A Closer Walk with God

“A widespread and chronic form of spiritual attention deficit disorder is abroad today, hindering our ability to meditate on God’s grace and stunting our spiritual growth. Here, in perhaps his most personal book to date, Dr Tim Chester shares a variety of disciplines he has learned from the past-masters of the contemplative life and developed to remedy this lethargy. While he is wisely conscious that not all of his own practices will seem equally suitable or helpful for every reader, few, if any, Christians will fail to discover something here to help towards a closer walk with God.”

“Put simply, this book is magnificent. Evangelicals too often talk in the abstract about having a Heavenly Father and a living relationship with Jesus. This book will help you move from knowing about God in theory to deepening your experience and relationship with him. It will help you stop finding prayer hard work and thinking of yourself as a failure when it comes to praying. A profoundly helpful, practical, liberating read.”

“As a Bible-study author whose deepest desire is to see people know and enjoy God, I am thrilled by any resource that shares this heart. Tim Chester has given us a practical guide centered on essential biblical postures like listening to, communing with, and resting in God; along with clear steps to put them into practice. If you long for a deeper relationship with the Lord and want guidance beyond ‘read your Bible,’ this is the book for you.”

“A rich, historical, refreshing look at how we pray. So much wisdom and practical help that can immediately impact our regular patterns of prayer.”

“One of the greatest needs of our hurried and anxious times is a renewal of biblically-grounded contemplative spirituality that moves us toward the most important experience of all: reality with God. Throughout these pages, Tim serves as a faithful guide, leading us to door after door through which we can draw near to God and enjoy our union with him. Anchored in Scripture and loaded with pastoral wisdom, this book is a must- read for both young and old in the faith. Read it slowly, and let it fan your faith into a flame. ”

“Daily communion with God has always been embattled. We all want it, and most of us struggle to find it and keep it. Tim Chester has clearly fought and won that battle over decades, and he took lots of notes along the way to help others, like me, experience fuller, more consistent joy in faith. With this book, he built a practical guide that weaves humble dependence on God with a growing hunger for God that leads to more vibrant communion with God. Because Tim Chester has lived it for a long time, the essential practices he lays out are filled with real-life texture and pastoral care, allowing them to fall like rain on distracted and thirsty souls.”

“This is a book to help us all fall deeper in love with Jesus. It doesn’t just teach us more about God (though it is soaked in Scripture), nor does it just get our quiet times going again (though it may well do that), rather it encourages us to drink deeply of the awe, the majesty, the beauty, and the wonder of Christ—and in the process come to desire him more. It does that by encouraging us all to slow down—to reflect, to meditate—and that’s something many of us find hard. That means this book may well take us out of our comfort zone at times—it did for me. But it is so worth it. Dripping with biblical truth and wise, practical hints, this book is a wonderful spur to take time and pursue a posture of love and trust before the Lord who is worthy of our all.”

“Many of us long for a deeper intimacy with God and a sense of his presence and work in our lives. And yet we also wonder if this is possible, and perhaps we’re secretly afraid that it isn’t. In A Closer Walk with God, Tim proves to be a wise guide for those longing for more. He invites us to discover how different practices of prayer lead us into deeper communion with God and form the life of Christ in us. If you want more in your life with God, this book is a great place to start!”