Tim Keller explores prayer not as a "quiet time" ritual or mere spiritual duty, but as a biblically grounded encounter with God that fuses theology with real experience. He pushes beyond common evangelical patterns of devotional time, urging believers to move from a head-only study of Scripture into meditation that turns truth into adoration, confession, and supplication. A key point is that prayer should deepen our communion with God by shaping our affections, not just informing our minds. The Gospel Coalition
Keller emphasizes that prayer in Jesus's name isn't simply a verbal ending to our petitions. Rather, it acknowledges that we come before the Father only by Christ's mediation, standing in humility but also confidence in his righteousness. Praying in our own name, by contrast, assumes God should hear us because of our own merit rather than Christ's. The Gospel Coalition
On struggle and distraction in prayer, he points to biblical meditation—filling the mind with Scripture to steady the heart and affections—over emotionally driven or vague contemplative techniques. Prayer isn't first about emotional payoff, but about faithful regularity rooted in the gospel, even when joy feels distant. The Gospel Coalition
Overall, Keller invites Christians to rethink prayer as both deep theological reflection and humble, persistent communion with God, centered on Christ, shaped by Scripture, and lived out not just in quiet times but in a transformed life on our knees. The Gospel Coalition
Think Out, Work In, Pray Up
First, think out your theology. Know what you believe and why.
Second, work in your theology. It requires honesty to wrestle down a restless heart.
Third, pray up your theology. Learn the art of turning theology into prayer, letting it trigger adoration, confession, and supplication.
