By now, most of you have heard that Dr. Tim Keller passed on May 19. Dr. Keller was undisputedly among the sharpest theological minds in his generation. News outlets like the Washington Post, New York Times, Atlantic, and New Yorker have all chronicled his life and ministry—along with thousands of people who have written online tributes. I doubt that I can add anything that hasn’t already been said, but I do want to point out that so much of the outpouring of love, respect, and admiration has been directed at Dr. Keller’s humility and winsome way of engaging with people who disagreed with him. Without a doubt, he was unmatched in his intellectual brilliance—but what drew people to his teaching was his kindness and humility.
Dr. Keller’s book, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, is one of the books that has been foundational in my faith and one I return to time and again. In honor of Dr. Keller, I’d like to share a few quotes from this magnificent book.
- Prayer is the only entryway into genuine self-knowledge. It is also the main way we experience deep change—the reordering of our loves. Prayer is how God gives us so many of the unimaginable things he has for us. Indeed, prayer makes it safe for God to give us many of the things we most desire.
- “…God often waits to give a blessing until you have prayed for it. Why? Good things that we do not ask for will usually be interpreted by our hearts as the fruit of our own wisdom and diligence. Gifts from God that are not acknowledged as such are deadly to the soul, because they thicken the illusion of self-sufficiency that leads to overconfidence and sets us up for failure.”
- Prayer is the way that all the things we believe in and that Christ has won for us actually become our strength. Prayer is the way that truth is worked into your heart to create new instincts, reflexes, and dispositions.
- If we want freedom from being driven by fear, ambition, greed, lust, addictions, and inner emptiness, we must learn how to meditate on Christ until his glory breaks in upon our souls.
- In short, God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything he knew.[1]
Few people have made bigger spiritual deposits in my life than Dr. Keller. I thank God for his life and ministry and pray Christ’s comfort over his family. If you have a favorite Tim Keller book or sermon you’d like to recommend please share your thoughts in the comments.
[1] Timothy Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. (Penguin Group: New York, 2014).
