You can purchase a copy of Prayer by Tim Keller at your favorite bookseller.

You are expected to read one part of the five part book ahead of each session in order to fully prepare and have fruitful discussion.

April 9th – Part One including Desiring Prayer — The Necessity of Prayer; and The Greatness of Prayer

April 23rd – Part Two including Understanding Prayer — What Is Prayer?; Conversing with God; and Encountering God

May 7th – Part Three including Learning Prayer — Letters on Prayer; Rules for Prayer; The Prayer of Prayers; and The Touchstones of Prayer

May 21st – Part Four including Deepening Prayer — As Conversion – Meditating on His Word; and As Encounter- Seeking His Face

June 4th – Part Five including Doing Prayer — Awe – Praising His Glory; Intimacy – Finding His Grace; Struggle – Asking His Help; and Practice: Daily Prayer

The sessions will last one hour.

We’ll have a 15-30-15 format divided as follows:

• 15 minutes of group discussion
• 30 minutes in break-out rooms discussing the reading
• 15 minutes reconvened back in larger group to discuss any questions and wrap up

Part One: Desiring Prayer

Introduction: (pp. 1-5)

1. Keller begins this study by considering two types of prayer; that which is communion centered and that which kingdom centered; or said another way, one that is mystical and one that is petitionary. Some think the two types are exclusionary. Why doesn’t Keller agree?

2. What is your perspective?

Chapter 1   The Necessity of Prayer. (pp. 9-18)

1. A medical crisis convinced the Kellers of the need to take prayer more seriously. What helps you to take prayer more seriously?

2. Keller’s pursuit of a deeper prayer life took him, not to contemporary books on prayer, but to historic and classical works. Why?

3. Keller made four changes to enhance his prayer life: meditation on the Psalms, the practice of meditation, prayer times twice a day-morning and evening, and a great expectation. If you chose just one of those changes, what would it be?

4. Keller ends this chapter by saying that prayer is exceedingly difficult to write about. C. S. Lewis found it difficult as well. He had tried earlier in life to write about it and gave up. He did finally manage to write about prayer in the year before he died. In this study we are not going to write about it, but talk about it. What difficulties do you think you might face as we begin this series?

Chapter 2   The Greatness of Prayer (pp. 19-32)

1. Knowing God better is at the core of Paul’s prayers for the churches-this means an inner connection between our public and private lives. How would you characterize your “inner life” with God?

2. What’s the problem with making our “outer life” a priority?

3. We all go through seasons of spiritual dryness and spiritual warmth—what causes one or the other?

4. Keller especially likes the poem by George Herbert on prayer—what was something in the poem about prayer that you found helpful? (pp.28, 29)

 

Part Two: Understanding Prayer

Chapter 3  What is Prayer? (pp. 35-49) 

1. Keller observes that prayer is an almost universal phenomenon and takes different forms in different cultures. Most early modern Europeans thinkers secularized prayer to be a means of manipulation of nature. How was Fredrick Heiler different?

2. What is it that Keller likes about Jonathan Edward’s articulation of prayer that includes both the mystical and the prophetic dimensions of prayer?

3. Keller especially likes John Calvin’s expression of prayer which Keller summarizes as “a personal, communicative response to the initiative of God.” How well does this capture your sense of prayer?

4. Prayer is both an instinct and a spiritual gift. Explain.

5. According to Keller, what does scripture add to the experience of prayer? (p.46)

6. Why is it that both John Knox and John Calvin believe that the Jesus Christ is the epitome of prayer? (p.49)

7. How does faith in Jesus Christ shape your prayers?

Chapter 4  Conversing with God (pp. 50-65) 

1. Keller writes that prayer is first and foremost the initiative of God who chooses to speak to us. He wants us to see scripture as the written Word of God through which God is still speaking. (pp. 52-54.) Describe a recent time when you experienced God speaking to you through the scriptures.

2. According to Keller, in order to hear God speaking, an occasional reading of the scriptures is not enough, we must be immersed in them, (p.54-56). Why?

3. Keller is not a fan of nonverbal prayers, why? (p.57) However he is not completely dismissive; how is silence in prayer helpful? (p.59)

4. How does the death of George Whitefield’s infant underline the need to place a priority of listening to God through the scriptures? (pp.60-63)

5. Keller closes this chapter by discussing the challenge to find “a heart to pray.” Why is it difficult sometimes to find a heart to pray and what is the solution? (pp.64, 65)

Chapter 5  Encountering God. (pp. 65-80)

1. When we encounter God in scriptures, we encounter a Triune God. What’s so good about that?

2. Keller makes a distinction between God as our creator and God as our father—why is this important? (pp. 68-70)

3. The Spirit brings the benefits of adoption, groaning and petition to believers when we pray. For which of these are you most thankful for at this point in your life? (pp. 70-73)

A notable quote:  “Prayer is the way to experience a powerful confidence that God is handling our lives well, that our bad things will turn out for good, our good things cannot be taken from us, and the best things are yet to come.” (P.73)

4. The incarnation of Christ makes possible an intimacy with God that brings help and comfort. Prayer in Jesus name also makes personal access to God possible; and it transforms prayer from merely petition to adoration. (pp.76-79). How would you rate yourself as one who worships in prayer as well as one who makes requests?

5. Keller writes, “Prayer turns theology into experience.” (p. 80) How are you experiencing your theology in prayer?

 

Part Three: Learning Prayer

Chapter 6  Letters on Prayer (pp. 83-96) 

In an earlier chapter Keller wrote that he would draw guidance from classic theologians; in this chapter he explores insights on prayer from Augustine, Martin Luther and John Calvin.

1. Augustine wrote a letter to a Roman noblewoman Alicia Falcons Proba on prayer and discusses four principles: knowledge of our spiritual poverty; seeking God for the pleasure of knowing him; the elements of prayer embedded in the Lord’s Prayer; praying when we are dark times.(pp. 84-88). How are knowledge of our spiritual poverty and the pleasure of knowing God connected? How can suffering be a spiritual shield?

2. Martin Luther wrote a letter to his barber, Peter Beskendorf that contains great insights on prayer. Why does Luther recommend meditation before prayer? What can you learn about meditation from Luther, (p. 92)?
3. As to the best way to pray following meditation, Luther, like Augustine, recommends the Lord’s Prayer, (pp. 93-95). How does it keep us from praying small prayers?
4. What does Luther have in mind when he advises us to lookout for the Holy Spirit when we pray? (pp. 95, 96)

Chapter 7   Rules for Prayer (pp. 97-107)

Calvin provides five rules for prayer in his magisterial handbook of the Christian Faith, The Institutes of the Christian Religion: Fear of God; spiritual humility; submissive trust; confidence and hope; grace.

1. Why is the order of the rules that Calvin provides important?

2. What does Keller like about the way that Kenneth Grahame expresses the fear of the Lord in The Wind and the Willows? (p. 98) 

3. Jesus’ first beatitude is “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” How might this be a good summary of what Calving has in mind for the second rule? (99. 101)

4. How is it that the third and fourth rules of prayer, confidence and hope are not contradictory but complementary? (pp. 101-103)

5. How is Calvin’s fifth rule, grace, best understood as praying in Jesus name? (pp. 105-107)

Chapter 8   The Prayer of Prayers (pp. 108-119)

Each of the great teachers on prayer that Keller is instructed by, Augustine, Luther and Calvin were guided and inspired in prayer by the Lord’s Prayer.  The Lord’s Prayer undoubtedly contains the most repeated words of Jesus. Herein lies the danger—we are so familiar with it that we can mindlessly repeat it and miss just profound and important it is.

1. The first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer are vertical, they are all about God. Choose an insight about Kellers’s teaching on them and share how they were helpful to you. ((pp. 110-114)

Notable quote. “Adoration and Thanksgiving—God centeredness—comes first, because it heals the heart of its self-centeredness, which curves us in ourselves and distorts all our vision.  Now that the prayer is nearly half over, our vision is reframed and clarified by the greatness of God, we can turn to our needs and those of the world.” (p. 114)

2. What is included in praying for our daily bread? (p. 114)

3. Concerning forgiveness Keller observes, “Jesus tightly links our relationship with God to our relationship with others.” (p. 115) What is good and yet difficult about this?

4. According to Calvin, what are we praying for when we ask not to be led into temptation?(p.116)

5. Augustine combines lead us not Into temptation, but deliver us from evil. He sees these as a request inner out evil: how do you see it? (p.117)

6. Final comments on the prayer call us to pay attention to the plural nature of the prayer, (pp. 118-119). How does this shape our thinking and praying?

Chapter 9  The Touchstone of Payer (pp. 120-140)

 In this chapter Keller seeks to summarize key insights from the great and historic teachers of the church.

1. In no uncertain terms Keller points out that prayer is a duty, hard work and something even agony. (pp.121-123). How does this match your experience?

2. How can meditation bring a balance to the view of prayer as “listening to God” and prayer as the study of scripture.?(pp. 123-124)

3. God is a Triune God, to which off the three persons of the Trinity do you most often direct your prayers? (pp.124-126)

Notable quote: “…you don’t have to be anxious about whether God will listen to you. You wouldn’t even be feeling helpless and needy toward God unless he was at your side make you feel that way, leading you to think of prayer.” (p. 129.)

4. According the great teachers on prayer, what should you do, if you don’t feel like praying? pp. 132-137) What do you do when you don’t feel like praying?

5. How are our prayers distorted if they don’t spring for a heart of total submission? (pp.134-139)

 

Part Four: Deepening Prayer

Chapter 10  As Conversation—Meditating on the Word  (pp. 145-164)

Introduced in the last chapter, Keller continues to explore meditation as a means of having a conversation with God using Psalm One as foundational scripture.

1. In the opening section of this chapter he some of the fruits of meditation: stability; character development; blessedness. How do these fit in with your experience of meditation? (p 145-148.)

2. Biblical mediation requires, first and foremost, Bible study! When where and how do you study the Bible?

3. Meditation requires not only a mindful engagement with the scriptures, but a heart engagement as well. How can the example of Psalm 103 be helpful? (pp.150-152)

4. Keller bings the mind and heart together with the help of John Own and 16th century English theologian. We can fix our minds on scripture by looking at the main point of an entire passage; focusing on a short verse, paraphrasing a passage or memorizing it. (pp. 152-157) What is your preferred way? Why?

5. We can engage our hearts in scripture meditation when savor the character of God o reflect on how the passage brings light to our own character. What you seen about God and or yourself in scripture that touches your heart, (pp. 157-160).

Notable quote: The ultimate object of our mediation is Jesus Christ. “Meditate on Jesus, who is the ultimate meditation of God. Look at him loving you.  Look at this dying for you.  Look at him rejoicing in your. Look at him singing over you. Look at all that and he will be a delight to you and then the law will be a delight to you and you will be like a tree planted by streams of water. You’ll bean fruit in season, and not matter what will happen, your leaf will not wither.” (P. 164)

Chapter 11  As Encounter: Seeking His face. (pp. 165-185) 

1. This chapter develops Keller’s emphasis on the heart experience of prayer. How do John Calvin, Blaise Paschal and Dwight Moody  convey the inner experience of a heart connection with God? (pp. 165-169) 

2. Jonathan Edward famously used honey as a way to explain the difference between a head knowledge of spiritual truth and a heart knowledge. In your own words, explain what he means. (pp. 169-171)

3. Keller expounds Ephesians 3:14-19, leading us into a meditative reflection on three words; long, deep and high. (pp. 174, 175.) What do you learn from him?

4. John Owen espouses a biblical mysticism. Reflecting on the work of John Own Keller writes, “Our doctrinal and biblical knowledge ‘cannot leave the affections behind.” (p. 180.) How would you rate your emotional experience of the your doctrinal knowledge?

5. Keller concludes the chapter with a comparison of Catholic and Protestant approaches to the experiential and the doctrinal. (Pp. 179-185) What is his assessment of both?  What does he prefer?  What do you prefer?

 

Part Five: Doing Prayer

 Chapter 12   Awe: Praising His Glory (pp. 189-204) 

Keller says there are three types of prayer—upward, inward and outward. In each of the next three chapters he explores each one. (p.189)

1. The most important movement/type of prayer upward—giving praise and thanks to God. This requirement of God to praise him initially created problems for C. S. Lewis—it seemed inappropriately self centered. (pp. 1900-192.). Why did Lewis change his mind?

2. One of the few contemporary writers on prayer Keller quotes is James K. A. Smith—although Smith is actually engaging with Augustine! According to Smith, why is important to adore God and how does adoring God change us? (P. 193-195)

3. Thanksgiving is a subcategory of praise. Why do we face such a battle with ingratitude? (pp. 195-197)

4. Some of the most memorable lines in C. S. Lewis’ book on prayer, Letters to Malcolm, are, “I have tried. . . to make every pleasure a channel of adoration. . . .Gratitude exclaims. . . ‘How good of God to give me this.’ Adoration says, ‘What must be the quality of the Being who far-off coruscations are like this!” (p. 197). What are some of things that your are grateful for and how can your gratitude lead you into adoration?

5. Keller suggests that writing out our prayer can help is grow in adoration and thanksgiving, (p.199) What can your discern about prayer from the examples of Kellers written praise? (pp.199-201)

Notable quote: “Prayer counter with God takes the love of God, the greatness of God, the power of God, the wisdom of God—which most of experience only on audio—and put it one video. Prayer plunges us int the foulness of who he is, and his love becomes more real than the rejection or disappoint we are experiencing.”

Chapter 13  Finding His Grace  (pp. 225-221)

1. Keller, in this chapter helps us appreciate Jesus atoning work on the cross as the heart beat of prayer. He begins by pointing out that the Old Testament prophets were astounded that God was a forgiving God. Why were they astounded and why are we so causal about it? (pp. 205-207).

2. Keller, like Luther, points out the danger of “legalistic repentance.” What does that mean and what’s wrong with it? (pp. 208-211)

3. What is false repentance and what are its consequences? (pp.211-215)

4. Keller writes that our prayer life is the place to examine our sin and deal with it. How much of your prayer life is engaged in dealing with sin and repentance? (pp. 217-218.)

5. What do you find helpful about Keller examples of repentance? (pp. 218-220)

Chapter 14  Struggle: Asking for Help  (pp. 222-229)

The third dimension of prayer for Keller—outward. In outward prayer we ask God for help. I not wit ha smile that it is in this next to the last chapter Keller gets around what most of us think that prayer primarily all about, asking God for help. Here we are 14 chapters into the book before we arrive at petition!

1. First and foremost we must be reminded that asking God for help is not easy. How do respond to Kellers statement, “It natural in prayer to ask wrongly or not at all. We must learn to ask and ask rightly”? (pp. 221-222)

2. Keller notes J. I Packers caution that we should avoid praying long lists. (pp. 225-230.) What’s wrong with that?

3. When we prayer we should seek God to put the world right and to align our hearts with God’s will—essential two of the opening petitions of the Lord’s Prayer—that is , an internal and an external focus. (pp.230-232.) How can balancing these two bring a peace into our hearts as we go to bed for the evening?

Notable quote: “If, as we lay our requests before God, if we find ourselves sinking deeper into despondency, anger or self pity, it is because we have failed to do this kind of heart work.” (p. 232)

4. Two of the types of prayer, not frequently referenced are prayers of lamination and prayer as waiting on God, (pp. 233-236.) What are they, how are they helpful and how much are they a part of your prayer pattern?

5. How is that can find assurance and hope that our prayer will be positively answered when we consider that Jesus prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was not answered? (pp. 236-239)

Chapter 15   Practice: Daily Prayer  (pp.240-266) 

1. Keller begins this chapter with an encouragement from scripture to pray without ceasing. Practically he applies this as, “if possible do everything all day with conscious reference to God.” (p. 240.). How would you evaluate your sense of the conscious presence of God through out your day?” 

2. There are multiple patterns of daily prayer; the 7 offices of the medieval church, the twice a day pattern from the Anglican Church of Thomas Cranmer, the once a day practice of a daily quiet time recommended by the InterVarsity Quiet Time booklet. What has been your preferred practice of daily pray? (pp.240-243)

3. Keller’s says that “Many have found of the traditional evangelical quiet time, “with its emphasis on interpretive Bible study and petitionary prayer to be too rationalistic and exercise.” ( pp. 244.) Do you agree? Why or why not?

Notable quote. “John Owen is quite clear that if the affections of the heart are not engaged in prayer, real character change and growth in Christ-likeness is impossible.” (p. 247.)

4. Keller proposes a daily pattern for prayer incorporating evocation, meditation, word prayer, free prayer and contemplation. (pp. 248-252.) Considering your own personality and preferences, how applicable is suggestion for you?

5. Keller encourages us to evaluate the status of prayer life with four categories: sailing, rowing, driving or sinking. (p. 258-259). In which category are you presently? What do you plan to do, based on Keller’s work to improve?