When the Holy Spirit gives new life to a person, he fundamentally changes how that person thinks and what he thinks. The Spirit changes him into a person with the capacity to live in communion with God. At the same time, the Spirit creates in us a yearning to enjoy God’s presence through prayer. But how do we pray? When the disciples asked Jesus this question, he responded by giving them a model prayer to use as a guide to help them pray. This model prayer is commonly called The Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is extremely brief, but it is a perfect summary of what a Christian ought to think and pray every day.

In Seven Thoughts Every Christian Ought to Think Every Day, Jim Scott Orrick examines the seven thoughts that lead Christians to pray guided by the model prayer. You might think of this book as a prequel to the Lord’s Prayer. Without the underlying thoughts of a renewed nature, simply repeating the Lord’s Prayer becomes an instance of the empty, meaningless prayers that Jesus was teaching us to avoid. Orrick explores the seven thoughts that propel a Christian into a life of meaningful communion with God through prayer. These are seven thoughts every Christian ought to think every day, and they lay a foundation for a life of prayer.