Today Timothy Keller concludes his presentation of twelve aspects of the richness of prayer, found in Chapter 2 of Prayer.
9. Prayer is a refuge. Poet George Herbert states that prayer is a “sinner’s towre”. Pastor Keller explains that means “prayerful dependence on Jesus is our only refuge from our own sin.” Without our dependence of Christ’s forgiveness and righteousness before God, we cannot go into God’s presence.
10. Prayer changes us. Though prayer changes the circumstances of the world, Pastor Keller stresses that prayer is “as much or even more about changing our own understanding and attitude toward those circumstances.” Prayer, he adds, brings heaven into the ordinary, enabling us to see the world differently- even in our most basic tasks.
11. Prayer unites us with God himself. As St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:10 and Ephesians 3:18, through the Holy Spirit prayer can plunge us into the “deep things of God”, taking us through the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ’s saving love for us.
12. Prayer gradually clears our vision. Pastor Keller notes that through prayer “something”, not everything is understood. In 1 Corinthians 1:13, St. Paul states that we only see things in part, like the distorted images in ancient mirrors. But prayer gradually clears our vision. As Pastor Keller concludes: “Prayer is awe, intimacy, struggle- yet the way to reality.”
Today’s question: How has prayer changed you and/or cleared your vision during your time of transition? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Mystical versus prophetic prayer”
