When The Times asked readers to submit their own prayers for inclusion in this book, the response was overwhelming, with contributions from people of all ages and from all walks of life, all speaking from the heart, and with their own intensely personal stories to tell.

          "With the decline in institutional religion," says Ruth Gledhill in her introduction, "personal prayer is becoming more important in the lives of individuals." Some of these prayers emerge from unbelievably tragic stories of loss. They speak of the pain of insomnia, the difficulty of forgiveness and commitment, the confusion of dyslexia and the emptiness of having forgotten how to pray. Others celebrate experiences of birth and new love. They include tributes to wives and husbands, church cats, unwanted bats and flying kites, and spontaneous thanksgiving for delicious fudge or a victory at football.