Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller
Week 10: Chapter 9 — Petition and Intercession
Read Chapter 9 of Prayer by Timothy Keller. Primary Scripture: Matthew 6:9–13; Philippians 4:6–7.
Previewing Week 10 of Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 12-week guide when you’re ready.
Having established a theology and practice of prayer that includes listening, confession, and adoration, Keller now turns to what most of us spend most of our prayer time doing—asking. He wants to rescue petition from the shallow and make it both bolder and more surrendered.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Keller argues that petition is legitimate and important—that God genuinely invites us to bring our needs to him—but that it becomes distorted when it is all we do in prayer. What shape does your petitionary prayer usually take? Is it more like a shopping list or more like a child talking to a parent?
2.Keller unpacks the structure of the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13) as a model for all prayer, noting that it moves from God's concerns ('Your kingdom come, your will be done') before our concerns ('Give us this day our daily bread'). What does that ordering teach us about the posture from which petition should arise?
3.Keller addresses the question of unanswered prayer directly and honestly—one of the most pastorally sensitive topics in the book. He argues that prayer changes us more reliably than it changes circumstances, and that this is itself a form of God's goodness. How does that claim strike you? Does it feel like a consolation prize, or does it carry genuine weight?
a.Think of a prayer that was not answered the way you hoped. What did God do instead?
b.How has your experience of unanswered prayer shaped your current prayer life—for better or worse?