To pray is to accept that we are, and always will be, wholly dependent on God for everything.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes our complete dependence on God for all aspects of life.
Timothy Keller's quote highlights the fundamental belief that prayer signifies an acknowledgment of our reliance on God. By praying, we openly recognize that we cannot control all elements of our lives and that divine support is essential for our existence and well-being. This dependence fosters humility and trust in a higher power, encouraging a deeper relationship with God.
In practice
A preacher may use this quote during a sermon about the importance of faith in God.
Falling in love in a Christian way is to say,'I am excited about your future and I want to be part of getting you there. I'm signing up for the journey with you. Would you sign up for the journey to my true self with me? It's going to be hard but I want to get there.
Only in Jesus Christ do we see how the untamable, infinite God can become a baby and a loving Savior. On the cross we see how both the love and the holiness of God can be fulfilled at once.
All human problems are ultimately symptoms, and our separation from God is the cause.
While your character flaws may have created mild problems for other people, they will create major problems for your spouse and your marriage.
To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.
God's Kingdom is "present in its beginnings, but still future in its fullness. This guards us from an under-realized eschatology (expecting no change now) and an over-realized eschatology (expecting all change now). In this stage, we embrace the reality that while we're not yet what we will be, we're also no longer what we used to be.
The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him.
The fire has its flame and praises God._x000D_ _x000D_ The wind blows the flame and praises God._x000D_ _x000D_ In the voice we hear the word which praises God._x000D_ _x000D_ And the word, when heard, praises God._x000D_ _x000D_ So all of creation is a song of praise to God.
Prayer is speaking to God - but sometimes He uses our times of prayerful silence to speak to us in return.
Prayer unites the soul to God.
To predispose our mind to welcome the Lord who, as we say in the Creed, one day will come to judge the living and the dead, we must learn to recognize him as present in the events of daily life. Therefore, Advent is, so to speak, an intense training that directs us decisively toward him who already came, who will come, and who comes continuously.
For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.
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