The Word Is Very Near You: A Guide to Praying with Scripture by Martin L. Smith, an Episcopal monk, is among the most useful and beautifully written books about prayer in print. Its title, taken from Deuteronomy 30:14 ("The word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.") is a relief, a promise, and a challenge. Smith's straightforward, flowing prose sparkles with natural wit and insight as he describes how laypeople can participate in the ancient practice of lectio divina ("holy reading"), a very slow, meditative engagement with Scripture whose effects flow out into a person's whole inner and outer life. Smith explains, "Meditative prayer ... does not confine itself to the surface levels of reasoning and talking and thinking. It won't be a matter of the head, and tidy, controlled conversations with the Lord. This kind of praying will involve the inner world where the invisible springs of our actions lie, it will penetrate to levels of deep need, disturbance, feeling, levels where we are hurt and warped, and levels where we have wants not at all satisfied by conventional palliatives, and gifts waiting to come out of bud." The first half of this book explains what meditative prayer is, and how it often works in the life of a believer. The second half contains suggested themes and biblical passages for prayer. Smith, who is widely known among Episcopalians as a spiritual director, has masterful knowledge of Christian tradi