Prayer by Timothy Keller

This is a book I've been reading with one of my women's groups from our church and it was amazing! Prayer is a spiritual discipline that I love and one I still need so much growth in, and this book helped me to go even deeper in understanding prayer, it's power and it's importance.

There are five major sections: Desiring Prayer, Understanding Prayer, Learning Prayer, Deepening Prayer and Doing Prayer. In each section Keller gives a clear Biblical reason for this aspect of prayer and practical ways to grow in that area.

Desiring prayer can be challenging, even for the strongest of Christians because of life. The necessity of prayer is made clear as Keller breaks down the myths and challenges of prayer and points us toward God and growing our relationship with him. In the Greatness of Prayer he points us to the fact that prayer points us to God and does a mighty work in us as well as God using prayer to work through us. What a gift to be able to pray prayers that God uses to accomplish His will!

In Understanding Prayer, Keller explains what prayer is, conversing with God and encountering God. This section was beautiful and brilliant as Keller tackled the theology behind prayer, the knowledge of God that allows us to pray and in prayer moves us to really experience God, finding the balance between stoic theology and emotional experience. As Keller says on page 80, "Prayer turns theology into experience."

Learning prayer gives practical examples of how and what to pray. Keller shares Letters of Prayer that look at how church fathers explained prayer from Augustine and Luther and gives advice from their advice. Rules for prayer explains basic principles that we should abide by in prayer from the Scripture. Keller carefully walks us through the Prayer of Prayers to show how we can use the prayer Jesus gave us as an example to pray deeply about all things. In Touchstones of Prayer he shows the elements of prayer that should effect us and how praying walks us through these different touchstones to show us our insufficiency and the all sufficiency of God

Deepening Prayer takes you to a deeper level, as it states, in understanding and practicing prayer. Keller talks about the conversation of prayer, which is meditating on Scripture and responding to it. All of our being is to be meditating on Scripture and so he discusses meditating with both heart and mind as well as fixing your mind on the Word leading to meditating on the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, who has given us the privilege of prayer. He then moves into Encountering God, which is seeking His face. "We must not settle for an informed mind without an engaged heart," says Keller on page 165. We take the knowledge of God from His Word and move into experiencing Him with all of our being as we pray. This section is pivotal in understanding how truth and experience intertwine in prayer. It was so eye-opening for me.

In Doing Prayer, Keller gets extremely practical in what it means to literally pray and also is honest about the struggles of prayer. We start with awe, grow in intimacy with God, tell Him our hearts and continue on. The last chapter gives practical guides to help you set up a routine for prayer.

This book is so rich and will be an asset to anyone who wants to grow in prayer whether you're new to the faith or have been a Christian for fifty years! I cannot recommend this book enough!

5 Stars

Reading Challenges:
I'm using this as a theology book in the light section of the Tim Challies's 2020 Reading Challenge.
In the 2020 Christian Reading Challenge for Women with Jami Balmet I'm counting this as a book on Spiritual Disciplines.