A Rhythm of Prayer

A Collection of Meditations for Renewal

By: Sarah Bessey - editor, Amena Brown, Barbara Brown Taylor, Lisa Sharon Harper

Narrated by: Chanté McCormick, Gisela Chípe, Rachel Perry, Sarah Skaer

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • For the weary, the angry, the anxious, and the hopeful, this collection of moving, tender prayers offers rest, joyful resistance, and a call to act, written by Barbara Brown Taylor, Amena Brown, Nadia Bolz-Weber, and other artists and thinkers, curated by the author Glennon Doyle calls “my favorite faith writer.”

It’s no secret that we are overworked, overpressured, and edging burnout. Unsurprisingly, this fact is as old as time—and that’s why we see so many prayer circles within a multitude of church traditions. These gatherings are a trusted space where people seek help, hope, and peace, energized by God and one another.

This book, curated by acclaimed author Sarah Bessey, celebrates and honors that prayerful tradition in a literary form. A companion for all who feel the immense joys and challenges of the journey of faith, this collection of prayers says it all aloud, giving readers permission to recognize the weight of all they carry. These writings also offer a broadened imagination of hope—of what can be restored and made new. Each prayer is an original piece of writing, with new essays by Sarah Bessey throughout.

Encompassing the full breadth of the emotional landscape, these deeply tender yet subversive prayers give readers an intimate look at the diverse language and shapes of prayer.

Critic reviews

“An inspiring compendium of original prayers and essays written by progressive faith leaders. Each entry is a meditative gift offering a gateway for one to sit with the challenges of living in the world today. . . . The words here allow spiritual devotions to be approached with a diverse lens while remaining God-centered. . . . A book that allows people to speak in their own words while reminding those in positions of privilege that their faith in action is a catalyst for change. This is a welcome addition for those who enjoy contemplative prayer collections that intersect with important topics such as social justice.”—Library Journal

A reflection each of us...

Beautiful, Honest, Heartfelt, Heartbreaking, yet FULL of Hope. There are things in this book that we have ALL thought or felt and maybe just didn't have the words. Thank you for speaking up so vulnerably and giving us words!

The beauty and connection of prayer

This is an excellent book filled with beautiful prayers, honesty, and real emotion. Growing up in a system where prayer was limited in definition as a spiritual discipline this is compelling me to expand both my definition and practice of prayer and see it as organically arising out of the rhythms of daily life in all its varied experiences and emotions.

Great, bought in both audio and hard copy!

Wonderful collection! I'm working on integrating contemplative prayer and reflective time in my day to day and this is a wonderful resource. I will warn that as an assault survivor, the prayer for victims came on during my drive to work and it was triggering. However, in the quiet of my home, that moment would have been very powerful and a needed prayer. There are gritty moments in here so just be aware they are coming depending where you are listening. This collection is beautiful and needed.

Helpful, raw, real

A great paddle in the waters of my daily prayer life. Well done
Thnk you

A work of authentic and vulnerable prayers

I am so thankful for this book. For the space to not know what to say, expressing anger and lament, all of it. These are prayers from the heart. They are raw and vulnerable and anyone suggesting this book is anything but an example of authentically of approaching God in our suffering, is mistaken. Even the prayers I may not have prayed personally, they are a light into how others may experience the world and how they share in the suffering of Christ.