new studies in biblical theology 38
Series editor: D. A. Carson
Calling on the name of the Lord
A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF PRAYER
J. Gary Millar
Apollos
InterVarsity Press
DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS 60515
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© J. Gary Millar 2016
J. Gary Millar has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press.
InterVarsity Press®, USA, is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA® and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Website: www.intervarsity.org.
Inter-Varsity Press, England, originated within the Inter-Varsity Fellowship, now the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, a student movement connecting Christian Unions in universities and colleges throughout Great Britain, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Website: www.uccf.org.uk. That historic association is maintained, and all senior IVP staff and committee members subscribe to the UCCF Basis of Faith.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Anglicised, published by HarperCollins Publishers © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
First published 2016
USA ISBN 978-0-8308-2639-1 (print)
USA ISBN 978-0-8308-9398-0 (digital)
UK ISBN 978-1-78359-395-8
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
For Lucy, Sophie and Rebekah (the noisiest pray-ers I know) praying that you will call on the name of the Lord for the rest of your lives
Introduction: prayer and the gospel
1 The day prayer began: prayer in the Pentateuch
Interim conclusions: the essential nature of biblical prayer
Prayer in the Pentateuch—a thesis tested
2 Big prayers and the movements of history: prayer in the Former Prophets
3 Praying in the light of the future: prayer in the Latter Prophets
Short prayers and short(ish) books
4 Praying for a new covenant: prayer in the Writings
Praying for a new covenant (prayer in Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles)
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About Calling on the Name of the Lord: A Biblical Theology of PrayerFrom 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. |
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