Description
"At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD" (Genesis 4:26 ESV). From this first mention of prayer in the Bible, right through to the end, when the church prays "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20), prayer is intimately linked with the gospel? God's promised and provided solution to the problem of human rebellion against him and its consequences. After defining prayer simply as "calling on the name of the Lord," Gary Millar follows the contours of the Bible's teaching on prayer. His conviction is that even careful readers can often overlook significant material because it is deeply embedded in narrative or poetic passages where the main emphases lie elsewhere. Millar's initial focus is on how "calling on the name of the Lord" to deliver on his covenantal promises is the foundation for all that the Old Testament says about prayer. Moving to the New Testament, he shows how this is redefined by Jesus himself, and how, after his death and resurrection, the apostles understood "praying in the name of Jesus" to be the equivalent new covenant expression. Throughout the Bible, prayer is to be primarily understood as asking God to deliver on what he has already promised?as Calvin expressed it, "through the gospel our hearts are trained to call on God's name" (Institutes 3.20.1). This New Studies in Biblical Theology volume concludes his valuable study with an afterword offering pointers to application to the life of the church today. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
Table of Contents
Series preface
Author's preface
Abbreviations
Introduction: prayer and the gospel
1 The day prayer began: prayer in the Pentateuch
The day prayer began
Calling on the name of Yahweh
Interim conclusions: the essential nature of biblical prayer
Prayer in the Pentateuch - a thesis tested
Conclusion
2 Big prayers and the movements of history:
prayer in the Former Prophets
Prayer in the book of Joshua
Prayer in the book of Judges
Prayer in the book of Samuel
Prayer in the book of Kings
Conclusion
3 Praying in the light of the future: prayer in the Latter Prophets
Long prayers and large books
Short prayers and short(ish) books
Conclusion
4 Praying for a new covenant: prayer in the Writings
The wisdom of prayer
Praying through the exile
Praying for a new covenant (prayer in Ezra-Nehemiah and
Chronicles)
Conclusion
5 The psalms, the Messiah and the church
Are the psalms 'prayers'?
Whose prayers are these?
Does the psalter have a message?
How does the psalter contribute to a biblical theology of prayer?
6 Jesus and prayer: prayer in the Gospels
The birth of Jesus and prayer
The teaching of Jesus and prayer
The parables of Jesus and prayer
The life of Jesus and prayer
7 The church at prayer: prayer in the book of Acts
Prayer in Jerusalem
Prayer in Judea and Samaria
Prayer at the ends of the earth
Conclusion
8 Church planting and prayer: prayer in Paul's letters
Praying for others with Paul
Paul's teaching on prayer
Paul's exhortation to pray
Conclusion
9 The end of prayer: prayer in the later New Testament
Prayer and Hebrews
Prayer and James
Prayer and Peter
Prayer and Jude
Prayer and John
Conclusion
Afterword: why this matters - (re)learning to pray big prayers
Introduction
Analysis: Whatever happened to evangelicals and prayer?
Diagnosis: Why is the church praying less?
Relearning to pray
Bibliography
Index of authors
Index of Scripture references
Product Details
Title: Calling on the Name of the Lord: A Biblical Theology of Prayer
Author: J. Gary Millar
Publisher: Apollos
Pages: 272
Binding: Paperback
Size: 21.5 x 14.1 x 2.7 cm
ISBN: 9781783593958