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Improving Your Prayer Life through a Study of the Psalter
How should we pray? Do we believe God answers our prayers? Is it acceptable to complain to God? Should we bargain with him to receive the response we desire? Why do we praise God? Does our praise make him any more “God”? John Calvin argued basically that the purpose of prayer is to realign the petitioner’s feelings and beliefs with God’s. Many today seem to have adopted this idea. One says, “Why pray at all. God knows everything so my prayers cannot change his mind. I must pray to discover God’s will for my life. I must realign my will with God’s will for my life.” In contrast, the psalmists assumed a reciprocal process. They believed they could bring pressures on God to answer their requests. They would bargain with God and promise him certain things if he would only grant their petitions. Indeed, this was part of the process. They would obligate themselves to praise God if he would grant their desires. Such bargaining was the foundation of their prayers. Comparisons of Calvin’s views with the psalmists’ allows the reader to investigate the nature of his or her prayer life and make improvements where necessary.
118 pages, Paperback
Published October 4, 2021
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March 19, 2024How should we pray? Does prayer matter?
This book raised a lot of questions I had never considered before. Though I’m still left with a ton of questions, it’s encouraged me to study prayer more deeply and analyze the psalms more thoughtfully. It’s so interesting how the psalmists spoke boldly and borderline rebelliously to God through prayer; they definitely looked at prayer more as dialogue and not a monologue like we often do.
This book also shows how lament has just as much of a place in our lives and hymns as praises do. Doing the former helps us to be real and honest with God and not pretend like everything is fine and give us a warped/superficial view of reality and in relationship with Him. Joy and sorrow co-exist; lament and praise are interrelated.
This book raised a lot of questions I had never considered before. Though I’m still left with a ton of questions, it’s encouraged me to study prayer more deeply and analyze the psalms more thoughtfully. It’s so interesting how the psalmists spoke boldly and borderline rebelliously to God through prayer; they definitely looked at prayer more as dialogue and not a monologue like we often do.
This book also shows how lament has just as much of a place in our lives and hymns as praises do. Doing the former helps us to be real and honest with God and not pretend like everything is fine and give us a warped/superficial view of reality and in relationship with Him. Joy and sorrow co-exist; lament and praise are interrelated.
Displaying 1 of 1 review