A Plea for Upright Prayer

King David, more than most, had a handle on what it meant for circumstances to sideways. Initially, he set about his duties without fanfare—protecting the flock, facing down Goliath, direct service to King Saul—yet was notable in carrying them out because he sought the Lord’s recognition rather than his own and was rewarded with skepticism, jealousy, and false accusation; later, he would sin greatly reaping long-term consequences that fractured both his family and nation. Whether the adverse circumstances were unwarranted or self-inflicted, David refused to seek retribution on his oppressors (1 Sam 24:1–7; 1 Sam 26:7–12; 2 Sam 16:5–11). In all that occurred, David’s overwhelming concern was to stand before God in prayer and worship with clean hands and heart.

O Lord, I have cried to You; hear me;
Give heed to the voice of my supplication when I cry to You.
Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense,
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. (Ps 141:1–2)

The priestly presentation of incense and sacrifice was no casual matter. Both items were prepared according to strict guidelines and offered in a specific manner within the framework of a divinely prescribed liturgy.

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth,
A door of enclosure about my lips.
Incline not my heart to evil words,
To make excuses in sins
With men who work lawlessness;
And I will not join with their choice ones. (Ps 141:3–4)

David wished to give the same care to his simplest of worshipful actions as he calls on the Lord to maintain his integrity, opening himself for scrutiny.

The righteous man shall correct me
With mercy, and he shall reprove me;
But let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head,
For my prayer shall be intense in the presence of their pleasures.(Ps 141:5)

God-fearing people do not disdain correction but accept it with humility: they recognize their personal failings and welcome correction from like-minded individuals. This same righteous one conversely eschews any honor or affirmation from miscreants because the prayers will run counter, even condemnatory, to those who relish their sinful desires.

Their judges are swallowed up by the rock;
They shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
As a clod of ground is dashed to pieces on the earth,
So our bones were scattered beside the grave.
For my eyes, O Lord, O Lord, are toward You;
In You I hope; take not my soul away.
Keep me from the snares they set for me,
And from the stumbling blocks of those who work lawlessness.
Sinners shall fall into their own net;
I am alone, until I escape. (Ps 141:6–10)

David ends by demonstrating the difference between the lawless and righteous, calling on the Lord to keep him true and steadfast in the way of escape.

I can be brutal when pent-up frustrations finally overflow. More than once, I have spewed forth richly deserved speech or print to address someone’s thinking. (There are a great many foolish, ignorant, or evil people out there.) This is certainly true during our election cycle with its rollercoaster of emotions as political viewpoints are voiced or squelched, especially if said election has serious allegations of widespread fraud—and all this after enduring months of tension from viral and natural disasters. When circumstances come at us like this, we need something to stop and remember. There is a God who knows and understands our adversity because He endured it; but at the same time, He is still holy and expects us to be the same and come before Him in holiness.

Ask yourself: Do I have the same attitude as David when coming before the Lord?

In Remembrance of Me

Memories are useful. In times of gladness or peace, they can encourage or warn, depending on the circumstance. As we look back over our lives, we consider what has gone before to inform us concerning the present and to plan for the future. Some memories are painful and cause distress when revived, yet even these are useful as we work through them. They are a good gift of God to aid us. They establish patterns of faithfulness for how the Lord had acted in times of need and indicate a certain future. This is especially needful in the time of adversity or affliction. Under the stress of the situation, we become myopic and lose confidence in our Lord’s promises and deeds, wondering whether God was willfully negligent or forgetful, losing sight that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God of Jesus, Paul, and Peter, and is the Lord God Almighty over heaven and earth today.

Individual adversity is especially difficult because we assume that none other has faced the same level of misery. We feel isolated and tend to assume that something, some fault of ours, has invited the hardship, therefore God will not give us His time or attention. Whether or not we may have had a hand in bringing about a situation, or are simply suffering for doing good, as followers of the one true God, we are neither abandoned nor neglected. The Lord still cares for His children.

At one point, Asaph experienced a hardship of which we have no details giving us Psalm 77. Being distraught, he sought the Lord with outstretched arms, seeking His intervention.

I remembered God and was glad;
I complained, and my spirit became discouraged. (Ps 76:4 LXX [Ps 77:3])

Notice the contrast brought to light in the Septuagint (LXX): complaint brought discouragement, but remembering God brought gladness. Here is the attitude that overcomes. Asaph was distraught in beseeching his Lord and refused to be comforted, but then he turned his attention away from his immediate circumstance:

I thought of the days of old,
And I remembered the eternal years; and I meditated. (Ps 77:5)

Asaph wrestled within himself that God might cast him off or cut off His mercy—basically wallow in the despair of the situation—but instead saw it in light of eternity and was able to view it in proper perspective: more as a momentary, light affliction (2 Cor 4:17).

I said, “Now I am beginning to see;
This change is by the right hand of the Most High.” (Ps 76:11 [Ps 77:10])

Again the LXX gives clarity: when Asaph turns his attention on the Lord, he can see His hand in the situation and can rest in Him. He remembers the Lord’s works and wonders, deeds and ways, habitation in the midst of His people, power, and redeeming work (77:11–20).

As stated above, memories are good gifts, and as noted with the example of Asaph, they need not be experienced firsthand. The psalmist had no direct dealings with the Exodus and subsequent wanderings, yet they were definite, true events directed by the Lord on which he could base his hope and trust. Christians have this same certainty in what God has accomplished through His marvelous work. There is a popular Christian song currently playing that alludes to the work of the Lord in His people:

“Famous For (I Believe)” by Tauren Wells

Make way through the waters

Walk me through the fire

Do what You are famous for

What You are famous for

Shut the mouths of lions

Bring dry bones to life and

Do what You are famous for

What You are famous for

I believe in You, God

I believe in You

I appreciate the songwriter desiring for God to do what He is famous for, but he chose the wrong mighty works. Better would have focused on the singular mighty work of redemption and sins forgiven. Better to speak of being baptized into Christ. Better to speak of receiving His body and blood in the bread and cup. What better than to obey our Lord’s command, “Do this in remembrance of Me”? These are the wonders and works that God is most famous for. Let us remember.

Teach Us to Pray

A common malady among Christians is a feeling of inadequacy in prayer. Am I doing it right? After all, if you want an audience with the God of heaven and earth, you want to do it properly. And it’s not like we are the first to ask how to pray. In the sixteenth century, a barber, Peter, asked Martin Luther for tips on how to pray correctly. Going back to the first century, we find twelve men asking Jesus about the proper way to pray (Lu 11:1) from which we receive the ultimate prayer from our Lord Jesus (Matt 6:9-13; Lu 11:2-4). Without this instruction, how did saints through the centuries know to pray? Actually, the Lord taught His people how to pray through King David’s pen in Psalm 17.

Listen, O Lord of my righteousness;
Attend to my supplication;
Give ear to my prayer that is not with deceitful lips.

The first thing that we learn is to pray righteously and without deceit. This might seem obvious, but Jesus warned us about those who prayed to show off (Matt 6:5). Their reward was immediate but fleeting because it came from men, not God. And later, we learn not to ask selfishly (Jam 4:3): it only leads to conflict and dissension.

Therefore we learn to pray from the Lord’s perspective.

From Your face let my judgment come;
Let my eyes behold uprightness.

When we fix our gaze on the Lord, His precepts and judgments, His holy and righteous nature, we come before the throne understanding that our character and that of our requests are in accord with His character: what is true, just, pure, etc. And how do we fix our gaze on Him? By giving attention to where He reveals Himself.

You tested my heart when You visited me in the night;
You tried me in the fire and found nothing unjust in me.
That my mouth might not speak of the works of men,
I held to hard ways because of the words of Your lips.
Restore my steps in Your paths,
That my footsteps may not slip.

The description here is one who has learned the Scriptures and let them take root to walk circumspectly. An examination showed no indication to glorify himself or others, yet even in this, we see necessary realignment to give the saint a sure footing in life. And from such close attention to the Lord, there is assurance.

I cried out, because You listened to me, O God;
Incline Your ear to me, and hear my words.
Magnify Your mercies, O You who save those who hope in You
From those who rise up against Your right hand.

The saint sees the past faithfulness of the Lord to uphold His promises, which fuels obedience and enables boldness to seek Him once again with full assurance and hope in the face of adversity that God will deal with our enemies.

Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
In the shelter of Your wings, You will shelter me
From the face of the ungodly who trouble me.
My enemies surrounded my soul;
Their fat enclosed them;
Their mouth spoke arrogantly.
Casting me out, they now surround me;
They set their eyes to bend down to the earth.
They seized me like a lion ready to tear its prey,
Like a young lion lurking in secret places.
Arise, O Lord, outrun them and trip up their heels;
Rescue my soul from the ungodly,
And Your sword from the enemies of Your hand.
O Lord, destroy them from the earth;
Scatter them in their life.
Their belly is filled with Your hidden things;
They are satisfied with their sons,
And they leave their possessions to their children.

Whether our enemies are flesh and blood or devils set to ruin us from the spiritual realm, we are sheltered. This is not to say that our enemies cannot do some measure of harm, but they cannot destroy us. We are satisfied solely in fixing our eyes on the Author and Finisher of faith (Heb 12:2).

As for me, in righteousness I shall behold Your face;
I shall be satisfied when Your glory is revealed.

Until the final day, we are to keep our eyes focused on the Lord Jesus who will reveal His glory on the last day, and we can add our voices to St. John’s words, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20)

Lord, Have Mercy

When reading the penitential psalms, I have often been mystified by the intensity of the emotion being expressed. How does anyone feel that deeply and then cry out to God with such passion over sin? Is it that I have not sufficiently cared about the import of actions or events? Increasingly, I feel the need to number my days (Ps 90:12) as I realize there will be ever-increasing, life-altering circumstances that can be neither ignored nor controlled. To that end, what is my attitude toward sin? Do I scrutinize according to God’s Word or pass it off as a common failing? Do I confess my sin or rationalize that God will just cover it? And finally, am I confident He forgives? Or to summarize, am I sure that He is a promise-keeping God, both to judge and forgive? King David certainly did. That is why he begins Psalm 6 with a request to refrain from reproof and discipline.

O Lord, do not reprove me in Your anger,
Nor discipline me in Your wrath.

Do we know David’s manner of sin? No, but that is irrelevant. We know from the humble opening that he was aware of the Lord’s attitude to sin and that he deserved whatever condemnation was warranted. He had no standing before a holy, righteous God and, therefore, threw himself on His mercy.

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;
Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled;
And my soul is greatly troubled;
But You, O Lord, how long?

The proper approach after sin is to admit weakness and frailty. While we retain youth and vigor, there is an inclination of invincibility in both body and spirit. Whatever may come can be handled by attempting stoicism: we can tough it out and do better next time. Through aging, the realization that we are but dust looms large. Strength wanes and corruption slowly causes us to understand that our lives are not so easily controlled. Order increasingly gives way to disorder. Confidence falters. Questions arise as to when the Lord might intervene.

Return, O Lord, and deliver my soul.
Save me because of Your mercy.
For there is no remembrance of You in death;
And in Hades who will give thanks to You?

In the midst of uncertainty, there remains a certain hope. The Lord is most certainly attentive. There should be no apprehension if we ask according to His will. And how do we know what His will is? Taking in His word. Our God has made Himself known through His precepts and promises. God will answer because He is merciful and will deliver because He does not delight in the death of the wicked (Ez 33:11), much less His children. And why would this be? Mankind was intended to give glory to God on earth as a complete being in His image and likeness. The ultimate reality will be to properly do so in the resurrection when all things are restored. Before we reach that end, we are brought low by burdens and afflictions.

I am weary with my groaning;
Every single night I will dampen my bed;
I will drench my couch with my tears.
My eye is troubled by anger;
I grow old among all my enemies.

When sin entered the world, every deed, every relationship became corrupted. Individuals struggle with one another fueled by selfishness, pride, or a thirst for control, making enemies whose sole focus is to cause the godly one’s demise or diversion from the right. The attack is relentless, not because of a constant barrage from those seeking our harm, though this may be, but also from the knowledge that the struggle and warring within each believer, as the sinful flesh inherited from Adam, continues its unrelenting attempts for control. We succumb to the weariness of it all, in humility crying out to God that He might deliver us being fully assured that He is faithful.

Depart from me, all you workers of lawlessness;
For the Lord heard the voice of my weeping;
The Lord heard my supplication;
The Lord received my prayer.
Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled;
Let them turn back and be suddenly ashamed.

Believers who know and hold fast to God’s promises know He understands our anguish. We know He hears our request. We know He receives our prayer when we ask rightly, not for our own pleasures. We also can act and speak with proper authority according to His precepts. We can order the lawless to depart and pray that our enemies be ashamed and troubled—not just those of the flesh but also spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenlies (Eph 6:12). I do not mention this to advocate militancy as a spiritual discipline. Rather my desire is to recognize that we, with full rights and responsibilities of sonship, have full authority to assess situations and request action from our Lord and God.

I began this piece with some personal reflections of my own unworthiness and weakness, being without inherent privilege. Yet, here I am: chosen of God, baptized into Christ, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and adopted as a son. Where someone might increasingly despair while moving toward the terminus of their earthly lives, we believers can look at the increasing unpleasantness that will befall us and rest in knowing that the final enemy, death, has already been brought to shame and defeated. We pray for strength to end well as we look to the Lord’s triumphal return and the final resurrection.

Lord, have mercy.

Ancient Patterns of Prayer

St. Paul’s Lutheran - Hamel, IL

Michael C. Legaspi has written a piece for First Things trying to correct the common misconception of individualism in prayer and a call to return to

less a “dialogue” between man and God than a time to approach the King as loyal and humble subjects. The author makes an historic case for corporate prayer at set times per day.

I know of several churches that either purport or desire to be houses of prayer according to Jesus’ call to abide by God's desire: “For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isa 56:7). While this desire is worthwhile, the implementation generally boils down to having a group of people together praying, each as he or she desires, whereas the ancient view is more corporately engaged.

Once gathered, the faithful recite set prayers in a prescribed manner. The words and the position of the body (standing, prostrating, or kneeling) are important, as is the body’s geographic orientation (toward Mecca, toward Jerusalem, toward the East). The one who prays does so with mind, words, and body, in harmony with fellow adherents. At times set aside for prayer, the faithful are examples of fully integrated persons, positioned body and soul on a vertical axis that joins time and space and unites individual, community, cosmos, and creator.

For those concerned about the place of individual petitions, these are considered appropriate, but within the framework of first understanding who we are as a believing community coming together before our Sovereign.

The author references Muslim practice to enforce the point of regularity in Abrahamic faiths. While this is disappointing and unneeded, it does not deter from his thesis. I commend the article to you and leave you with his parting words:

Of course, prayer has been difficult in all eras. Every generation wrestles with pride, sloth, anger, and malice. Still, we have a good deal to learn and relearn from the tradition. In dwelling with the old prayers, we heed the words of the prophet, who told the people to “seek the ancient paths, where the good way is, walk in it, and find rest for your souls” (Jer. 6:16).

Excellent Article on Prayer

Photo by Ric Rodrigues at Pexels.com

The following article is written by Pastor David H. Petersen of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Ft. Wayne, IN and published in the current issue of Gottesdiendst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy (Volume 27, Number 3). I offer it for your edification. And as an aside, I highly recommend John Kleinig’s book referenced below.

Thoughts about Prayer

One of the explicit duties of Christian pastors is to pray. It is the very last vow in the LSB [Lutheran Service Book] Ordination rite: “Will you be constant in prayer for those under your care?” The vows also require that pastors faithfully instruct both young and old in the doctrine and practice of prayer, for it is among the chief articles of Christian doctrine. While not in the vows, it is also a duty of the ministry to lead the prayers of the Church. For all that, it is more difficult to find a comprehensive definition or description of prayer than might be expected, and yet how we think about prayer matters greatly. There is much popular literature on the topic, but it is mostly saccharine and cliché-ridden, often misleading the reader into the idea that Christian prayer is nothing more than thanks and praise with a few requests and that the efficacy of prayer is driven by the petitioner’s sincerity, strength of faith, or committed will. In search of a more dogmatic definition that would aid my own practice and teaching, I found two sources, in particular, most useful: John Kleinig’s book Grace Upon Grace (2008) and Peter Selby’s article on ‘prayer’ in The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship (1986).

John Kleinig explains that his own theology of prayer is mainly “some rather obvious lessons from bitter experience” (153). His “bitter experience” is largely disappointment and frustration that arose from being misled by popular piety. His bitter experience is that Christianity, in contrast to popular piety, is not meant to help us “live in the best of all possible worlds where God’s rule is largely unchallenged” (184).

Kleinig’s experience has led him to see prayer as more than just thanks and praise or to place its hope on anything in the Christian’s will or faith. He understands prayer as a greater reality than simply talking to God and even listening to God, but of actually being in the presence of God. The purpose of this presence is conversation. God speaks and we respond and He speaks again and so forth. God speaks, of course, in His Word. Kleinig asserts that the way that Jesus teaches us to pray “overcomes our fears about our performance and acceptability” (170). He unpacks this as follows:

In Mark 11:22–25, we find the most frequently quoted passage on the power of faith in prayer. There Jesus has this to say:

“Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive your trespasses.”

Here Jesus speaks about the connection between the proclamation of God’s performative judging and saving Word and prayer. Both depend on faith. In both the disciples of Jesus exercise their faith in God.

These words of Jesus are often misunderstood and misapplied in two different ways. First, people isolate verses 23–24 from verse 22 in order to stress the need for confidence in prayer. Therefore they misinterpret what is meant by faith. Faith is not some kind of presumptuous self-confidence that makes demands on God and expects to get what it demands, That would make the power of prayer dependent on our faith in our own abilities rather than on our faith in God. The issue is not whether we are confident enough in what we pray for and in how we pray, but whether we rely on God’s grace rather than on ourselves. When Jesus speaks about confident prayer, He directs our attention away from ourselves to the faithfulness of God. Both the certainty of faith and the consequent power of prayer derive from God and His goodness.

Second, people isolate verses 23–24 from verse 25 in order to urge people to be more confident in their prayers. Jesus admits that uncertain faith leads to hesitant praying. Such uncertainty impairs a person from praying with boldness and confidence. Jesus does not, however, urge the hesitant vacillator on to stronger faith as if faith depended on the willpower of the person. Rather, He gets to the root of the problem. Hesitant and uncertain prayer is the mark of a troubled conscience. It usually stems from resentment against those who have hurt us, and our reluctance to forgive them. Resentment and anger sabotage faith and prayer (see also 1 Timothy 2:8) and must therefore be rectified. So the power of prayer rests not only on our confidence in the grace of God but also on our graciousness to those who have hurt us. Prayer has nothing to do with any kind of presumptuous self-assurance and self-assertion. The faith that moves mountains does not come from our confidence in making our demands on God but on our self-effacing reliance on His grace in prayer. (195–196)

All of our prayers are prayers with Jesus, in His presence. He is our intercessor, loaning us His words and power so that we might approach the lather with boldness and confidence (160–162). Prayer isn’t simply formed in conformity with Scripture but is a response to the God who speaks in Scripture. This must therefore be rooted in the context of the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church. The power and grace that God gives in response to our requests in prayer is not distinct from prayer, the way that, say, a piece of bread is distinct from a hungry child’s request that his mother feed him. Rather, what God gives through prayer comes, according to God’s promise, through the means of grace, through Word and Sacrament, and is part and parcel of prayer because prayer is prayer with Jesus and by Jesus.

Kleinig doesn’t actually give a definition of prayer, but it is clear that he understands prayer to be a sweeping and all-encompassing reality of the Christian who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and who is in the presence of Jesus. Prayer is a synonym for faith. Christians are at prayer—rejoicing always, praying always—even when they are not conscious of it.

Christian prayer is not a conversation meant simply to obtain information or obtain favors but is a familial, intimate conversation, where all involved rejoice in one another and enjoy deep fellowship and comfort with one another. This is a conversation like that of parents and children, of husband and wife, and of friends in every kind of situation. Prayer must be conversation with God and not simply toward Him. So also, it cannot be merely passive listening. When God speaks, He demands a response. Thus, again, prayer must not simply be informed by Scripture but should include Scripture and meditation, listening, contemplating, questioning, searching, praising, complaining, listening again, and so forth.

While not as extensive as Kleinig’s chapter, Peter Selby’s article on prayer in The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship may be the most comprehensive and useful definition of prayer in English. He writes: “Prayer is the generic term for all aspects of humanity’s conscious relationship to God” (140). Selby also lays out a five-fold division of prayer: adoration, confession, petition, praise, and thanksgiving. Before going into the details of each, he writes that these acts are all relevant “whether they involve specific acts of prayer or not because they describe essential components of man's relationship to God” (441). Despite my glowing praise, it must be noted that Selby does not seem to tie prayer to the Word of God or meditation on the Word, nor does he name lament as a type of prayer.

Kleinig’s chapter on meditation in Grace Upon Grace deals with prayer as well. Here he advocates not for turning inward for meditation but, rather, for focusing on the Word of God. He writes: “When we meditate on Christ and His Word, the power of His Word and our attitude to it determine what happens to us as we meditate” (100). He uses an excerpt from Luther’s 1521 pamphlet “A Brief Instruction on What to Look for and Expect in the Gospels” as an example. In this way, without using the word ‘pray,’ he outlines out how to use a text for prayer. First, he says, the reader uses all five senses to imagine the scenario of the event. The reader pays attention to the details. He concentrates on the Word of God, what is described, or what the Word states. Next, he ponders the story or statement as he identifies himself with the characters, seeing how it applies to him and his situation, how he is like the humans in the story or the humans who made the statement—both in his sins and unworthiness, and also in his faith. Finally, he considers how he might respond in obedience to Christ (102–103).

Kleinig does not spell out what obedient responses might be, but it is easy to recognize that they will often be a confession of sins, a request for help, and thanksgiving to God for His mercy. This is to say that an obedient response will always, in some fashion, include petitions, but whether they do or not, they might be termed simply “prayer.”

Later Kleinig is explicit regarding the relationship of prayer and meditation and the particular usefulness of the Psalms. He writes:

The Psalms … link our meditations with prayer to God. Thus many of them either begin or end with prayer, They remind us that Christian meditation is always done in God’s presence, even when He seems far from us. As we attend to the Psalms, they place us before God and open us up to His gracious scrutiny. The words by which we meditate on God and His deeds are even regarded as a verbal offering to God that is pleasing to Him (Psalm 19:14; 104:34). So, the speakers in the Psalms move readily from speaking to God to speaking about God and from speaking to their enemies to speaking to themselves about all subjects. And vice versa! And this is how it is and how it should be when we meditate. Mediation begins and ends with prayer. Ultimately, it cannot be separated from prayer. In both we respond to God’s Word and exercise our faith in His word. (140)

A full prayer life is a life that is engaged in an ongoing conversation with God. It is possible only because the Christian has been made a child of God by the sacrifice of the Son for the life of the world and enjoys the familial privilege of real conversations, conversations that encompass the spectrum of human emotion and experience. Our prayers include petitions, intercessions for loved ones and others, thanksgiving, praise, and even complaining or lamenting. When God speaks, the Christian must respond. Prayer is necessary. Prayer is best understood as an activity or state of being that is closely connected to, and never apart from, the Word of God that God Himself initiates and encourages, not simply as an act of faith but as faith itself. It is conducted in God’s presence, with God, and not merely to or toward Him. It includes hearing, proclaiming, contemplating, and meditating on the Word of God, as well as asking and talking and even ruminating. For prayer to be full, it must be to the God who speaks and desires our prayers. For all this to be possible, Christians, like the disciples before them, must be open to being taught to pray. It does not come naturally to men on this side of glory, even after conversion. We must abandon the vanity that expects prayer to be easy, obvious, or natural to the Christian. We must learn to listen and learn to be honest. We must learn to wait in trustful obedience based solidly upon God’s promises.

We Can't, Therefore We Pray

Give ear to my words, O Lord,
    Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
    My King and my God,
    For to You I will pray.
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
    In the morning I will direct it to You,
    And I will look up. (Ps 5:1–3)

For this we must know, that all our shelter and protection rest in prayer alone. For we are far too feeble to cope with the devil and all his power and adherents that set themselves against us, and they might easily crush us under their feet. Therefore we must consider and take up those weapons with which Christians must be armed in order to stand against the devil. For what do you think has hitherto accomplished such great things, has checked or quelled the counsels, purposes, murder, and riot of our enemies, whereby the devil thought to crush us, together with the Gospel, except that the prayer of a few godly men intervened like a wall of iron on our side? They should else have witnessed a far different tragedy, namely, how the devil would have destroyed all Germany in its own blood. But now they may confidently deride it and make a mock of it; however, we shall nevertheless be a match both for themselves and the devil by prayer alone, if we only persevere diligently and not become slack. For whenever a godly Christian prays: Dear Father, let Thy will be done, God speaks from on high and says: Yes, dear child, it shall be so, in spite of the devil and all the world.

Large Catechism III.30–32

Hallowed be Your name

Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  (Mt 6:9)

This is, indeed, somewhat obscure, and not expressed in good German, for in our mother-tongue we would say: Heavenly Father, help that by all means Your name may be holy.  But what is it to pray that His name may be holy?  Is it not holy already?  Answer: Yes, it is always holy in its nature, but in our use it is not holy.  For God’s name was given us when we became Christians and were baptized, so that we are called children of God and have the Sacraments, by which He so incorporates us in Himself that everything which is God’s must serve for our use.

Here now the great need exists for which we ought to be most concerned, that this name have its proper honor, be esteemed holy and sublime as the greatest treasure and sanctuary that we have; and that as godly children we pray that the name of God, which is already holy in heaven, may also be and remain holy with us upon earth and in all the world.

But how does it become holy among us?  Answer, as plainly as it can be said: When both our doctrine and life are godly and Christian.  For since in this prayer we call God our Father, it is our duty always to deport and demean ourselves as godly children, that He may not receive shame, but honor and praise from us.

Martin Luther, Large Catechism III.36–39

Luther’s Sacristy Prayer

Regardless of your office and vocation in our Lord’s church, this prayer penned by Martin Luther is yours.

Lord God, You have appointed me as a Bishop and Pastor in Your Church, but you see how unsuited I am to meet so great and difficult a task.  If I had lacked Your help, I would have ruined everything long ago.  Therefore, I call upon You: I wish to devote my mouth and my heart to you; I shall teach the people.  I myself will learn and ponder diligently upon Your Word.  Use me as Your instrument—but do not forsake me, for if ever I should be on my own, I would easily wreck it all.

The Agony and the Ecstasy

Our pastor is leading a study on prayer, and this past Sunday he used Psalm 145 as a text, emphasizing the two reason why we pray: God is worthy, and we are needy.  In other words, praise and worship is as integral within prayer as the requests we bring.  During discussions at our small group Sunday evening, one person mentioned in passing that there are times of agony rather than worship.  Later, I thought of a piece by Chad Bird earlier in the week: I Don’t Know How to Pray.  There are times when we do not have the words.  When those times come, there are not even enough words for the request much less any worship.  Psalmists occasionally found themselves in such situations.  Consider Psalm 88.  The closest bit of worship that might be found is in the opening line: O Lᴏʀᴅ, God of my salvation.  That’s it.  From there, Heman the Ezrahite pours out his heart in sorrow and anguish, pleading for the Lord to intervene.  There is no explicit praise but a silent acknowledgment of who God is and what He has promised, so the worship is implied.*  Your agony poured out to God is a personal act of worship for the same reason.  You are convinced by Scripture that God is faithful to His word and will intercede for our good.

In a similar vein, if you have spend enough time in the Psalms, you will notice a great deal of whining.  Most complain about a situation wherein the psalmist that God needs to handle, but interwoven within them is an acknowledgment of God’s person and work.  Another psalm is Psalm 83 in which the Asaph asks God to squash His enemies like a bug.  To what end?

Fill their faces with shame,
    that they may seek your name, O Lᴏʀᴅ.
Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;
    let them perish in disgrace,
that they may know that you alone,
    whose name is the Lᴏʀᴅ,
    are the Most High over all the earth.  (Ps 83:16-18)

The point of the psalm is that the nations might honor and praise the Lord.  This is not exactly your typical outreach program, but again the end is the worship of the one true God.

Should there be regular times when we pour out praise to the Lord in prayer?  Absolutely, the Lord is honored and our minds are correctly adjusted when we do, but sometimes the most effective prayers—those garnering an immediate response—are closer to “Lord, do something” or Peter’s cry “Lord, save me!”


*  This is one reason why psalms are worthy for use in Christian worship.

Don't Confuse Zeal with Piety

Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.”  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.  (Lk 18:10-14)

But let our speech and petition when we pray be under discipline, observing quietness and modesty.  Let us consider that we are standing in God’s sight.  We must please the divine eyes both with the habit of body and with the measure of voice.  For as it is characteristic of a shameless man to be noisy with his cries, so, on the other hand, it is fitting to the modest man to pray with moderated petitions.… And when we meet together with the brethren in one place, and celebrate divine sacrifices with God’s priest, we ought to be mindful of modesty and discipline—not to throw abroad our prayers indiscriminately, with unsubdued voices, nor to cast to God with tumultuous wordiness a petition that ought to be commended to God by modesty; for God is the hearer, not of the voice, but of the heart.… And let not the worshiper, beloved brethren, be ignorant in what manner the publican prayed with the Pharisee in the temple—not with eyes lifted up boldly to heaven, nor with hands proudly raised; but beating his breast, and testifying to the sins shut up within, he implored the help of the divine mercy.  And while the Pharisee was pleased with himself, this man who thus asked, the rather deserved to be sanctified, since he placed the hope of salvation not in the confidence of his innocence, because there is none who is innocent; but confessing his sinfulness he humbly prayed, and He who pardons the humble heard the petitioner.

Cyprian, On the Lord’s Prayer 4-6

Keep Your Account Short

And I urge you to show great zeal by gathering here at dawn to make your prayers and confessions to the God of all things, and to thank Him for the gifts He has already given.  Beseech Him to deign to lend you from now on His powerful aid in guarding this treasure; strengthened with this aid, let each one leave the church to take up his daily tasks, one hastening to work with his hands, another hurrying to his military post, and still another to his post in the government.  However, let each one approach his daily task with fear and anguish, and spend his working hours in the knowledge that at evening he should return here to the church, render an account to the Master of his whole day, and beg forgiveness for his falls.  For even if we are on our guard ten thousand times a day, we cannot avoid making ourselves accountable for many and different faults.  Either way we say something at the wrong time, or we listen to idle talk, or we think indecent thoughts, or we fail to control our eyes, or we spend time in vain and idle things that have no connection with what we should be doing.

This is the reason why each evening we must beg pardon from the Master for all these faults.  This is why we must flee to the loving-kindness of God and make our appeal to Him. Then we must spend the hours of the night soberly, and in this way meet the confessions of the dawn.  If each of us manages his own life in this way, he will be able to cross the sea of this life without danger and to deserve the loving-kindness of the Master.  And when the hour for gathering in church summons him, let him hold this gathering and all spiritual things in higher regard to anything else.  In this way we shall manage the goods we have in our hands and keep them secure.

John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instruction, 8.17-18

Pray for the Persecutors Too

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you: “A servant is not greater than his master.”  If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.  If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.  But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.  (John 15:18-21)

O greatest, O Supreme Creator of things invisible!  O You who are Yourself unseen, and who are incomprehensible!  You are worthy, You art truly worthy—if only mortal tongue may speak of You—that all breathing and intelligent nature should never cease to feel and to return thanks; that it should throughout the whole of life fall on bended knee, and offer supplication with never-ceasing prayers.  For You are the first cause; in You created things exist, and You are the space in which rest the foundations of all things, whatever they be.  You are infinite, unbegotten, immortal, enduring forever, God alone, whom no bodily shape may represent, no outline delineate; of virtues inexpressible, of greatness indefinable; unrestricted as to locality, movement, and condition, concerning whom nothing can be clearly expressed by the significance of man’s words.  That You may be understood, we must be silent; and that erring conjecture may track You through the shady cloud, no word must be uttered.  Grant pardon, O King Supreme, to those who persecute Your servants; and in virtue of Your kind nature, forgive those who fly from the worship of Your name and the observance of Your religion.

Arnobius of Sicca, Against the Pagans I.31

Perhaps, or Perhaps Not

Inquire of the Lᴏʀᴅ for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us.  Perhaps the Lᴏʀᴅ will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.  (Jer 21:2)

The armies of Babylon had captured Jerusalem, looted the temple treasury, deposed King Jehoiachin, and seated a different king, Zedekiah, upon the throne before returning to Babylon with the booty and important men (2 Ki 24:10-17).  Eventually, the armies returned to besiege Jerusalem, which prompted Zedekiah to ask the prophet Jeremiah to inquire of  YHWH if He might look with favor on the people and turn back the invaders.  YHWH had done this before and perhaps would do so again.

The request seems legitimate.  Time and again, the Lord had intervened for Israel and Judah, turning back enemies of overwhelming numbers for His name’s sake.  God does give a response according to His name, however it is quite jolting:

Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls.  And I will bring them together into the midst of this city.  I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath.  And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast.  They shall die of a great pestilence.  Afterward, declares the Lᴏʀᴅ, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives.  He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword.  He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.”  (Jer 21:4-7)

In other words: “You are utterly without hope and will endure much at My hand because of your sin.”  Judah had been suffering from a spiritual malaise for decades, briefly repenting under a few good kings.  At this time in their existence, God had already said that He would remove them from the land because they refused His prophets’ calls for repentance.  When Zedekiah was installed to his position, he showed his true colors:

And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lᴏʀᴅ, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.… And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.  (2 Ki 24:19-20)

Rather than endure the thought of being subject to anyone but himself, Zedekiah rebelled against God and His servant of judgment, Nebuchadnezzar.  We can see that the king’s request was either a misguided attempt to curry divine favor or a last ditch effort to save his pride and throne.  In either case, the die had already been cast, and the residents of Jerusalem, from small to great, were to suffer greatly from the siege, then be deported and spend most of their years in a foreign land.  Divine intervention was not coming.

Two things of note come as part of Jeremiah’s prophetic message.  The first concerns God’s mercy in judgment.  In a previous post, I had mentioned how God had warned Egypt of the coming plague in order to allow them time to care for their servants and livestock.  In the same way, the Lord tells Jeremiah that the people are to surrender in order to save his life (Jer 21:8-10).  The consequences of sin and resulting discipline do not need to extend beyond what is intended.  If the people willing give up, they will save their lives, otherwise the result will most likely be death.

The second is a call to the house of David and the people:

Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed.  And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.  For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people.  But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the Lᴏʀᴅ, that this house shall become a desolation.  (Jer 22:3-5)

Though they may not have recognized it, by affirming the house and throne of David, God is telling the people that there yet remains a certain hope.  If David’s offspring will do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with his God (Micah 6:8), all of the elect will be the beneficiaries; but of he should fail, the line will be cut off.  David’s line had no ability to do as God asked—not perfectly.  The descendants would all fail.  That is, except for One.

Jesus, the root and offspring of David, is the only one qualified to properly sit and administer kingship on the thrones of both His human predecessor and divine Father.  And as a result of His taking the judgment for our sin upon Himself, we walk free in His righteousness.  We are able to obey His word.  Not that these are yet done perfectly through our effort, but by virtue of faith that is ours in Jesus’ sacrifice for sin, we are enabled and strengthened by the Holy Spirit to do what is pleasing and good before God.

One day Jesus will return and assume His rightful place.  We will have perfect justice: sin will be no more, and all things will be made new.  The King will be on His throne forever.  Hallelujah!

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Have you ever found yourself in a place that called for a response but circumstances or propriety dictated that none be made?  You are caught in a situation wherein any move leaves you worse off.  Chess players refer to this as zugzwang: any legal move weakens your position; you want to take a pass.  These moments will happen in life.  Any retaliatory action will work against us, leaving the only possible response—walk away.

Admittedly, non-action is frustrating.  Men, more so than women, have a natural desire for action to fix the problem or make it better.  We do not want to let a matter alone.  King David wrote about such a time in his life when he was being wronged.  The unknown situation demanded a rebuke, yet propriety and piety dictated silence: raising his voice would most certainly lead to sin (Ps 39:1).  Stymied and frustrated, he bottled up everything until it could no longer be contained:

I was mute and silent;
    I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
    My heart became hot within me.  (Ps 39:2-3a)

If you are anything like me, you have felt this fire boiling inside.  The internal pressure rises until you burst, causing damage to yourself and those around by our words giving evidence to what Jesus taught: “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person” (Matt 15:11), so that

we are defiled when we say whatever happens to be on our mind and we talk about things that we should not talk about, even though our lips are bound “with perception” and we should make for them “a measuring balance and a standard of measure.”  The spring of sins comes to us from such talking.*

David needed a safety valve to release which came in the form of prayer—not for vindication or retribution, but for the unexpected:

O Lᴏʀᴅ, make me know my end
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting I am!

David prays for perspective, a view of this life compared to eternity.  He wants the Lord to help him understand what Paul would write to the church in Corinth:

For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,…  (2 Co 4:17)

The circumstances we endure are painful for a season, but this life is but a passing moment in comparison to what awaits us in Jesus.  Yes, things become heated.  Yes, attempting to look past events drives us to anger, depression, or any number of other emotions.  But when we seek this affliction in God’s perspective for our individual lives, we are better able

to learn how much time [is] left …, and thus gain consolation in the troubles by projecting my thinking to life’s end, when I would have complete relief from the troubles.†

With the fleeting nature of this life in view, David turns his attention to the Lord for delivery from the blows of discipline being felt.  Either the entire difficulty had been brought on by David’s past sin, he was concerned that he might fall into the sin he wished to avoid.  Whatever the reason, he knows what is needed and seeks relief (Ps 39:7-11), ending with a plea that the Lord would hear and respond by turning His scrutinizing eye away, because the attention is painful.

Hear my prayer, O Lᴏʀᴅ,
    and give ear to my cry;
    hold not your peace at my tears!
For I am a sojourner with you,
    a guest, like all my fathers.
Look away from me, that I may smile again,
    before I depart and am no more!  (Ps 39:12-13)

All men are but sojourners in this life, and the king recognizes that he and his fathers are no more privileged in this regard.  Theodoret paraphrases David’s request:

I beseech you, Lord, hearken to my lament and tearful supplication: I do not dwell in the land but am a stranger, and like my forebears I shall accept death after living here a short time.  So grant me a brief respite so that I may live at least a few days without pain before departing this life.  Once I go I shall not return: I shall not return to this corrupt life.‡

When we find ourselves in a situation similar to David’s in which one or more stress factors are bearing upon us, we turn to the Lord and rely on Him for understanding and strength.  Afflictions in this life wear on everybody, but Christians have a promise of a final rest in Christ.  Our hope is certain.


*  Origen of Alexandria, Commentary on Matthew
†  Theodore of Mopsuestia, Commentary on Psalm 39 
‡  Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on Psalm 39 

Pray for Civil Leaders

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  (1 Tim 2:1-2)

A supplication is an entreaty offered for release from some trouble, a prayer is a request for good things, an intercession is a charge against wrongdoers.  Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic lords of this age, against the spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places.  For right judgement against these we make our appeal, and we beg righteous assistance.  Thanksgiving is offered to God for the good things already won.

Now, he urges them to do this for all people since Christ Jesus also came into the world to save sinners.  It was very wise of him to include what is common to all people lest anyone take the prayer for kings as flattery.  Since at that time godless people held power and enemies of religion were in the public eye, he brings out the reasonableness of prayer being made for them.  With them keeping the peace, we share the tranquility and keep the laws in quiet godliness.  He associated reverence with piety to emphasize that faith requires actions; for a similar reason those of the Jews who were captives in Babylon wrote to those left behind in Judea to offer prayer for Nebuchadnezzar and his son Belshazzar.  The divine apostle recommends prayers be offered on their behalf not only for this reason but also that they give up godlessness and acquire piety in its place.

Theodoret of Cyrus, “The First Epistle to Timothy”

Pray for Those of Whom Christ Gave Himself As a Ransom—All

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.  (1 Tim 2:1-6)

The apostle commands—rather, the Lord speaking through the apostle commands through him—that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions.  All priests and all faithful adhere unanimously to this norm of supplication in their devotions.  There is no part of the world in which Christian peoples do not offer up these prayers.  The Church, then, pleads before God everywhere, not only for the saints and those regenerated in Christ, but also for infidels and all enemies of the cross of Christ, for all worshipers of idols, for all who persecute Christ in His members, for the Jews whose blindness does not see the light of the gospel, for heretics and schismatics who are alien to the unity of faith and charity.

But what does she beg for them if not that they leave their errors and be converted to God, that they accept the faith, accept charity, that they be freed from the shadows of ignorance and come to the knowledge of the truth?…  While thanking Him for those who are saved, we should hopefully pray that the same divine grace may deliver from the power of darkness those who are still without light and conduct them into the kingdom of God before they depart this life.

Prosper of Aquitaine, The Call of All Nations 1.12

Prayer Is the Light of the Soul

There is nothing more worthwhile than to pray to God and to converse with him, for prayer unites us with God as his companions.  As our bodily eyes are illuminated by seeing the light, so in contemplating God our soul is illuminated by him.  Of course the prayer I have in mind is no matter of routine, it is deliberate and earnest.  It is not tied down to a fixed timetable; rather it is a state which endures by night and day.

Our soul should be directed in God, not merely when we suddenly think of prayer, but even when we are concerned with something else.  If we are looking after the poor, if we are busy in some other way, or if we are doing any type of good work, we should season our actions with the desire and the remembrance of God.  Through this salt of the love of God we can all become a sweet dish for the Lord.  If we are generous in giving time to prayer, we will experience its benefits throughout our life.

Prayer is the light of the soul, giving us true knowledge of God.  It is a link mediating between God and man.  By prayer the soul is borne up to heaven and in a marvelous way embraces the Lord.  This meeting is like that of an infant crying on its mother, and seeking the best of milk.  The soul longs for its own needs and what it receives is better than anything to be seen in the world.

Prayer is a precious way of communicating with God, it gladdens the soul and gives repose to its affections.  You should not think of prayer as being a matter of words.  It is a desire for God, an indescribable devotion, not of human origin, but the gift of God's grace.  As Saint Paul says: we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.

Anyone who receives from the Lord the gift of this type of prayer possesses a richness that is not to be taken from him, a heavenly food filling up the soul.  Once he has tasted this food, he is set alight by an eternal desire for the Lord, the fiercest of fires lighting up his soul.

To set about this prayer, paint the house of your soul with modesty and lowliness and make it splendid with the light of justice.  Adorn it with the beaten gold of good works and, for walls and stones, embellish it assiduously with faith and generosity.  Above all, place prayer on top of this house as its roof so that the complete building may be ready for the Lord.  Thus he will be received in a splendid royal house and by grace his image will already be settled in your soul.

John Chrysostom, Homily 6: On Prayer

Christian Rules of Prayer

To true, Christian and salutary prayer it is requisite:

1. That a man lift up holy hands (II Tim. 2) and offer his devotions with a good conscience; for God does not hear sinners who are not repentant (John 9).
2. That a man pray in every time of trial and need; for, the greater our need the stronger is our prayer.  Therefore also God, in the 50th Psalm, says: “Call upon me in the day of trouble.”  (Always and everywhere there is sufficient provocation to prayer if one will but realize it).
3. That a man pray, cry and sigh from out of the depths of his heart, without hypocrisy, anger, complaint or doubt, even as Moses prayed upon the shore of the Red Sea.  Lip-service and mouth-work in which the heart participates not, is a vain service of God (Matt. 15).
4. That a man call upon the one, true and only God as He has revealed Himself at the River Jordan, as Christ teaches in the Gospel (John 16), and in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6; Luke 11).
5. That a man plead the name, merit, blood, death and intercession of Christ for help, and the support of the Holy Ghost (John 4, and 14).
6. That a man pray with all boldness as Abraham prayed (Gen. 18); with a mighty faith, as the centurion prayed; without murmuring or impatience, continuing instant, as did the Canaanite woman; and with humility, as did Daniel (Dan. 9).
7. That a man persevere, as Sirach teaches, and set no limit or goal for God, as is said in Chapter 8 of the Book of Judith.*
8. He that will thus pray needs first of all to believe, that he is reconciled to God through His Son, and must base his pleas upon baptism† and the blood of Christ as well as upon God’s command and promise.  He must embrace the promise of Christ and the example of all the saints; and remember that God has frequently helped others before us (Ps. 22:34).

If prayer is to be rightly offered, all these things must be well observed and kept:

1. Holy hands and a good conscience.
2. Our need.
3. From the heart, without hypocrisy.
4. Calling upon the name of the One, Only God.
5. In the name of Jesus Christ, who is the soul of all prayer.
6. Boldly.
7. Preseveringly.
8. In faith.  Such prayer pervades heaven, as Sirach says; and makes our joy perfect, as Christ witnesses, John 16.  It attains help, gives comfort, joy, and a sure defense against all devils and evil men.

Wilhelm Loehe, Seed-grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians

* Historically, apocryphal works were bound with the canonical scriptures as useful though not authoritative.  After the mass production of Bibles began, the Apocrypha was omitted to reduce cost.  Citations were regularly used to give examples and bolster arguments.
† Remembering that at baptism one confesses being buried into death, in order that "we too might walk in newness of life" (Rom 6:4; see also Col 2:12), and he who has died has been set free from sin (Rom 6:7).

God Answers Prayer as Only He Can

From this you perceive that we pray here not for a crust of bread or a temporal, perishable good, but for an eternal inestimable treasure and everything that God Himself possesses; which is far too great for any human heart to think of desiring if He had not Himself commanded us to pray for the same.  But because He is God, He also claims the honor of giving much more and more abundantly than any one can comprehend,*—like an eternal, unfailing fountain, which, the more it pours forth and overflows, the more it continues to give,—and He desires nothing more earnestly of us than that we ask much and great things of Him, and again is angry if we do not ask and pray confidently.†

Martin Luther, Large Catechism: Lord's Prayer, 55-56

* Ephesians 3:20
† Hebrews 4:16