“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.”- Genesis 2:7 Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You is the most recent book from author and pastor John Ortberg. In the Foreword by Dr. […]
As Timothy Keller concludes Chapter 15 of Prayer, he poses four questions to help us evaluate our situation with regard to prayer. Pastor Keller asks us to imagine that our soul is in a boat, a boat with both oars and a sail. 1. Are you “sailing”? If your are sailing, you are living the […]
In Chapter 15 of Prayer, Timothy Keller expands on the ancient practice of “Praying the Psalms”, noting that from earliest times the church adopted the Psalms as its prayer book. Pastor Keller cites a letter from Athanasius to Marcellinus: “Whatever your particular need or trouble, from this same book [the Psalms] you can select a […]
Today’s blog incorporates the final three elements of Timothy Keller’s suggested frame work for prayer- Word prayer, free prayer, and contemplation. 3. Word prayer. Pastor Keller states that Martin Luther gives us an important and often overlooked step in daily prayer. Before he moved on to free-form prayer, Luther took time to “pray the text” […]
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. […]
“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”- Psalm 66:18 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”- 2 Corinthians 5:21 Timothy Keller concludes Chapter 14 of Prayer by reminding us that, in […]
“I tell you, though, he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise up and give him what he needs.”- Luke 11:8 In Chapter 14 of Prayer, Timothy Keller states that there is a necessary balance between the two purposes of petitionary […]
Timothy Keller continues Chapter 14 of Prayer by stating that prayer is powerful and effective because God allows the world to be “in some sense” under the control of prayer’s power. He relates a story told by Austin Phelps in his volume on prayer. The pagan Saxon king of Northumbria, Ethelfrith, had invaded Wales and […]
“Listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth, I cry to you. I call as my heart grows faint.”- Psalm 61:1-2 In Chapter 14 (“Struggle: Asking for Help”) of Prayer, Timothy Keller discusses a third form of prayer- supplication. Pastor Keller defines supplication as “asking God for things for yourself, for others, and […]
Timothy Keller concludes Chapter 12 of Prayer by noting that the last Psalms of the Psalter are all praise. In his book Answering God, Eugene Peterson states that just as the Psalter ends in unbroken praise, all prayer is framed by praise. In the end, all prayer should and will end in praise: “[This means] […]
“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 […]