11/17/2025
DALLAS WILLARD’S PARAPHRASE OF THE LORD’S PRAYER
Dear Father always near us, may your name be treasured and loved, may your rule be completed in us— may your will be done here on earth in just the way it is done in heaven.
Give us today the things we need today, and forgive us our sins and impositions on you as we are forgiving all who in any way offend us. Please don’t put us through trials, but deliver us from everything bad. Because you are the one in charge, and you have all the power, and the glory too is all yours—forever— which is just the way we want it!
From A Divine Conspiracy (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998), 269
LORD, Send The Rain
“O sky, rain down from above! Let the clouds send down showers of deliverance! Let the earth absorb it so salvation may grow and deliverance may sprout up along with it. I, the LORD, create it.” ~ Isaiah 45:8 NET Bible
Father, send your deliverance down upon us like the rain. We see clouds forming. Grant your people repentance. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We long for the new heavens and the new earth. The removal of the elemental spirits. The cleansing and removal of everything evil. We long for your glorious appearance. In Jesus’ name, amen.
10/01/2025
Deep Prayer
Deep prayer focuses on God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It is found in a place of stillness and receptivity to the workings of the Holy Spirit. King David said, "I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 16:8) The Psalmist sensed the LORD right beside him.
That sense of His presence is available to us today. To experience a deeper prayer life, we need to eliminate distractions, retreat into our prayer closets, or find a place where we can be alone. As Jesus taught us, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)
It’s an act of humility to invite God's presence as we open our Bibles for guidance. Spending time quietly reflecting on all the good things He has done for us is essential. We should thank Him for the trials He has helped us through. Most importantly, we should thank Him for who He is. Time spent in gratitude is never wasted.
David prayed, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11) One of God’s attributes is His immanence, which is more than just a theological term to study. It simply means that God is present and actively involved with His creation. Some religions misunderstand this concept and worship the creation rather than the Creator (see Romans chapter 1).
While some may focus on studying the doctrine of God’s immanence, others may desire to experience it firsthand. Why not do both?
Note: The practice of contemplative prayer is a controversial topic among many evangelicals, despite its rich history within Protestantism. I prefer the term "Deep Prayer" because my goal is a prayer life that is informed by both the Word and the Spirit. I have no desire to empty my mind; rather, I want to fill it with Scripture while experiencing the presence of God.
8/13/2025
Quiet Prayer
"For what purpose did Christ go up into the mountains? To teach us that loneliness and retirement is good when we are to pray to God...for the wilderness is the mother of quiet; it is a calm and a harbor, delivering us from all turmoils." - John Chrysostom, (c347-407)
Technically, there is no such thing as wordless prayer. Prayer's very definition is talking to God. Prayers can be loud or silent, but communication is always involved. We may weep in God's presence or groan under immense emotional or physical pressure. God knows the intentions of the heart. The Holy Spirit prays for us "with groaning too deep for words."
The Father knows what we need before we ask him. He created us for fellowship with himself. There are times when all we can do is groan or utter the word help - God is with us in our pain.
Silence is a good habit to practice to cultivate the presence of the LORD in our lives. In the life of Jesus, silence seems more about the atmosphere, not the lack of words.
Jesus often slipped away to be alone with his Father. He told us that we would not be heard for "our empty phrases" or "vain repetitions."
Strategic pauses in prayer are important.
If we talk all the time, how can we ever listen? Unlike non-Christian religions, our prayers are fueled by the knowledge of God and His Word. Our prayer lives as followers of Jesus should be informed by Scripture.
Sound doctrine (biblical teaching) protects us from listening to the wrong voices. Knowing your Bible protects you from allowing culture or various voices (human or demonic) to form your thought life.
Guard your hearts and minds. Pray silently and pray loudly. Pray all kinds of prayers. Let your focus always be on the triune God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
Scripture to meditate on:
"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because[a] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." - Romans 8:26-27 ESV
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words." - Matthew 6-7 ESV
"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." - Luke 5:16 NIV
"In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety." - Hebrews 5:7 NASB 95
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." - Ephesians 6:18 NIV
(1) Gerald L. Sittser, Water From A Deep Well, Page 131
7/15/2025
Watch Your Hearts In Prayer: John Owen
The Cultivation of Watchfulness
"Be sure to lay in provision in store against the approaching of any temptation. This also belongs to our watchfulness over our hearts…. Gospel provisions will do this work; that is, keep the heart full of a sense of the love of God in Christ. This is the greatest preservative against the power of temptation in the world. —John Owen, Of Temptation: The Nature and Power of It; the Danger of Entering Into It; and the Means of Preventing that Danger."
Hedges, Brian G.. Watchfulness: Recovering a Lost Spiritual Discipline (p. 69). Reformation Heritage Books. Kindle Edition.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
