liked his thoughts on getting whatever we ask for in faith vs. Jesus prayer in Gethsemane, difficulties in prayer focus, and the effectatiousness of our prayers. In the end, we want to be heard, even more than having our prayers answered. Lewis is simultaneously so deep and so clear. As he said, he wrote for the common man. So as I read him, I find myself constantly thinking, "Yes, I didn't believe that before, but I see that now."

Lewis, once again, creates memorable moments and paints pictures with words that will capture the heart and mind of anyone that reads this wonderful book. A series of letters back and forth to Malcom, an imaginary friend, lead the way on a journey that circles around great questions on prayer. Of course, Lewis does not give a lecture through these letters, but lures the minds of his readers to ask some tough questions and consider a different point of view when seeking to find answers about the prayer life of a believer. A highly personal feel throughout the whole book with creative writing styles between these friends will have many wondering if Malcom was actually a fictional character. The fact that Lewis presents many different topics and issues on prayer, but doesn't directly give all the answers, is actually quite helpful for the person who is willing to wrestle with these questions and come up with answers of there own. Prayer is a journey, and the reader follows along on a journey between two old friends. What a joy it was to read this book!My church's book club decided to go with this book last spring as we desired to learn more about prayer. Some very helpful discussions were launched off the platform of "Letters to Malcom" and I'm so glad we chose to read it. It isn't important to have all the answers on prayer, but to start praying. Receive the gift of prayer, for the purpose of spiritual formation. Read the book and consider some tough questions, new perspectives and a delightful journey into the wonderful mystery of prayer.

Anything by Lewis is good; but I have really appreciated this book of letters (supposedly) written to a friend on the subject of prayer. Well worth reading.

C S Lewis completed Letters to Malcolm about 6 months before he died. It consists of 22 letters from Lewis to an imaginary friend (Malcolm) mainly on the subject of prayer. I have read this book several times and will do so again, because it is vintage Lewis. He manages to combine abilities, which are not usually found together. So he is the out-and-out supernaturalist, the committed believer, with a baptised, almost mystical imagination but also with a mind as sharp as a razor. So, for example on Page 120 we read:"you, in your last letter, seemed to hint that there too much of the supernatural in my position; especially in the sense that "the next world" loomed so large. But how can it loom less than large if is believed in at all?"And as with his other works, Lewis manages to pack a lot of depth into a very small space (the paperback is less than 125 pages long). For example, Letter V discusses the Lord's Prayer in just 5 pages. Yet I find a richness of meaning in those few pages, which mean that I keep coming back to them.All things considered, I agree with the reviewer in the Church Times in January 1964 who wrote:"With the death of C S Lewis, a glory departed. But regret must then immediately give place to gratitude for so generous a legacy as this. Here is a book... as good as anything he ever wrote... It is splendid, glorious stuff, the product of a luminous and original mind, tough and honest... and yet endowed with an extraordinary sensitivity and tenderness for the fears and foibles of men."

This is a classic work, still in print after many years. I am now just over 70 and I first read it when I was 18 or 19 and a medical student.. I was astonished by its understanding of the human condition, of the struggling Christian with his/her temptations and how one is so easily distracted by the business of actually praying. I came from a Christian background, but I had never heard anything so real or honest before. His lightly-worn erudition and understanding of the nature of God impressed me deeply and it still does. I bought this copy to replace my old, much read and dog-eared copy.

Just what I was looking for!

a classic