Speaking with God: Probing Old Testament Prayers for Contemporary Significance
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
“Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy!” (Ps 86:1). God’s people, past and present, know that the Lord of all creation listens to their prayers for mercy, help, forgiveness, and justice. God’s people cry out to the heart of their God, sometimes through intense struggle and perplexity, and they expect an answer. There can be no less in a true relationship. They also celebrate their experiences of God’s faithfulness. There is no area of life outside the bounds of prayer. The essays in this collection, written by biblical scholars, explore Old Testament prayers in order to enrich our understanding of Israel’s beliefs about and relationship with God. Equally important for each of the authors is the following question: Why do these prayers matter for the life of the church today?
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- Shows God’s people cry out to the heart of their God.
- Explores Old Testament prayers in order to enrich our understanding of Israel’s beliefs.
- Challenges to the question ‘What is prayer?’
Showing prayer’s many cadences and contexts, these essays challenge pat answers to the question ‘What is prayer?’ Thoughtful scholarship applied to the prayers of kings, prophets, and ordinary folk—this volume not only informs but serves as a resource for any who say, ‘Teach us to pray!’ I came away inspired in my own prayer life.
—Lissa M. Wray Beal, Professor of Old Testament, Providence Theological Seminary
Far too little scholarly notice has been given to prayer in the Old Testament. Speaking with God seeks to remedy this dearth of attention through more than a dozen essays that probe Old Testament prayers for their contemporary significance. These studies will not only provide readers with a host of rich new insights about how prayer relates to Old Testament theology but will also help believers to cultivate more meaningful prayer lives.
—Ralph K. Hawkins, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Averett University
This treasure is a diverse collection of essays on individual prayers in the Old Testament. . . . The prayers give both a timeless model and a challenge for God’s people as they call out to their God in whatever circumstance or place they may find themselves. May our own prayers lead us deeper into relationship with our God, who hears and responds to the honest cries of the heart.
—Rhoda Carpenter, Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible, Sioux Falls Seminary, Retired