Herbert Lockyer’s All the Prayers of the Bible is a devotional-theological work that collects, organizes, and interprets every recorded prayer found in Scripture. Lockyer, a prolific mid-20th-century evangelical author and pastor, approaches the Bible’s prayers as windows into human need, divine character, and the life of faith. This essay summarizes Lockyer’s method and themes, evaluates his strengths and limits, and situates the book in contemporary use for study, devotion, and preaching.
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One unique feature of Lockyer’s book is his analysis of unspoken prayers. He looks at Nehemiah’s quick prayer to God before answering the king (Nehemiah 2:4) – a "flash prayer" that changed history. Lockyer teaches that prayer is an attitude of the heart, not just a posture of the body.
The book is highly regarded for its practical utility in several contexts:
The work serves as an exhaustive devotional commentary and encyclopedic study of every prayer recorded in Scripture. It moves beyond a mere list of verses, categorizing prayers by type, analyzing the circumstances of the petitioner, and offering spiritual lessons for the modern reader. For those seeking a PDF version, it is widely referenced in digital libraries and theological archives due to its enduring status as a classic study tool.
Lockyer, H. (1974). All the Prayers of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.