“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. […]
“As far as I can see, prayer has been ordained only for the helpless. . . . Prayer and helplessness are inseparable. Only he who is helpless can truly pray.”- Ole Hallesby, Prayer Timothy Keller continues his discussion of the twelve touchstones of prayer by presenting the three things prayer requires. Prayer requires: 4. Grace- […]
Today Timothy Keller discusses the second and third touchstones of prayer in Chapter 9 of Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. 2. Prayer is conversing with God- responding to the Word. Pastor Keller notes that “to walk with” someone in the Bible is to have a friendship, since people talk as they walk together. […]
In Chapter 9 (“The Touchstones of Prayer”) of his book Prayer, Timothy Keller writes about twelve touchstones of prayer. Pastor Keller states we can use those twelve touchstones to “judge the relative strength and weakness of our prayers for honoring and connecting us to God.” The first four touchstones are clustered under the heading “What […]
Timothy Keller concludes Chapter 8 of Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by discussing the final two petitions of the Lord’s Prayer plus the ascription. 7. Lead us not into temptation. Pastor Keller states that Augustine made an important distinction about this petition: “The prayer is not that we should not be tempted, but […]
In today’s blog Timothy Keller continues his discussion of the Lord’s Prayer (Chapter 6) with the next two petitions. 5. Give us this day our daily bread. Pastor Keller notes that while the first three petitions center on recognizing God as our true food, wealth, and happiness, Jesus now charges us to align our “prayer […]
“That we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command.”- Thomas Cranmer “For my heart’s desire unto Thine is bent; I aspire to a full consent.”- George Herbert Timothy Keller continues his discussion of the Lord’s Prayer in Chapter 6 of Prayer by considering the next two […]
In Chapter 8 of Prayer, Timothy Keller embarks on a detailed discussion of the Lord’s Prayer. That discussion covers the address, the seven petitions, and the ascription. The address and first petition are presented today. Pastor Keller prefaces his discussion with the assertion that the Lord’s Prayer is an untapped resource, partially because it is […]
Timothy Keller concludes Chapter 7 of Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God as he discusses why we always are heard for Jesus’ sake. Pastor Keller notes that God named the anointed kings of Israel- David and Solomon- to be his sons. Yet, the history of Israel and of Israel’s kings was marked by failure […]
Timothy Keller concludes his discussion of Calvin’s rules of prayer in Chapter 7 of Prayer with a fifth “rule” that actually is a major qualification of the word rule. 5. The rule of grace. Calvin urges us not to conclude that any set of rules could make our prayers worthy to be heard. Only grace […]
Timothy Keller pairs and considers Calvin’s third and fourth rules of prayer in today’s blog. 3 and 4. Restful trust, yet confident hope. Calvin’s third rule is that we should have a submissive trust in God, trusting in Him even when things aren’t going the way we would wish them to go. Prayer enables us […]
In today’s blog, Calvin’s second rule, or principle, of prayer is presented and discussed. 2. Spiritual humility. Calvin described his second rule for prayer as “the sense of need that excludes all unreality.” This spiritual humility includes both (a) a strong sense of our dependence on God, in general, and (b) a readiness to recognize […]