Praying the Psalms

Claude Mariottini has a nice post on the topic here.

Prayer Worrier or a Prayer Warrior?

Ken Berding has a good word here.

Putin and Imprecatory Psalms

How one understands and applies the imprecatory psalms (or psalms with imprecations as I prefer to call them) is a matter of debate. But Tish Harrison Warren argues here that it is okay to "Go Ahead. Pray for Putin’s Demise."

Unanswered Prayer

Justin Dillehay provides four possible reasons here. Another reason could be sin. A number of passages might support this (e.g., Ps 66:18; Prov 28:9; Isa 59:2; 1 Pet 3:7). Whether texts like these refer to a deficiency in praying or God's unwillingness to answer but in either case the net result is the same.

The Lord's Prayer

Bryan Litfin has a pretty discussion of the Lord's Prayer here by looking at Wesley Hill's recent book on the passage.

Jude's Three Wishes

Clint Archer talks here about the three "wishes" in Jude. Some in biblical studies call such statements wish-prayers.

Praying the Psalms

Christopher Ash offers seven reasons here.

Changes to the Lord's Prayer

See this NPR transcript of an interview with Meredith Warren concerning the Pope's recent changes to the "Lord's Prayer."

1 Thessalonians 5:17 and Iterative Prayer

I think that Ken Berding has got it right in his view of the much misunderstood statement in 1 Thessaloninas 5:17 to "pray without ceasing." You can read his thoughts here.

Praying the Psalms

Christopher Ash gives seven reasons to do so here.

Prayers of Paul

Here are ten prayers of Paul for God's people.

Praying and Preaching

Peter Mead has an excellent post entitled, "Praying Your Way to the Pulpit"."

Akkadian Prayers

Alan Lenzi has an interesting article on the ASOR blog entitled, "Akkadian Prayers in Ancient Mesopotamia." Here are a couple of excerpts just in case you can't access the article.

The Mesopotamians never defined “prayer,” though they had a number of words that we translate with the term (e.g., Akkadian supû, teslītu, and ikribu).

A preliminary definition of prayer (as found in texts) might run something like this: when a text records an appeal to some supra-human, benevolent being who is presumed to be powerful enough to assist in granting the appeal.

Complaint is another common feature in prayers. One particularly poignantly example complains “(My) life has become like that (of someone) beaten with wooden poles.” Supplicants often voice their woes, laments, and confessions to the being to whom they are appealing. Sometimes these occur during but also after the expression of praise. Complaints may also be interlaced with the supplicant’s petitions, yet another common feature in Akkadian prayers.

The ancient Mesopotamians prayed for the same general reason people pray today: they needed something that the gods could supply. This might be a response to a query, forgiveness for a sin, the restoration of health, renewed prosperity, help against an enemy, or deliverance from the threat of an announced evil (in the form of an ominous sign), among other things. Ritual officials assisted supplicants in making petitions by providing the proper, pre-formulated ritual to enact that included the prayer to recite (e.g., a shaziga for sexual impotence, a namburbi to turn away the announced evil of an ominous sign, or a dingirshadabba for the quelling of the wrath of a personal deity). Occasionally, a ritual instructs a person to speak from their heart, which seems to be a reference to extemporaneous prayer.

Praying the Psalms

Don Whitney identifies five benefits of praying the Psalms here.

Free Logos Book for May: The Lord and His Prayer by N. T. Wright

The free Logos Book for May is N. T. Wright’s The Lord and His Prayer. You can also purchase Following Jesus: Biblical Reflection on Discipleship by Wright for .99 cents. While you are at it, you can enter to win  the 48 volume Works of N. T. Wright collection. Go the Logos' Free Book of Month page here to enter and download your free book today!

Matthew 6:9: “Our Father”

Yesterday, I commented on the use of Lord's prayer. Today, I want to make a simpler but more profound point, or three. As many know, the Lord's Prayer is also called, Pater Noster (Latin) or "Our Father" based on the first words of this well-known prayer. But these words are significant not just because they are used as a title but also in what they communicate to God's people. At least four points can be noted.

The words "our Father" remind us that prayer is conversational. While there are aspects of prayer that are mysterious and sacred, at its root, prayer is talking to God. 

The word ”our” suggests that prayer is communal. Prayer is practiced when the church is gathered, that is when an “our” would be present.

The word "Father" teaches us that God is personal. Consider all the titles that the Lord could have used here (God, Master, Most Exalted, Omnipotent, etc.) but he uses the personal designation "Father." The Title is quite significant and distinctive. God is referred to as “Father” about fourteen times in the entire Old Testament but Jesus addresses the Father more than sixty times in the Gospels.
 
The word "our" instructs us that the basis of the prayer is relational. Prayer is primarily for those who have a relationship with the Father through Jesus. This is not to deny that those outside the family of faith cannot pray or that God does not hear their prayers. But that the Lord's Prayer is for the Lord's people. It is for those who can rightly claim "Our Father."

The Lord’s Prayer: What to Pray or How to Pray?

The so called Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4 has often been used as a prayer to be recited. There is evidence from as early as the second century that Christians would recite the prayer three times a day (Did. 8.1–3). While reciting Scripture is a good thing, was this the Lord’s intention in giving the prayer? Four arguments can be given to suggest that it was not.

First, “like” or “in this manner” (Matt 6:9) seems to suggest this prayer is to be understood as model.

Second, the preceding section condemns formulaic and repetitive prayer (Matt 6:7–8).

Third, Luke 11:1 seems to suggest that the disciples wanted to be taught how to pray.

And fourth, the Lord’s prayer is absent outside of Matthew and Luke. One would think that if the prayer was to be recited habitually, that it would be found somewhere among the many prayer admonitions in the epistles.

At bottom, it seems best to understand the Lord’s prayer more as how to pray than what to pray.

The Lord's Prayer in Bible Magazine

  
Check out the latest free issue of Bible Magazine. This issue continues a series on the Sermon on the Mount with a particular focus on the Lord's prayer. You can check out the Berean Advocate website here or this issue in particular here.
 

Free Logos Book for October: The Christian Doctrine on Prayer

  
The free Logos Book for October is James Hastings' The Christian Doctrine on Prayer. You can also enter to win the 20 volume Great Texts of the Bible . Go the Logos' Free Book of Month page to enter and download your free book today!
  

Anything You Wanted to Know About Tefillin Straps and Were Afraid to Ask

  
Tefillin straps are the straps that are attached to phylacteries, black leather boxes containing verses from the Torah used by Jews during prayer. Although I am not Jewish, I found this article on the minutia of tefillin straps fascinating.