In Chapter 15 (“Practice: Daily Prayer”) of Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Timothy Keller outlines his suggested framework for daily prayer, emphasizing that neither the details nor the order is written in stone. The framework consists of evocation, meditation, Word prayer, free prayer, and contemplation. Evocation and meditation are discussed today.
1. Evocation. Pastor Keller notes that while to evoke means “to bring to mind”, it also can include invocation, calling on God. In their book Prayer: Finding Our Way, Packer and Nystrom write that prayer should be started by:
” . . . thinking over who it is that you will be addressing, what he has done to give you access to himself . . . how you stand related to him . . . [and] the truly breathtaking fact that through His Word and Spirit the Lord Jesus is building a friendship with you.”
2. Meditation. Taking time to meditate on some portion of the Bible is a bridge to responding to God in prayer. Meditation, however, does not enrich our prayer life overnight- it happens over time in our growth as Christians. While serious, in-depth interpretation is integral to our Christian growth, Pastor Keller advises allotting time for meditation as well as prayer.
Today’s question: Following your ministry downsizing or vocation loss, how difficult has it been for you to see God as your friend? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Prayer and contemplation”
