“For although they know God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him.”- Romans 1:21 Timothy Keller continues Chapter 12 of Prayer by noting that ultimately thanksgiving is a subcategory of praise. However, Pastor Keller states that if we’re going to make headway in the work of praise and thanksgiving, we must […]
“Wherever the soul of man turns, unless towards God, it cleaves to sorrow, even though the things outside God and outside itself to which it clings may be things of beauty.”- Augustine, Confessions As Timothy Keller begins Chapter 12 of Prayer, he states that another reason for the primacy of praise is that it has great […]
“My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face.’ Your face, Lord, will I seek.”- Psalm 27:8 In Chapter 11 of Prayer, Timothy Keller writes that when we speak to someone, we address the person to his or her face. Thus, to seek God’s face is “to have our hearts enabled by the Holy Spirit to […]
Continuing his reflection on Ephesians 3:14-19 in Chapter 11 of Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Timothy Keller states that the word grasp means “to wrestle”- to jump on someone, wrestle that person to the ground, and knock the person out. The word grasp might seem, Pastor Keller notes, a very strange word to […]
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.”- Ephesians 3:14 Timothy Keller continues his discussion of Ephesians 3:14-19 in Chapter 11 of Prayer by taking specific note of Paul’s opening phrase of his prayer- that he (Paul) kneels before the Father. In […]
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know that this love surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the […]
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”- 2 Corinthians 5:21 At the end of Chapter 10 of Prayer, Timothy Keller reminds us that the phrase “law of the Lord” (Psalm 1:2) refers to all of Scripture, particularly its normative […]
As Timothy Keller concludes Chapter 10 of Prayer, he notes that British theologian John Owen (1616-1683) believed there were three distinctive movements or stages within meditation. Owen first distinguished meditation from Bible study and from prayer proper: “It is distinguished from the study of the Word, wherein the principal aim is to learn the truth […]
“Praise the Lord, my soul; and all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”- Psalm 103:1-2 Timothy Keller continues Chapter 10 of Prayer by exploring the relationship between meditation and our mind/heart. He notes that when Psalm 1 calls us to meditate, it uses […]
“If we pray without meditation, our own communion with God becomes poor and distant.”- Edmund Clowney Part Four of Timothy Keller’s book Prayer is entitled “Deepening Prayer”. In Chapter 10 (“As Conversation: Meditating on His Word”), Pastor Keller takes a close look at Psalm 1. He astutely notes that Psalm 1 is not a prayer […]
Today Timothy Keller concludes his discussion of the twelve touchstones of prayer with the final three touchstones, clustered under the heading “Where Prayer Takes Us”. 10. Self knowledge: prayer requires and creates honesty and self-knowledge. Pastor Keller notes that prayer must take us beyond humility into deep honesty with ourselves. Although honesty in prayer before […]
“Prayer is a means to energy. Spiritual alertness, vigor, and confidence are the regular spin-off from earnest prayer on any subject.”- J. I. Packer, Knowing Christianity Timothy Keller continues Chapter 9 of Prayer by discussing three touchstones clustered under the title “What Prayer Gives”. Prayer gives us: 7. Perspective- prayer reorients your view toward God. […]