Standing on my knees (by Jeff Lucas)

(Amazon UK link)

I do like reading - and rereading - books by Jeff Lucas. He’s a British pastor who works in the United States, and he has a somewhat dry sense of humour that comes through in his writing. He acknowledges his failings - possibly exaggerating them at times - rather than trying to tell his readers what to do from the point of view of an expert. And I find his style very readable.

It’s almost exactly ten years since I read ‘Standing on my knees’, so it was definitely time for a reread of this book, which is about prayer. There are many available books on this topic, of course, as the author acknowledges. But many of them try to share the secrets they have learned, or the benefit of their experiences, rather than sharing, with the reader, in the many difficulties that may have to be overcome. 

There are ten chapters in this fairly short book, and I aimed to read one every day, though sometimes I took a couple of days over a longer chapter. I thought the subject was covered in a very encouraging, inspiring way. The first chapter looks at some of the people in history who were expert in praying; the author admires them, as he does with those called to be intercessors who have no problem spending significant amounts of time with God. But he tells us that this book is for ordinary Christians who sometimes struggle to spend more than five minutes in prayer, and whose minds tend to wander rather than focus. 

It’s not easy for a writer to be self-deprecating without it appearing to be false humility, or even discouragingly negative. But Jeff Lucas manages it. He comes across as a kindly, well-meaning follower of Jesus who gets things wrong as often as he gets them right. He loves what he does, speaking and writing, and he likes people; but he sometimes gets frustrated, even annoyed with the super-spiritual. 

The second and subsequent chapters encourage us to pray, whatever that means to us. The author points out that God wants us to talk to him even if our minds do wander far from the topic. We’re reminded to use everyday language, to speak from the heart, whether on our own or in groups. We’re also reminded not to tell God what to do, but to trust him as wanting the best for us, even if we don’t always see it. 

God, we are reminded, is our Father, and when we talk to him it’s as if talking to our own fathers - or to the best idealised fathers, for people who didn’t grow up with a positive image of fatherhood. And while this is often said, Jeff Lucas manages to personalise this too. He gives examples where appropriate from his own life, and is honest about his doubts and inconsistencies. 

There’s a chapter about forgiveness - both God forgiving us, and the need to forgive others. But the author is quick to point out that forgiveness does not necessarily mean forgetting, nor putting aside any need for reparation. He also doesn’t trivialise the enormous pain and difficulties that many have in forgiving terrible crimes against them, or their loved ones. But, with a moving example, he demonstrates that it is sometimes possible to move away from thoughts of revenge, to offer Christ’s love rather than permanent anger. 

I don’t think I learned anything new from this book, even given that I had forgotten most of its contents in the past decade.  But I found almost all of it to be useful, encouraging and sometimes inspiring, as well as a reminder that we’re all fallible. Acknowledging our frailties and difficulties can be therapeutic as we struggle, day to day, in this life attempting to follow Jesus. Whether we stray due to suffering, or to boredom, or lack of direction, or just to getting distracted, we can always return to the beginning, and will be welcomed again with open arms. 

Definitely recommended.

Review copyright 2026 Sue's Book Reviews