I am not typically pleased or impressed with guides to the Psalms. The Psalms are examples of engagement with God meant to be used and most study guides treat them as objects of analysis. While the guides often make true statements, they end up with abstract categorizations rather than helps for making use of these […]
Archive of posts tagged prayer
“He Hears Us”
First John 5:14 gives us a powerful assurance in prayer: “he hears us.” This is our “confidence” John says. Yarbrough’s discussion of this truth is moving & instructive. “The loftiest attainment of errant mortals petitioning before the heavenly throne is not to gain God’s compliance but to be fully assured of his listening ear – […]
Psalms Book now Available
I am pleased to say Forgotten Songs: Reclaiming the Psalms for Christian Worship (B&H), edited by Richard Wells and myself is now available. At Amazon you can see the table of contents as well as preview the book quite well. The preface and conclusion will give you a feel for the aim of the book. […]
Spurgeon, When We Need to be Made Weak
Terence Peter Crosby has done us a favor by compiling and editing C.H. Spurgeon’s Forgotten Prayer Meeting Addresses (Day One Publications, 2011), a collection of addresses on prayer which were not included in the massive collections of Spurgeon’s sermons. This is a gem for anyone who appreciates Spurgeon- and who can’t use encouragement in prayer? […]
“Thank You for Tomorrow”
It has been fairly common in our family for the youngest child to delight in saying the blessing before meals. So for the last while, Timothy, our 4 year old, has often eagerly asked to say the blessing. His prayers have developed of course, moving first from unintelligible to intelligible and then adding and substituting […]
The Psalms- Singing as Prayer
In describing the elements of public worship in the apostolic (1st century) church, Philip Schaaf lists “The SONG, a form of prayer, in the dress of festive poetry and the elevated language of inspiration.” This practice, he writes, “passed immediately, with the psalms of the Old Testament, those inexhaustible treasures of spiritual experience, edification and […]
