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Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

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prayer

Praying the Bible (Not the Same Old Things about the Same Old Things)

September 15, 2015 by Andy Naselli

Whitney“Since prayer is talking with God, why don’t people pray more? Why don’t the people of God enjoy prayer more? I maintain that people—truly born-again, genuinely Christian people—often do not pray simply because they do not feel like it. And the reason they don’t feel like praying is that when they do pray, they tend to say the same old things about the same old things.”

That’s from page 11 in this book:

Donald S. Whitney. Praying the Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015.

  • 24-page PDF sample
  • 15-minute interview with Justin Taylor

In Praying the Bible, Whitney says more winsomely and practically what I argue for in this essay:

Andrew David Naselli. “12 Reasons You Should Pray Scripture.” Themelios 38 (2013): 417–25.

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: prayer

Tim Keller on Prayer

September 1, 2015 by Andy Naselli

prayerTimothy Keller. Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. New York: Dutton, 2014.

This is probably the best overall book on prayer that I know of because it shrewdly addresses the issue from three angles:

  1. theological
  2. experiential or devotional
  3. methodological or practical

It seems like every book Keller writes is the best all-around book on that subject.

This chart is particularly helpful (p. 141):

prayer

 

I agree with Andy Davis’s review.

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: prayer, Tim Keller

Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation

March 3, 2015 by Andy Naselli

Carson’s 1992 book on prayer is now available in a second edition along with a study guide he coauthored with my colleague Brian Tabb:

carson sg

[Read more…] about Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation

Filed Under: Exegesis, Practical Theology Tagged With: Brian Tabb, D. A. Carson, prayer

12 Reasons You Should Pray Scripture

December 5, 2013 by Andy Naselli

That’s the title of my Pastoral Pensées article in the latest issue of Themelios (which just released yesterday).

* * * * * * *

Andrew David Naselli. “12 Reasons You Should Pray Scripture.” Themelios 38 (2013): 417–25.

  • PDF
  • web version

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: prayer

This Is How We Pray for Our Children

October 30, 2012 by Andy Naselli

crowleyGuest post by J. D. and Kim Crowley

[The Crowleys have six children, and J. D. is a pioneer missionary-linguist in Cambodia.]

For around 30 years Kim and I have prayed for our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and their spouses (often during a time of fasting and prayer during the Tuesday or Wednesday lunch hour). Besides praying for individual requests as needs arose, we have prayed the same general requests below, week after week, year after year—and we’re constantly amazed how God faithfully answers. [Read more…] about This Is How We Pray for Our Children

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: parenting, prayer

The Barber Who Wanted to Pray

September 23, 2011 by Andy Naselli

Our three-year-old daughter enjoyed this new book after it arrived in the mail yesterday:

R. C. Sproul. The Barber Who Wanted to Pray. Paintings by T. Lively Fluharty. Wheaton: Crossway, 2011. 33 pp.

It’s about Martin Luther teaching his barber, Master Peter, a simple way to pray.

You can read the whole book online here (“Preview the Book”).

Related: See Carl Trueman, “A Lesson from Peter the Barber,” Themelios 34 (2009): 3–5. Trueman’s article ends with this footnote (numbering added):

Martin Luther’s treatise on prayer can be found in the following works:

  1. Martin Luther, “To Peter Beskendorf,” in Luther: Letters of Spiritual Council (ed. and trans. Theodore G. Tappert; Philadelphia: Westminster, 1955), 124–30;
  2. idem, “A Simple Way to Pray,” in Luther’s Works (ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann; trans. Carl J. Schindler; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1968), 43:187–209;
  3. idem, “Luther the Confessional Theologian: A Practical Way to Pray (1535),” in Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings (ed. William R. Russell and Timothy F. Lull; 2nd ed.; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2005), 12–17.

Filed Under: Historical Theology Tagged With: Carl Trueman, children's literature, Martin Luther, prayer, R. C. Sproul

Twenty OT Prayers Appealing to God’s Concern for His Own Glory

March 22, 2011 by Andy Naselli

See them here, a table excerpted from Jim Hamilton’s God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology. (That two-page PDF is available only today through Thursday.)

Hamilton explains:

These prayers that appeal to God’s concern for his own glory show how the believing remnant in the old covenant responded to God’s pursuit of his own glory: they joined him in it. These OT saints adopted God’s priorities and based their prayers on what they understood to be of greatest concern to God himself–his reputation among the nations, the glory of his name, the revelation of the truth about who he is. Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Elijah, Hezekiah, Jeremiah, Asaph, Asa, and Jehoshaphat all petition God on the basis of his concern for his own glory.

Incidentally, there is a massively important point of application here: this is how we, too, should pray. The perspective of the biblical authors is not merely to be studied but adopted, embraced, and lived.

These prayers appealing to God’s concern for his glory are applied to a variety of situations and employ a variety of expressions, and they had to be located the old fashioned way, which is still the best way to examine a biblical theme: by reading slowly through the OT, marking them as they appeared, and then gathering them all into one place. So this chart saves you a ton of work, but actually doing this kind of work for yourself is the best way to study the Bible because it demands that you read attentively, remember what you’ve read, correlate new information with what you’ve already seen, and assimilate the results into a coherent whole.

So in this table I list every prayer in the Old Testament that appeals to God’s concern for his own glory; at least, I think I got them all! If you find one that I missed I’d love to know about it.

See also Hamilton’s explanation on the 9Marks blog.

Filed Under: Exegesis Tagged With: Jim Hamilton, prayer

Praying about Your Plans for the Day

January 25, 2011 by Andy Naselli

Two years ago when C. J. Mahaney interviewed Wayne Grudem (parts 1, 2, 3, 4), Grudem served me well by sharing how he transitions from his morning devotions (reading the Bible and praying) to the rest of the day.

From part 1:

At the end of the time I will usually bring before the Lord my “to do” list, and pray about various items on the list, asking the Lord to help me know what to make a top priority today, and asking his blessing on the things that I plan to do.

From part 2:

I find the most helpful thing I do regarding use of time is to spend time in prayer each morning bringing my plans and my “to do” list before the Lord and seeking his direction.

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: prayer, Wayne Grudem

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God's Will and Making Decisions

How to Read a Book: Advice for Christian Readers

Predestination: An Introduction

Dictionary of the New Testament Use of the Old Testament

Tracing the Argument of 1 Corinthians: A Phrase Diagram

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1433580349/?tag=andynaselli-20

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40 Questions about Biblical Theology

1 Corinthians in Romans–Galatians (ESV Expository Commentary)

How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?

Three Views on Israel and the Church: Perspectives on Romans 9–11

That Little Voice in Your Head: Learning about Your Conscience

How to Understand and Apply the New Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology

No Quick Fix: Where Higher Life Theology Came From, What It Is, and Why It's Harmful

Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ

NIV Zondervan Study Bible

Perspectives on the Extent of the Atonement

From Typology to Doxology: Paul’s Use of Isaiah and Job in Romans 11:34–35

Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism

Let God and Let God? A Survey and Analysis of Keswick Theology

Introducing the New Testament: A Short Guide to Its History and Message

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