Have you ever wondered what happens in the spiritual realm when you pray? Mark S Mirza wants to make sure that we know that we have a formidable enemy who can be defeated when we unite ourselves to God in prayer. That is why he wrote, The Pray-ers / Book 1 Troubles published by CTM Publishing Atlanta. I received a paperback copy of his new book to review.
Prayer is a subject that Mark S Mirza is very passionate about. For 4 1/2 years, he led Dr. Charles Stanley’s Men’s Prayer Ministry, Sons of Thunder. He teaches that we need to use God’s word to direct how we are praying. He stresses the I John 5:4 teaches that faith is that which overcomes the world.
In the book, we are introduced to different angels and demons within the story. Mirza is careful to not give any extra acknowledgement to the demons; in fact, he doesn’t even capitalize their names. At first it is a little challenging to get acquainted with all the characters, but there is a listing of their names in the back of the book. This list is divided alphabetically within each of the three eras.
Mirza weaves a tale that begins with the first century with Epaphras (a true Biblical character) and his nephew, (a made up character) Thales. Epaphras is truly a man who seeks a relationship with God through intimate study and prayer.
We are also introduced to an itinerant preacher, Alexander Rich. Who lived during the 19th century and the midst of the Civil War. The third era focuses on a modern day track coach at a secular college, Dale Riley.
Each of these three characters from three very different eras have one thing in common. Their prayer life. All three seek to know God better through prayer. Throughout the book, Mirza addresses several different issues, including abortion. He addresses this delicate subject of abortion in such a non-judgmental, tender way.
Throughout the book, Mirza cites the Bible verses that he makes reference to during the story. For example, “He would continue to seek God and Epaphras knew that God would make Himself known as He always did.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
The Pray-ers: Troubles is a deep book. It is not a quick easy read, it requires thought and time to process it. Brock and I both found it to be quite interesting, it just takes some time to work through it. My biggest issue was getting all the characters right in my head during the first few chapters. I am very thankful that I received a paperback copy of the Pray-ers: Troubles, as I feel that it would have been harder to reference the character list as often as I did with the ebook. I recommend The Pray-ers to those who are in high school or older.
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Jennifer
