'Ask, and It Will Be Given to You'

Through a fresh exegetical examination of key texts, West's investigation brings clarity to the question of how and why Christians can be confident that God will grant their petitions, and thus stimulates discussion and reflection among scholars, pastors, and all who adhere to the New Testament on matters of theology and practice. Christian writers and scholars since antiquity have engaged with this question to encourage their readers and listeners to make their requests of God, confident of being heard. In recent decades, however, scholars have argued that Jesus and the New Testament writers do not emphasize the promise of divine hearing and answering of petitions but instead conceive of the goal of petitionary prayer as an encounter with God's presence and union with his will. Upon thorough inspection, however, the New Testament provides a very different picture. In this compelling book Don West argues that there is a coherence to be discovered between the lavish promises which are made to petitionary prayer in the New Testament and the clear (and seemingly discordant) conditions which it places upon such prayers. By setting his detailed exegetical considerations of the relevant material within their theological, eschatological, and experiential contexts, West identifies a multilayered harmony which both answers the question of the coexistence of promise and condition in petitionary prayer and moves towards a New Testament theology of prayer in the broader sense. (Thom Bull, Lecturer in Theology, Trinity Theological College, Perth) Don West combines skilful original language exegesis and solid biblical theology to provide insight into the essential issue of how people relate to God in prayer. West's scholarship is careful and thoughtful, thereby providing bridges from New Testament studies to personal formation. Thus, the volume will aid serious pastors, as well as students and professors in Christian colleges and seminaries. (Paul House, author and former Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Birmingham AL) Books on prayer are often devotional but lacking in depth, or academic but of little practical interest. Don West's study of the relationship between the New Testament's promises that God will answer prayer and the conditions placed on such promises has both scholarly depth and pastoral import. Wide in its scope, covering everything from the Lord's Prayer to teaching about prayer in the Gospel of John, and the letters of James and Paul, the book is a model of rigorous exegesis and responsible practical theology. An impressive and encouraging work. (Brian Rosner, Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Director of Research, Ridley College, Melbourne) Don West's winsome exploration of the promises and conditions that pertain to petitionary prayer, is a gift to both biblical scholars and Christian believers alike. By means of an exegetical examination of a wide range of representative New Testament texts, West has demonstrated that, contrary to the claims of much contemporary scholarship, petition means bringing our requests to the triune God with the confident expectation of receiving what is asked for, provided certain achievable conditions are met . . . As such, his work offers a strong encouragement not only to take the prayer promises of Scripture with full seriousness but also to ensure that our hearts and lives meet the stipulations Scripture specifies. (Robert S. Smith, Lecturer in Theology, Ethics, and Music Ministry, Sydney Missionary & Bible College, Sydney) Several excellent books on the practice of prayer have appeared in the last 25 years; few have given dedicated attention to the theological foundations upon which Christian prayer is built. Don West's work does exactly this by carefully considering the relationship between what God promises about prayer and the conditions that he lays upon praying. West resists the temptation to reduce either in light of the other, and this results in a rich picture of prayer to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Readers will find much to shape and encourage their hearts, especially when West considers the prayers of Jesus and Paul that appear to have gone unanswered. May God teach many to pray through this important study. (Daniel M. I. Cole, Principal, Trinity Theological College, Perth This clear and careful analysis of the New Testament on Petitionary Prayer, with its promises and conditions, ought to help Christ's people persevere in prayer, with a sense of privilege that our merciful God will hear our requests, and expectancy that he will answer them-just as he has promised. (Peter G. Bolt, Director of Academic Strategy, University College of Divinity, Sydney)