Bible and Theology on Prayer Life

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Author

Bruce A. Ware

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So prayer rightly understood—Christian prayer—is prayer to the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit.

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A Change of Priority

Author

N. T. Wright

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Scripture

Matthew 6:9-11, Luke 11:2-3, Romans 8:15, Hebrews 4:16, Philippians 4:6-7

The Lord’s Prayer is designed to help us make this change: a change of priority, not a change of content. This prayer doesn’t pretend that pain and hunger aren’t real. Some religions say that; Jesus d...

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Deepening Our Attention

Author

Kent Annan

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Scripture

Colossians 4:2, Amos 5:24, James 1:5, Philippians 4:6-7, Micah 6:8, Matthew 6:10

Simone Weil, a French philosopher, theologian and activist around the time of World War II, wrote a remarkable essay in which she connects the discipline of schoolwork with that of prayer. She argues ...

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Bruce Almighty Tries Granting Every Prayer

Author

Mia Levetan

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Scripture

James 4:3, 1 John 5:14, Matthew 6:8, John 15:7, Isaiah 55:8-9, Luke 11:11-13

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I'm glad I'm not God!" Too much responsibility! In the 2003 movie "Bruce Almighty," Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) gains God’s divine powers b...

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Author

Thomas Kelly

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How, then, shall we lay hold of that Life and Power, and live the life of prayer without ceasing? By quiet, persistent practice in turning all of our being, day and night, in prayer and inward worship...

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Ephesians 6:10-24 | The Armor of God

Author

Bradley Long

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Scripture

Ephesians 6:10-24

Context As the letter concludes, Paul offers exhortations—put on the armor of God and persevere in prayer! This is an encouragement to abide in God’s own strength so that the church may live worth...

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An Encyclopedia of Human Experience

Author

Timothy Keller

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There is no situation or emotion a human being can experience that is not reflected somewhere in the Psalms. Immersing ourselves in the Psalms and turning them into prayers teaches our hearts the “gra...

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Two Enriching Words

Author

Richard J. Foster

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Scripture

Joshua 1:8, Isaiah 26:3-4, Genesis 4:63 , Luke 2:19 , Philippians 24:8, Psalm 119:15

Two Hebrew words deeply inform and enrich our understanding of meditative prayer: haga and siach . Our English Bibles most often translate both of these words with the simple word “meditate...

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The Thing isn’t the Thing

Author

Emily P. Freeman

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Scripture

Psalm 23:1-3, Matthew 22:37-39, Isaiah 30:21, Psalm 37:4, Philippians 4:6-7

If there’s one thing I know for sure in the kingdom of God it’s this: the thing we often think is The Thing is often not the thing but is, in fact, only a thing. We come forward with a Huge Life Decis...

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Author

Elizabeth O’Connor

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Scripture

Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-2, Deuteronomy 6:6-9 , Matthew 4:4, Luke 10:38-42, Psalm 119:15-16

As fundamental a step as we can take . . . is learning to meditate on Scripture—learning first to hear God’s word, and let it inform and take root in us. This may be extremely difficult, for the churc...

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To Magnify the Lord

Author

Nancy Guthrie

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Scripture

Luke 1:46, Luke 1:39-56, Psalm 145:3, Psalm 48:1, Psalm 34:3

Another Bible translation says that Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord” (NKJV, emphasis added). What did she mean by magnifies? When you look at something through a magnifying glass, it looks much...

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Author

Brennan Manning

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I have a word for you. I know your whole life story. I know every skeleton in your closet. I know every moment of sin, shame, dishonesty and degraded love that has darkened your past. Right now I know...

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Prayer Service for Peace in Israel and Palestine

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

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Scripture

John 1:1-5, Psalm 86:1, Psalm 22:1-2, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 65:5

Prayer Service for Peace in Israel and Palestine This service is designed as an evening, outdoor prayer vigil using handheld candles. Feel free to modify the order of worship as needed, including...

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Author

Ole Hallesby

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Prayer is the risen Jesus coming in with His resurrection power, given free rein in our lives, and then using His authority to enter any situation and change things.

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Emotional Nanocrafts in the Space Between Us

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

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Scripture

Romans 12:10, Revelation 3:20, Matthew 25:40, Luke 8:43-48, Song of Solomon 2:14, Psalm 42:7

In I’d Like You More If You Were More Like Me , John Ortberg uses an interesting analogy for an aspect of our relationships. In 2015, Stephen Hawking and Yuri Milner announced the Starshot Initiati...

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Inspired by Psalm 91

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Scripture

Psalm 91:null

Holy Lord, God of life, hear our prayer: Forgive us when we follow those paths that do not lead to life, That lead instead to violence, or hate, or fear, Paths that lead to dread and death. Forgiv...

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What Are We Grasping For?

Author

N. T. Wright

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Scripture

John 11:35, Romans 8:26, Psalm 42:3, Isaiah 53:3, Matthew 26:38

Our culture is afraid of grief, but not just because it is afraid of death. That is natural and normal, a proper reaction to the Last Enemy. Our culture is afraid because it seems to be afraid of the ...

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Take Care of your Armor

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

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While not as well known as their male counterparts (The Desert Fathers), there were a number of women who also went out into the wilderness to live a life of solitude and prayer. One such woman was Sa...

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How To Practice the Presence of God with a Full Schedule

Author

Alan Fadling

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In his excellent book, An Unhurried Life, Alan Fadling shares the powerful story of the missionary Frank Laubach: Frank Laubach, a missionary to the Philippines known for his Letters by a Modern Myst...

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Palm Sunday | Mark 11:1-11 | A Different Kind of Triumph

Author

Scott B. Bullock

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Scripture

John 13:1-17, John 13:31-35, Luke 22:25-27, Matthew 20:25-28, Mark 10:42-45

Reflection Most of us are familiar with the words attributed to the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, “ Veni, Vidi, Vici .” I came. I saw. I conquered. That is the way of imperial rulers in their conquest...

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We have been created by God, to be

Author

Jacob Traeger

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We have been created by God, to be loved by God, and to receive our identity from God. But in our everyday lives, as we go about our work, school, interacting with our family and friends, we don’t alw...

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Your Healing Hands

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

Scripture

Mark 4:35-41, Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 5:25-34, Romans 1:16, Acts 3:19, John 11:25

Jesus, Resurrected One Light of New Life Breaker of Chains Bringer of Grace and Hope You are moving, speaking, inviting We hear your call to repentance The turning will save us We hear your Good Ne...

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Praying One Shovelful at a Time

Author

Richard J. Foster

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Richard J. Foster tells a story about his youth, working among the Inuit people of Kotzebue, Alaska. He found that the Inuit people he was living among “had a deep sense of the wholeness of life” with...

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Prayer of Adoration God, Almighty –

Author

Richard Herman

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Prayer of Adoration God, Almighty – holy, gracious, truthful and loving, we’re drawn by Your invitation to enjoy Your love, an invitation to feel Your touch and hear Your voice, to taste and see tha...

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Meister Eckhart, the late 13th century

Author

Richard Herman

Scripture

John 11:17-44, 1 Peter 2:9, Matthew 5:14-16, Philippians 4:6-7, Psalm 46:1-2

Meister Eckhart, the late 13th century German Christian theologian and mystic, reminds us that "If the only prayer you said in your whole life was,"thank you," that would suffice."...

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Psalm 22 | Feeling Forsaken by God

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 22:, Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34, Hebrews 2:12

Ancient lens What’s the historical context? A Structured Complaint The Psalmist organizes his complaint against God in three sections. The first two sections dramatize the complaint (vv. 1-11 and...

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You Are the Tree

Author

Jake Meador

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Scripture

Psalm 1:null

In the film Of Gods and Men , director Xavier Beauvois tells the story of a small group of mostly French monks living in Algeria during a time of civil unrest. These monks live a life of quiet fideli...

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Author

Eugene Peterson

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The model prayer that Jesus gives them is surprisingly, maybe even insultingly, brief. They ask to be taught to pray. They have sifted through the possibilities of what they want from Jesus. They have...

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Author

Oswald Chambers

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If God sees that my spiritual life will be furthered by giving the things for which I ask, then He will give them, but that is not the end of prayer. The end of prayer is that I come to know God Himse...

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Author

Alfred Edersheim

Keywords

His previous life had been that of the Perfect Ideal Israelite – believing, unquestioning, submissive – in preparation for that which, in His thirteenth year, He had learned as its business. The Bapti...

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