To purchase a copy of 40 Questions about Prayer, click here.

Questions with Joe Harrod

Evan: Tell us about yourself? How long have you been at SBTS and tell us about your role there?

Joe: I am one of the few faculty members at Southern who is a native Kentuckian and Louisvillian. I grew up around church, but never attended church regularly until late in high school. I was saved in the early 1990s and felt called into ministry in 1996. My background was in the IT industry, and I left this career path to serve in Southern’s administration starting in 2008 while I was still an M. Div. student. I joined Southern’s faculty officially in 2016, a couple of years after earning my Ph.D., which is in Biblical Spirituality. 

The thing I enjoy most about seminary is being able to see the change in student’s lives that comes from growth in faith and learning. Our students arrive with love for Jesus and trust in his call on their lives. Coming to seminary requires great faith that their investment of time, money, and disruption to their families is going to help them grow, and for so many, their faith deepens as their learning grows. Being part of this process of spiritual growth from students at the college through doctoral studies is a great source of joy.

Evan: What have you enjoyed in the writing process of 40 Questions about Prayer?

Joe: What I have enjoyed most about writing 40 Questions about Prayer is the discipline of reading, thinking, and clarity that comes through writing. Writing is one of the key ways that I learn a topic more clearly, because I have to gather my thoughts and express them, which allows me to see areas that need more thought and clearer articulation. Often our thoughts on matters can be general and somewhat fuzzy, but writing (hopefully) forces greater clarity.

Evan: How do you desire readers to use your book?

Joe: I hope readers will use 40 Questions about Prayer to grow more intentional in their practices of prayer and to think more often about the glory and excellence of the God to whom they pray and thus come to love him more dearly. That is why so much of this book focuses on the biblical and theological aspects of prayer and not only on the mechanics of prayer. I have tried to ask and answer questions that I have had about prayer and that I hear often from my students, but I have also tried to address questions that many faithful church members have asked about prayer as well. 

Evan: What do you hope readers take away from this book?

Joe: What I hope readers take away from 40 Questions about Prayer is a renewed desire to pray and a greater appreciation for the way God has given us everything we need (2 Pet. 1:3) to pursue renewed fellowship with him.

Thank you Dr. Harrod for the Q&A! I have had the privilege of getting to know Dr. Harrod when I was in Kentucky. Every time I had a conversation with Dr. Harrod, I left encouraged. I hope students at SBTS continue to benefit from his work. To purchase a copy of 40 Questions about Prayer, click here.

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Evan Knies is an elder of North Hills Church in West Monroe, LA. He is husband of Lauren and father to Maesyn. He is a graduate of Boyce College and Southern Seminary.