Tim Keller’s new book on prayer comes out next week, and it looks excellent. When I was at Catalyst a few weeks ago, I saw him doing an interview on the book and he made a very insightful point. In talking about how to become better at making time for prayer, he said this: “If […]
A Simple Way to Pray
Just came across this book at Ligonier Ministries called A Simple Way to Pray. It contains a short booklet Martin Luther wrote for his barber on how to pray. RC Sproul had this to say about Luther’s pamphlet: “No book has done more to revolutionize my personal prayer life than this little book by Martin Luther.” That’s quite […]
Persevere in Prayer
Here’s another cut from my book: 1. Persevere in Prayer Perseverance in prayer as a key means of overcoming obstacles. Don’t stop praying about something just because it hasn’t been answered within a few days or weeks. Keep pressing on. This is exactly what Jesus commands us to do: “And he told them a parable […]
Get a Bible You Like to Use
This is a cut from my book that I’m not including so I can stay within my word count. This is from the chapter “The Role of Prayer and Scripture in Your Productivity”: Have a Bible you like to use. It’s true that what really matters is the Bible itself, not the particular format it’s […]
Cuts from the Book, 1: Sorrow _And Sighing_ Will Flee Away
In writing my book, I actually ended up laying the groundwork for about 4 other books as well. I didn’t set out to do that, but I found that seeing the things I wanted to say over the next few years from the perspective of the whole enabled me to make this book better. Thus, […]
Why Does God Allow Suffering?
Here’s one reason: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor […]
What is Supplication?
The Bible talks often about supplication as a substantial type of prayer (Philippians 4:6, etc.). But what is supplication? It is not simply asking God for things. Rather, it is making a case before God. JP Moreland explains this well in Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life […]
JI Packer on the Problem of Unanswered Prayer
JI Packer, in Knowing Christianity: We need not be discouraged by the problem of supposedly unanswered prayer. I say “supposedly” because I challenge the supposition. While God has not bound himself to hear unbelievers’ prayers, his promises to answer the prayers of his own children are categorical and inclusive. It must then be wrong to […]
Tim Keller on Preaching to Himself
A good summary from the Reformissionary blog from a recent Q&A Keller did with Bryan Chapell.
Is Asking Questions of the Biblical Text Respectful?
Yesterday I posted a passage from John Piper’s book Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God on the importance of asking questions of the biblical text in order to grow in our understanding (this is true in the rest of life as well!). For example, simply asking the question “why is […]