A Well-Written and Practical Guide to Prayer

I have read several books on prayer, and Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller is one of the best. Rev. Keller not only gives us his views on prayer, but he gives us insight from his vast reading. He analyzes what St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others wrote about prayer.

He defines prayer and stresses its importance in the Christian life. Rev. Keller recommends meditating on Scripture and using God’s Word as the starting point for prayer. The different types of prayer (praise, thanksgiving, confession, and petition) should flow from the Bible verses you are studying. He looks at each phrase of the Lord’s Prayer to help us understand what we might miss because of familiarity.

Timothy Keller defines what “praying in Jesus’s name” means, and he gives suggestions for keeping our minds focused on God. He offers several patterns of daily prayer as a guide to help Christians make prayer a daily habit.

I purposely read this book slowly, sometimes just one section a day. Some sections were so insightful that I read them again the next day.

One of the statements in the book that impressed me was that “God’s words are identical with his actions.” (Keller says this is one of the main statements in the book Words of Life by Timothy Ward.) We see this in creation when God spoke, and various things came into existence. Another example is when God renamed Abram and Sarai. God’s words gave them the physical ability to have a son when they were old. Jesus healed from afar with His spoken word, and He raised Lazarus from the dead with His word. It is clear that when God says something in His Word, it is accomplished.

I highly recommend this book. I know it will be a blessing to you.

Prayer by Timothy Keller is published by Penguin Books and can be purchased from the following online sellers: