Behind the Project

The editor’s acquaintance with Matthew Henry’s book on prayer dates to a suggestion of one of his seminary professors, O. Palmer Robertson. Some of the students, appreciative of Dr. Robertson’s peculiar power in public prayer, inquired as to what he would suggest to us for becoming more proficient in leading in congregational prayer. Beside the cultivation of the habit of regular private prayer, he recommended one book: Matthew Henry’s A Method for Prayer.

As for the idea of updating the book into more contemporary versions of the Bible, this thought had flitted around in my head for a number of years. It began to blossom into reality in May 2008, when I was contacted by Dan Arnold, a Christian businessman and gifted entrepreneur who had been greatly encouraged and helped by an edition of Henry’s book that I had revised and edited back in 1994. Dan and I had a wonderfully encouraging phone conversation. Eager to make Henry’s classic book on prayer accessible to as many people as possible, Dan also wanted to produce updated versions of the book. Furthermore, he desired to fund and direct the production of a website devoted to the book and to have it translated into multiple foreign languages.

Facilitating the project through the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals — a kingdom-minded, non-profit organization which, not only helped produce this website, but stands committed to helping maintain and improve it — this vision to make Matthew Henry’s book available in updated language online has, in the gracious providence of God, come to pass! May God get all the glory for bringing this idea into concrete reality, and may you be blessed by this extraordinary book!

J. Ligon Duncan III
Jackson, Mississippi
July 2009