Contents Title Page Copyright Page Endorsements Dedication Acknowledgments Introduction When Prayer Becomes a Burden 1. All Things Are Possible for Those Who Believe Jesus Curses the Fig Tree 2. I Believe, Help My Unbelief Prayer, Faith, and Miracles 3. Persistent Prayer The Parable of the Friend at Midnight 4. Patient Prayer The Parable of the Widow and the Judge Theological Reflections on Prayer in the Synoptic Gospels 5. Praying to the Son’s Father The Lord’s Prayer, part 1 6. God’s Will and Our Wishes The Lord’s Prayer, part 2 7. Our Wishes and God’s Will The Lord’s Prayer, part 3 Theological Reflections on the Lord’s Prayer 8. Asking in Jesus’s Name Johannine Prayer 9. The Early Church at Prayer The Acts of the Apostles 10. The Impossibility of Petition and Prayers of the Spirit Pauline Prayer, part 1 11. Petitionary Prayer in the Life of Paul Pauline Prayer, part 2 12. Paul the Intercessor Pauline Prayer, part 3 Theological Reflections on Pauline Prayer 13. Asking Ethically Petitionary Prayer in the General Letters and Revelation 14. Petition, the Hiddenness of God, and the Theology of the Cross Bibliography Subject Index Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Writings Notes

How are we to understand petitionary prayer? This is a key question for any thoughtful believer who desires to take both the Bible and experience seriously. Some believe God answers any prayer as long as the one praying has enough faith and/or persistence. Others conclude from experience that prayer is really for our benefit and has no impact on God's actions. According to David Crump, both views are extreme and potentially harmful. While books that deal with prayer from a devotional or experiential perspective have their value, Knocking on Heaven's Door takes a different approach. Crump carefully studies every New Testament passage that has to do with petitionary prayer and draws conclusions that are both theological and pastoral to help us understand the great mystery of prayer.