PRAYER: Asking and Receiving

"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you." (Psalm 50:15)

"Dear Father, there is no way I could ever sufficiently express to You my thankfulness that you have called my family out of darkness into the light of simple belief. I could never adequately praise You for the goodness You have bestowed upon my heart through my family. I come before You now, expecting another blessing which will benefit Your Kingdom: teach them to pray. May Your Spirit warm my heart, which in turn will warm these words I am about to compose, which in turn will warm their hearts toward the need of true intercessory prayer. Amen"

Tim, thank you very much for asking me to compile Luther on prayer. Praise be to Christ: I have a wise son.! It has come to my attention that this ground I have been tilling is most sacred; I will not soil it with the shoes of my comments, except to say prayer has been the lifeline of my existence all my life—even when I was steeped in hypocrisy. I used to pray an hour a day or more; I needed to to be a Christian. Now I hardly ever pray, yet I pray all the time. I have an acute experience of the concepts I present to you now, for they are most precious to my heart. If I did not pray for the Elect, my parents and siblings, my friends, and my wife and children, that they might be truly saved and lead spiritual lives, I would have no reason for existence. If this burden was not bearing down on me, I would be a truly free person. But I know that the salvation of the very church of God depends on my prayers; and even though my mind can consider some pretty awesome ways God could answer my prayers, I know that I cannot conceive, nor do I have the faith to, of how wonderfully God will answer my prayers for unity amongst the brethren concerning the truth of God.

I give to you this gold mine of godliness; may you work it with the tools you now have, even though they be as rusty, broken-handled shovels and picks. May my God, Who has shared with you the burden He has placed on me, grant that He might give you sterling, sharp and golden tools as you increase and prosper in this most splendid art of prayer. I commend you to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer of Manasseh, King of Judah Among the Captives in Babylon:

	O Lord Almighty,
	God of our fathers,
	Of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob
	And of their righteous posterity;
	You who have made heaven and earth
	With all their ornament'
	Who have shackled the sea by your word of command,
	Who have confined the deep
	And sealed it with your terrible and glorious name;
	At whom all things shudder
	And tremble before your power,
	For your glorious splendor cannot be borne,
	And the wrath of your threat to sinners is irresistible:
	Yet immeasurable and unsearchable is your promised mercy,
	For you are the Lord Most High,
	Of great compassion, long-suffering, and very merciful,
	And repent over the evils of men.
	You, O Lord, according to your great goodness
	Have promised repentance and forgiveness.
	Therefore you, O Lord, God of the righteous,
	Have not appointed repentance for the righteous,
	For Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, who did not sin against you,
	But you have appointed repentance for me, who am a sinner.
	For the sins I have committed are more in number than the sand of the sea;
	My transgressions are multiplied!
	I am weighted down with many an iron fetter,
	So that I am rejected because of my sins,
	And I have no relief:
	For I have provoked your wrath
	And have done what is evil in your sight,
	Setting up abominations and multiplying offenses.
	And now I bend the knee for your goodness.
	I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned,
	And I know my transgressions.
	I earnestly beseech you,
	Forgive me, O Lord, forgive me!
	Do not destroy me with the transgressions, or lay up evil for me;
	For, unworthy as I am, you will save me in your great mercy,
	And I will praise you continually all the days of my life.
	For all the host of heaven sings your praise,
	And yours is the glory for ever. Amen.
	(39/46)

"Here my Lord has given me his body and blood in the bread and wine, in order that I should eat and drink. And they are to be my very own, so that I may be certain that my sins are forgiven, that I am to be free of death and hell, have eternal life, and be a child of God and an heir of heaven. Therefore I go to the sacrament to seek these things. I am a poor sinner with death before me, I must go through it; and the devil threatens me with all kinds of trouble and danger. Because I am in sin, a captive of death and the devil, because I feel that I am weak in faith, cold in love, wayward, impatient, envious, with sin clinging to me before and behind; therefore I come hither where I find and hear Christ's word that I shall receive the gift of forgiveness of sins." (36/350)

After people have thus been taught and exhorted to confess their sin and amend their ways they should then be most diligently exhorted to prayer and shown that such prayer pleases God, that he has commanded it and promised to hear it, and that no one ought to think lightly of his own praying or have doubts about it, but with firm faith be sure that it will be heard. The man who doubts, or prays for good luck, would do better to let prayer alone because such prayer is merely tempting God and only makes things worse. It might, indeed, be of some use to have the people, especially the young people, sing the Litany at mass or vespers or in the church after the sermon, provided that everyone, even at home by himself, constantly raised to Christ at least a sigh of the heart for grace to lead a better life and for help against the Turk. I am not speaking of much and long praying, but of frequent sighs, in one or two words, such as, "O help us, dear God the Father; have mercy on us, dear Lord Jesus Christ!" or the like. (47/172)

Learn Christ and him crucified. Learn to praise him and, despairing of yourself, say, "Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, just as I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and have given to me what is yours. You have taken upon yourself what you were not and have given to me what I was not." Beware of aspiring to such purity that you will not wish to be looked upon as a sinner, or to be one. For Christ dwells with sinners. On this account be descended from heaven, where he dwelt among the righteous, to dwell among sinners. Meditate on this love of his and you will see his sweet consolation. (46/12)

When threatened with war from the Pope, Luther prayed: "Give peace, O Lord! Spare us, and don't make us pay for our sins! We are so bad, ungrateful, and secure, but Satan doesn't sleep. Our adversaries could at any time invade our little land here and destroy everything, for we haven't a large citizenry or strong fortress. I rejoice that we don't make the first attack. Even if we should stay in this little land and be massacred, the noise of it will go out beyond the Rhine River, to Bavaria, etc. We Saxons are weak, for here we sit among the thorns and have wicked protectors, the margrave and Duke George. But God is the supreme protector, and he says, 'My will be done.' Although we ought to be more godly, he has patience with us. Only let us not despise his grace! If they attack us, God grant us patience! If they try to win a penny, they must wager a gulden on it, for they have hair and we are bald. The Lord will strike terror into the Amorites and will defend Jacob, as Moses said (Deut. 2:25). 'If it had not been the Lord who was on our side' (Ps. 124:1), we would long since have collapsed. Even if they slay us, they won't accomplish much."

To his wife Luther wrote: Grace and peace in Christ! Most holy Mrs. Doctor! I thank you very kindly for your great worry which robs you of sleep. Since the date that you started to worry about me, the fire in my quarters, right outside the door of my room, tried to devour me; and yesterday, no doubt because of the strength of your worries, a stone almost fell on my head and nearly squashed me as in a mouse trap. For in our secret chamber mortar has been falling down for about two days; we called in some people who merely touched the stone with two fingers and it fell down. The stone was as big as a long pillow and as wide as a large hand; it intended to repay you for your holy worries, had the dear angels not protected me. Now I worry that if you do not stop worrying the earth will finally swallow us up and all the elements will chase us. Is this the way you learned the Catechism and the faith? Pray, and let God worry. You have certainly not been commanded to worry about me or about yourself. "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you." As is written in Psalm 55:22 and many more passages. (50/306)

The second kind of worship is true and spiritual. It is free in all external matters, so that it does not require the worshiper to use special places or to employ special gestures. For every man can engage in this kind of worship wherever he may be or go or stay, even in the field, or sick in bed, or captive in prison. I suppose there are in reality many people who do not know what is meant by the word "worship" and do not see any difference between praying and worshiping.

Worship is not a matter of the mouth, like praying, petitioning, and pleading. For to pray is really to repeat the words of a prayer such as the Psalms or the Lord's Prayer. But to petition is to accompany such a spoken prayer with one's own special need and indicate it by name, just as the Lord's Prayer contains seven petitions, and so forth. To plead is to go beyond the petition in one's prayer and to admonish God through something that He prizes very highly, such as his mercy, name, honor, truth, or through Christ, and so forth. In addition there is also intercession for other, and praise and thanksgiving. All of this is a work of the mouth.

Worship is nothing of the sort. It is not a function of the mouth but of the whole body. It is to bow the head, bend the body, fall on the knees, prostrate one's self, and so forth, and to do such things as a sign and acknowledgment of an authority and power. From this understanding of outward worship you will also understand what Christ meant by true spiritual worship. It is the adoration or bowing of the heart, so that from the bottom of your heart you thereby show and confess yourself to be his subordinate creature. For from this you see that true worship can be nothing else than faith; it is faith's sublimest activity with respect to God. For no one is capable of such heartfelt confession, adoration, bending, and bowing before God in his heart, unless he unwaveringly holds God to be his Lord and Father, from whom he receives and will receive all good things, and through whom, without any merit on his part, he is redeemed and preserved from all sins and evil…Now to come back to the sacrament: he who does not believe that Christ's body and blood are present does well not to worship either with his spirit or with his body. (36/292-94)

But just as the prayer and the sobbing are ineffable, so the hearing and the joy are inestimable and ineffable, as Paul says (Eph. 3;20): "Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think." He does not give what His saints seek on the surface of their hearts and with that foam of words, but He is an almighty and exceedingly rich Bestower who gives in accordance with the depth of that sighing. Therefore He lets prayer be directed, grow, and be increased; and He does not hear immediately. For if He were to answer at the first outcry or petition, prayer wold not increase but would become cold. Therefore He defers help. As a result, prayer grows from day to day and become efficacious. The sobbing of the heart also becomes deeper and more ardent until it comes to the point of despair, as it were. Then prayer becomes most ardent and passionate, when it seems that now the sobbing is nearly at a standstill.

But if He heard immediately, prayer would not be so strong, so alive, and so ardent; but it wold be only a superficial and pedagogical sobbing which is still learning to pray, to sob, and to desire, and is not yet a master of prayer. But when the point of despair has been reached and the afflicted heart thinks: "Alas, nothing will come of it; all is lost! Yet a spark and a dimly burning wick remain (cf. Is. 42:3),then be strong and hold out. For this is the struggle of the saints who think that the rope will now be torn yet who continue to sob. Then, therefore, prayer is perfect and strongest.

Here it is said about Rachel: "God remembered, etc." It is as though Moses were saying: "The only feeling Rachel had was that all her prayers and tears had been in vain and useless, and that she had bee utterly obliterated and deleted from the heart and the memory of God." But you should not come to this conclusion, my dear Rachel; for you are making a big mistake. That feeling of yours is carnal; it is not yet the spirit that is sighing and the ineffable sobbing, but it is the flesh that is feeling and is weak. God has never forgotten you, but from the beginning, when you began to ask for offspring, He immediately heard and marked all the words of your sobbing. But your prayer was not yet ardent and strong enough. Therefore it had to grow and become strong, and for this reason God put matters off until the second, third, fourth, and fifth year. Then for the first time He gave consolation through your maidservant. But your sobbing did not yet find rest. God still seemed to be turned away. Therefore God remembered, although He had never forgotten you for one moment. But this was finally the time for Him to hear your sighs, when you thought that they had been completely buried, covered, and forgotten.

Therefore one must learn that if you accomplish nothing by asking, you should add searching, that is, you should seek; if that, too, seems to be useless, and God conceals and hides Himself even more, add knocking, and do not cease until you storm the door by which He has been confined. For there is no doubt that our prayer is heard immediately after the first syllable has been uttered. Thus the angel says to Daniel: "At the beginning of your supplications a word went forth, and I have come to tell it to you" (9:23). But the fact that God does not immediately give what we pray for-this happens because He wants to be sought and to be taken by storm by insisting beyond measure, as the parable of the unrighteous judge teaches in Luke 18:22. For then He comes and liberates the elect and gives more abundantly than we have prayed, sought, and knocked. But He defers in order that our praying may increase and that our sobbing may become stronger. This sobbing seems very feeble to us while we are sighing, but it is actually most ardent. Thus Paul calls it a shouting (Gal. 4:6). For we not only recite words by forming a sound with the tongue and the lips or even let our prayers have a clear sound, but we simply shout out. There is no sound or voice of the mouth, but there is an outcry of the heart and ineffable sobbing; it is under the left breast, when the heart sobs and sighs as it almost fails for distress. Then indeed prayer is perfect and efficacious. (5/359-61)

Nor does true prayer worry about the number or multitude of words, but it multiplies and increases the sighs, to which no words answer except very feebly, as appears in this prayer. For Jacob prayed not only these words which Moses relates, but he sighed the whole night through and the whole day. It was a long prayer as far as groaning is concerned, although the words were very few. Then, too, gratitude and remembrance of past blessings are required for prayer. By this groaning he is killed and despairs of his own strength.

These are the three conditions of a good prayer, which make it very pleasing and a sweet-smelling odor before God which cannot fail to be heard. The first is that you should take hold of the promise. The second is that you should be mortified in your distress. The third is that you should give thanks and acknowledge that you are not worthy of one act of mercy but are seeking and hoping for help through mercy alone. (6114)

True repentance is not contrition alone; it is also faith, which takes hold of the promise, lest the penitent perish. (7/257)

It is the best remedy and counsel for arousing an impulse to prayer that we read, sing, and hear the Word, apply ourselves to the reading of the Psalter, or go to the public assembly of the church. Then the heart will gradually grow warm, and the spirit will be kindled. It is regular and customary for the Holy Spirit not always to touch our hearts with ineffable groaning (Romans 8:26). But when He does touch them, then it is definitely decided that the prayer has penetrated the clouds and has obtained what is sought in heaven and on earth. Otherwise heaven and earth would have to go to ruin. Therefore it is an excellent prayer when first of all the Word and later urgent need is observed with the eyes and the heart. (7/370)

"Be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 This is spoken in opposition to those who only read the Psalms without any heart. And we must be on our guard that the prayers in church in our day do not become more of a hindrance than a help. First, because we offend God more by reading them when our heart is not in it, as He says: "This people honors Me with their lips." Second, because we are deceived and made secure by the appearance of these things, as if we had truly prayed properly. And thus we never become really attached to the desire for true prayer, but when we pray these things, we think that we have prayed and are in need of nothing more.

There is no work like praying to God. Therefore when a man wants to enter the priesthood, he must first consider that he is entering a work which is harder than any other, namely, the work of prayer. For this requires a subdued and broken mind and an elevated and victorious spirit. Prayer requires a threefold attentiveness: one must pay attention to the words, to the sense and meaning of the words, and to the emotional or spiritual effect of the words, as when one laments with those who lament, rejoices with those who rejoice, etc. He accommodates himself to every movement of the words. This is true prayer. The apostle says, I Cor. 14:15: "I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the mind also." By using the expression to "sing with the spirit" he is calling attention to the sensual attentiveness , apart from the intellectual attentiveness, and yet intimately connected with the emotional attentiveness. By using the expression "to sing with the mind" he is describing the intellectual attentiveness, which can be aroused both without the spirit as well as with the spirit. The mental prayer is the ascent of the mind, as well as the spirit, to God. This is the prayer of which he is speaking when he says: "Be constant in prayer." In this passage he is emphasizing that Christians ought to engage in frequent as well as diligent prayer. For "to be constant" means not only to take a great deal of time, but also to urge, to incite, to demand. For just as there is no work which for Christians ought to be more frequent, so no other work that requires more labor and effort and therefore is more efficacious and fruitful. For here "the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force" (Matt. 11:12). For prayer in my opinion is a constant violent action of the spirit as it is lifted up to God, as a ship is driven upward against the power of the storm. This is why it is said of blessed Martin to his credit that he had an unconquerable spirit because he never released it from prayer.

The violence decreases and disappears, to be sure, whenever the Spirit draws and carries our heart upward by grace, or surely, when a present and major anxiety compels us to take refuge in prayer. And without these two factors, prayer becomes a most difficult and tedious thing. But its effect is tremendous. For true prayer is omnipotent, as our Lord says: "For everyone who asks receives." Thus we must all practice violence and remember that he who prays is fighting against the devil and the flesh. (25/460-61)

The Christian prayer is easy, and it does not cause hard work. For it proceeds in faith on the basis of the promise of God, and it presents its need from the heart. Faith quickly gets through telling what it wants; indeed, it does so with a sigh that the heart utters and that words can neither attain nor express. For example, if you came before a prince or a judge who knew your case better than you could describe it to him and tried to give a long-winded account of it, he would have a perfect right to laugh at you or, more likely, to become displeased with you. By our praying, therefore, we are instructing ourselves more than we are Him. It makes me turn around so that I do not proceed as do the ungodly, neither acknowledging this nor thanking Him for it. When my heart is turned to Him and awakened this way, then I praise Him, thank Him, take refuge with Him in my need, and expect help from Him. As a consequence of all this, I learn more and more to acknowledge what kind of God He is. (21/143-45)

Getting ourselves to the point of praying causes us distress and anguish, and this requires the greatest skill. With our own concerns and thoughts we torture ourselves and stew over trying to pull this or that off our neck and to get rid of it. There is an evil and clever devil riding me and other people and frequently playing these tricks on me in my temptation or anxiety, whether it has to do with spiritual or with secular affairs. He immediately butts in and makes you start stewing over it. In this way he snatches us from our prayer and makes us so dizzy that we do not even think of praying. But the time you begin praying you have already tortured yourself half to death. He is well aware of what prayer achieves and can do. This is why he creates so many obstacles and disturbances, to keep you from getting around to it at all. Hence we ought to learn to take these words to heart. We should develop the habit, whenever we see anguish or need, to fall on our knees immediately and to spread the need before God, on the basis of this admonition and promise. (Ask and you shall receive.) When you feel inadequate, be wise enough to force your heart to start praying immediately and to say: "Dear Lord, I have Thy Word, and I am in the station that pleases Thee. This much I know. Thou seest all my inadequacies, and I know no help except in Thee. Help Thou, therefore, because Thou has commanded that we should ask, seek, and knock, and has said that then we shall surely receive, find, and have what we want." Though He may not give it to you that very instant, still He will give you enough so that your heart will receive comfort and strength until the time when He gives more abundantly than you could have hoped. This is another good thing about prayer. If you use it and practice it and thus ponder the Word of His promise, your heart keeps getting stronger and firmer in its confidence, and finally gets more than it would have otherwise…As your need is, so should your prayer be. Your need does not attack you once and then let you go. It hangs on, it falls around your neck again, and it refuses to let go. You act the same way! Pray continually, and seek and knock, too, and do not let go. (21/233-34)

Zechariah 10:7—"They will pray to Me and I shall answer them as they pray." This, after all, is the sum and substance of Christ's kingdom: to pray and to be heard. Under the word for "prayer" we include also the preaching and praise of God, that is, that we preach the Word of the Gospel and that this embellishes and praises the goodness and grace of God in Christ. This is the whole life of the Christian in the presence of God, as Paul also teaches throughout his letters. (20/.111)

Zechariah 12:10—"And I will pour out the Spirit of grace and supplications." The meaning is this: "I shall not allow My Christians to defend themselves with arms and violence and the tumult of war, for they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into scythes. This will be a kingdom of peace. However, I shall give them other weapons with which to battle against their enemies—the Spirit of grace and of supplications." This is the name He gives the Holy Spirit. Therefore He calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of grace, because the Spirit causes God to be kindly disposed toward us and us, in turn, to love God, united as we are in a tightly knit band of minds. This is a very broad statement, if you go into it more deeply, for it is sense and consciousness of the fullest favor of God in the faithful. Here rule gentleness, sweetness, tolerance, kindness, and all of the finest affections with which to oppose the favor of wrath, impatience, gloom, wickedness, as well as every sort of bitter attitude.

He says: "Don't worry. You have the Lord as your Protector. The Lord stands by you. He Himself will take up and sustain your case. Put aside all your fear, anger, and bitterness. If you intend to do any fighting, fight with prayers." Supplication is something broader than prayer, as if to say that supplication is praying with a sacred formula, as when we add "through our Lord Jesus Christ" to our prayers.

"And they will look on Me whom they have pierced." What now follows to the end of the chapter is about mourning and the sort of mourning which occurs over Christ. This, too, we read in the Gospel: "All the tribes of the earth shall mourn over Him (Matt. 24:30). However, we shall not apply this to the day of judgment, for we are involved here in a description of the church. Consequently, I take the meaning to be as follows. A Christian leads a double life—the life of the Spirit, and the mortification of the flesh. You see, when we have been justified and taken into the kingdom of God's grace, we must still also mourn over our flesh; we must not merely mourn and lament our suffering Christ but also imitate Him; we must die along with Him and crucify our own flesh. While Christians are alive on this earth, they mourn as they mortify their own flesh. This they do because of Christ. Indeed, as the apostle says in Romans 6, our old Adam was crucified, he died and was buried along with Christ. Consequently, to mourn for Christ's sake is to imitate the crucifixion, death, and burial of Christ so that we mortify our flesh and the affections thereof either by ourselves or by others—that is, when Satan, the world, and our foes attack us. (20/139-40)

Jonah felt that his prayer was effective, as it is impossible for the effectiveness of true prayer not to be felt. For if we do not feel that our prayer has been effective, we have not truly prayed. That internal feeling necessarily follows a true prayer, just as also preachers of the Word feel the effectiveness of the Word which they teach. (19/17)

Whoever despairs in his sin or relies on good works sins against the Holy Spirit and against grace." Of course, I should intercede for such people and pray that they may be freed from that sin and be converted; but it is impossible that God be gracious to them so long as they are given to that sin, it is impossible that God's grace be of greater effect in their hearts than that sin, as is true of other sins. No, I must pray against that sin, as Moses did in Num. 16:15, against Korah, saying: "Do not respect their offering." For Korah, too, aspired to esteem before God by reason of his works, and so he sinned against grace. That is an intolerable sin. All other sins which let grace triumph and reign are forgivable. (19/49)

If God had not enjoined us to pray and if he had not promised fulfillment, no creature would be able to obtain so mush as a kernel of grain despite all his petitions. (42/87)

Giving oneself to an intimate understanding of the Lord's prayer is essential. Luther expounds this greatest prayer in Volume 42. Also, "A Simple Way to Pray," is quite helpful in Volume 43.

The only course left to you, as this psalm indicates (Ps. 120),, is to turn to the Lord in your distress, cry to him about these evil tongues, and earnestly and fervently pray for staunch marksmen who aim sharp arrows at the devil, hit him, and do not miss their mark, and to ask for glowing coals of the juniper tree which kindle the misled and blind people with fervor and fir and illumine them with a good life, to the glory and honor of God's name. If you do that, you will soon discover how effectively you are avenged on the devil and his scales. It will make your heart rejoice. But just see to it that you pray for these things with complete confidence, and not doubt that God, for the sake of whose word you are being tormented, will hear you and supply you with arrows and glowing coals in abundance so that if they suppress the word at one place, it will flare up in ten other places. The more they blow into the fire, the more brightly it will burn. (43/111)

You must always speak the Amen firmly. Never doubt that God in his mercy will surely hear you and say "yes" to your prayers. Never think that you are kneeling or standing alone, rather think that the whole of Christendom, all devout Christians, are standing there beside you and you are standing among them in a common, united petition which God cannot disdain. Do not leave your prayer without having said or thought, "Very well, God has heard my prayer; this I know as certainty and a truth." (43/198)

It seems to me that if someone could see what arises as prayer from a cold and inattentive heart he would conclude that he had never seen a more ridiculous kind of buffoonery. But, praise God, it is now clear to me that a person who forgets what he has said has not prayed well, In a good prayer one fully remembers every word and thought from the beginning to the end of the prayer. (43/199)

To this day I suckle at the Lord's Prayer like a child, and as an old man eat and drink from it and never get my fill. It is the very best prayer, even better than the Psalter, which is so very dear to me. It is surely evident that a real master composed and taught it. What a great pity that the prayer of such a master is prattled and chattered so irreverently all over the world! How many pray the Lord's Prayer several thousand times in the course of a year, and if they were to keep on doing so for a thousand years they would not have tasted nor prayed one iota, one dot, of it! In a word the Lord's Prayer is the greatest martyr on earth (as are the name and word of God). Everybody tortures and abuses it; few take comfort and joy in its proper use. (43/199)

A good prayer should not be lengthy or drawn out, but frequent and ardent. (43/209)

When you pray, remember that you may approach God boldly and without hesitation—provided, of course, you acknowledge your sin and earnestly desire to better your life. (43/230)

Whatever a Christian sincerely prays for, especially in the unexpressed yearning of his heart, becomes a great, unbearable cry in God's ears. God must listen, as he did to Moses, Exodus 14:15, "Why do you cry to me?" even though Moses couldn't whisper, so great was his anxiety and trembling in the terrible troubles that beset him. (43/248)

Prayer is a work of the Second Commandment. (13/83)

This is the first requisite of prayer: to lay hold of God and to believe that He is merciful and gracious and wants to help. (13/86)

"In the day of my distress incline Thy ear to me!" (Psalm 102:2) Hear me at the time I am distressed and am suffering. To incline the ear is nothing else than to heed the cry of a troubled heart. Yet this same inclining also means that though he cannot call or desire strongly enough to reach up to the ears of God, he prays that God may turn downward toward him to hear him. (14/179)

"Pour out your heart before Him." (Psalm 62:8) Voice your complaint freely, and do not conceal anything from Him. Regardless of what it is, just throw it in a pile before Him, as you open your heart completely to a good friend. He wants to hear it, and He wants to give you His aid and counsel. Do not be bashful before Him, and do not think that what you ask is too big or too much. Come right out with it, even if all you have is bags full of need. Out with everything; God is greater and more able and more willing than all our transgressions. Do not dribble your requests before Him; God is not a man whom you can overburden with your begging and asking. The more you ask, the happier He is to hear you. Only pour it all out, do not dribble or drip it. For He will not drip or dribble either, but He will flood you with a veritable deluge. (14/238)

So why is the prayer of Moses not heard, since it is likely that he prayed in the Spirit? This is written for our example and consolation. For even though the Lord does not hear him and this causes Moses to realize that He is angry with him, as he says here, nevertheless He does not desert him; He commands him to climb the mountain and view the land, and to give orders to Joshua. So, since we do not know in what manner we should pray (Rom. 8:26), let us not be surprised if we are not heard. At the same time, however, let us in no wise doubt that we are favored by, and dear to, God; and let us grasp at the favor beneath the wrath, lest we lose heart. (9/42)

A genuinely Christian prayer must issue from the spirit of grace, which says: "I have lived my best; therefore I implore Thee not to regard my life and my conduct, but Thy mercy and compassion promised me in Christ, and because of this to grant me the fulfillment of my prayer." (24/88)

Thus they make it all a matter of works. If one asks them whether they are sure their prayers have been heard, they reply: "I prayed, but God alone knows whether my petitions have been granted." But what kind of prayer is it when you do not know what you are doing or what God says about it? A Christian, however, does not look at prayer in this way. As he undertakes to pray in compliance with God's command and in reliance on His promise, he offers it to God in the name of Christ, and he knows that what he asks for will not be denied him. And he actually experiences God's help in every need. Even if he is not immediately delivered from his distress, he knows nonetheless that his prayer is pleasing to God and is heard; and he knows that God enables him to bear and overcome his distress. This ability is tantamount to the removal of the trouble. Now that it has been overcome, it can no longer be called a misfortune or an affliction. (24/241)

It pains a weak and inexperienced heart terribly to be arraigned before a court of justice and to suffer violence there, to be condemned, to be treated unjustly, and, in addition, to be laughed at and mocked in its misery. This is true to a far greater degree in these great divine matters, where such treatment is not only received from the judge and the world but is also confirmed by the devil. As a result the heart breaks down and says: "It serves you right. Why did you undertake this? Why did you venture all alone to teach the whole world? Are you yourself not a sinner? What you are suffering is still much less than you deserve. Do not the facts show that God is against you and not with you?" These are really mortal blows, the true farewell drink of gall and vinegar, such as Christ tasted on the cross when He cried: "I thirst." The devil has masterly ability to shoot such poisonous fiery darts (Eph. 6:16) into the heart, especially when he gets a person alone. Then he blasts and destroys everything man has had and has regarded as right and good. Thus—especially during the three days of Christ's suffering and death—he shook and winnowed the apostles as though he had them in a sieve. In consequence, they lost all precious, friendly thoughts they had about Christ; that God had given them the dear, faithful Savior, who had done such great things and had been so friendly and such a comfort to them. He tears all this out of their hearts in one moment, and substitutes nothing but heavy, melancholy thoughts of death and hell, such as: "Now where is your Christ, on whom you relied and of whom you thought that if you had Him, you would have a gracious God and every blessing? There He lies, executed and hanged as a malefactor and a miscreant, cursed not only by men but also by God. And you who clung to Him are in the same condemnation and deserve to share His fate." (24/378-79)

There is no other or better action than zealous prayer to God and earnest petition to Him to guard the pure teaching of His Word Himself. (12/184)

To call on God and to say, "Have mercy," is not a great deal of work. But to add the particle "on me"—this is really what the Gospel inculcates so earnestly, and yet we experience how hard it is for us to do it. This "on me" hinders almost all our prayers, when it ought to be the only reason and highest occasion for praying. (12/317)

"You frighten me away, Satan, because I am a sinner. But I see that I must pray most of all because of this one reason, that I am a very great sinner and have need of mercy." The same must be done in the very heat of temptation, when the mind is tempted with thoughts of lust or vengeance. If someone is urged to pray under these circumstances, the mind immediately protests that it is impure, as though among these dirty thoughts there could be no room for prayer. Here you should insist on the contrary that we must not expect temptation to end or thoughts of lust or other vice to disappear completely from the mind. In the very moment in which you feel that the temptation is strongest and that you are least prepared for prayer, go off into a solitary place, and pray the Lord's Prayer or whatever you can say against Satan and his temptation. Then you will feel the temptation subsiding and Satan turning his tail. If anyone thinks that prayer should be put off until the mind is clean of impure thoughts, he is doing nothing but using his wisdom and strength to help Satan, who is already more than strong enough. (12/318)

The intellect makes the prayer, but the feeling makes the cry, for the latter desires, but the former shows what it should desire, and how and whence. (11/295

God will give more bountifully than we shall ask. What is not granted however, is not the fault of Him who hears but of him who prays. Therefore when we pray for the progress of the Gospel, not only will the Gospel move forward, but everything contrary to it will be put down. (16/336)

The prophet arouses our faith that it may ardently pray against tyranny. Just as the orator endeavors to influence the minds of the judges, so theology aims at influencing God through prayer in a strong faith, as if to say, "Your holy people, who have done nothing against You, must endure this suffering. Should this not arouse Your compassion? Such unutterable groans wrestle with God in prayer. (17/361)Faith is always in anxiety during prayer: it must proceed in desperation and various groanings, but then it should close the eyes and say, "Lord, You will make it turn out right. 'Hallowed be Thy name.'" (17/365)

Every prayer of the godly stands and perseveres in the promises. Every prayer should be concerned about the promises. Summary: "Even in times of darkness and the hiding of Your face, You will act no differently. Your promises are there, and they stand, and you remain our Father." (17/370)

Thus when I pray for Zwingli or someone else, God will answer my prayer on a far higher level than I have in mind. Thus if I pray, I am anticipating a great thing in my prayer. "Lord, 'hallowed be Thy name.' Destroy the papacy, the Turk, and the ungodly." Then He will come to destroy them more fully than we pray, namely, on the Last Day. (17/393)

For in our time we must not think that everything someone understands in a subtle way even in the Scriptures or thinks up and finds in an extraordinary way {John Calvin} is from God or pleasing to God. For thus Ezekiel says to the devil under the name of prince of Tyre (Ezek 28:3): "Behold, you are wiser than Daniel" (that is, wiser than all speculative thinkers). The devil now knows all mysteries, because they were revealed throughout the world, and he is more brilliant than we. Therefore, by God's permission, he can suggest remarkable things to the mind for the purpose of seducing the proud. This is what he is now doing for the heretics and what he did in the past. They have abounded with a remarkable understanding in the Scriptures, even though they might be blinded with heretical darkness. So I Cor. 13:2: "Though I knew all mysteries"; and Matt. 7:22: "Have we not prophesied in Thy name?" and Phil. 1:15: "Some preach Christ because of envy." Therefore let no one, however learned he may be, jump to the conclusion that he is always illuminated by the Holy Spirit. More often this is accomplished by the devil, who transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). Therefore he must always be strongly feared and thoroughly brought low. Yet for that reason the understanding gained in this way must not be rejected, but "through prayer and blessing everything is sanctified (I Tim. 4:5). Therefore here, too, you must put the cross and prayer above it. (10/347-48)

But now there is an almost universal complaint about the sterility and dryness of the emotions, and this is so because the people are distracted and dry while they are praying. This verse (Ps. 69:3) briefly depicts the labored, dry, and irreverent prayer of the church in our time, or in a time soon to be. (10/359)

In praying no one should pray for himself alone or of himself alone, nor should he pray for some one gift, but prayer should be made for all that is good and for all men. Otherwise it would mean to narrow His goodness and enclose it for one man. (10/394)

I have exhorted so often, and still exhort, that all who wish to be saved diligently, as Christ Himself commands us to pray (Matt. 9:38), that God may grant us faithful laborers and pastors who are sincere and adhere to the Word. Then if God be willing, there will be no danger. For the pulpit can and must alone preserve Baptism, Sacrament, doctrine, articles of faith, and all estates in their purity. (28/62)

It is a shame to pray to God for a mere pittance. From the very greatness of the gifts the confidence to ask for great things grows. He gave His Son. Our petitions—peace in the world, wisdom for magistrates—are far inferior to a prayer for eternal life and remission of sins. Let everyone then expand his heart and pray not to a simple little God but to the God of the heaven and earth He created. So He will give great things to those who ask for great things. Christians who understand that these are the gifts of God pray. Let this be the first fruit of love, that you pray.

Supplications are prayers with which we pray for the evils to be averted, so that when I pray for a prince, I shall say: "God, the evils which threaten his official position are countless. There will be great danger in the Council of Ratisbon. Satan will call the participants away from serious matters so that they discuss trifles." Prayers are requests for good things: that the Lord would remove every lamentable condition with which Germany is being oppressed; that instead of those evil men He would give prudent, wise, pious princes who are eager for peace. Intercessions correctly apply to our enemies, according to Matt. 5:44, who do not seem worthy of our praying for them. We must, however, pray for our enemies. Thanksgivings are the gratitudes of the saints. Gratitude always merits the receipt of more; ingratitude drains the fountain of divine goodness. Gratitude consists of more than the expression "I thank you, Lord God." It also involves acknowledging first that it is a gift of God, that a type of government, and the security that allows one to marry are pure gifts of God. Gratitude must be involved with prayers, because one must confess the gifts he has received. (I Timothy 2:1-2) (28/256-57

Let our prayer not be a carnal one, a prayer that seeks our own ends. We must not pray to live in wealth but to ask that godliness and dignity may be able to exist through peace. We use peace that we may more quietly be able to discuss the Word, extend the faith, and bring up our children in spiritual, corporal, and moral discipline—in Christian discipline. (28/259)

Conclusion: Lot and his experience with the destruction of Sodom present to us a glowing and golden account of spiritual prayer. Here are the highlights:

Lot: "Oh, no, my lords; behold , your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life; but I cannot flee to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me, and I die. Behold, yonder city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!" (Genesis 19:18-20)

Luther: Here one can see how great the power of prayer is, inasmuch as Lot rejects that last command—about ascending the hills—and pleads to go to Zoar because he could have been tempted to look back into the valley from the hills and thus perish. Moreover, this seemingly brief prayer has all the requirements of a good prayer. To be sure, God gives all things out of free mercy; yet He wants to be entreated, for there is a plain command by which we are directed to pray. Besides, there is joined to the command the promise that He will hear.

Therefore let us learn that prayer is highly necessary, and let us not allow ourselves to be deceived by this evil temptation, that we think that even without our prayer God will give us what we need, and that since He knows what benefits us most, there is no need of prayer. Augustine is right when he says: "He who made you without you does not want to save you without you." Accordingly, we have been appointed to perform a variety of duties, in order that we may be helpers, as it were, or "workers together with God," as Paul terms it ( Cor. 6:1). And I stated above that God is able to make a human being out of clay. But a different way pleases Him, namely, that you become a husband and take a lawful wife. Thus He would be able to teach and enlighten hearts without the ministry of the Word, but He does not want to do so. For this reason He has established the external ministry and has instituted the sacraments. He is able to forgive sins without Baptism, but He does not do so; for He wants us human beings to have a share in His workings. Therefore it would be the height of ingratitude to despise these. You must have the same conviction about prayer. For this is God's ordered will: He wants to be entreated, and to those who entreat Him He wants to give the Holy Spirit and everything they need.

Now let us look at the parts of a prayer. The first requirement of a good prayer is that it give thanks to God and recall in the heart and in words the benefits you have received from God. Thus in the Lord's Prayer we indeed ask for daily bread; but since in its beginning we call God our Father, we confess by this very term that up to this time we have been supported and defended by God and have received every fatherly kindness from God. In the rules of rhetoric this is called gaining good will, which is best brought about by praise and giving thanks.

In the second place, there is either the complaint or the mention of the need. Lot says: "I am in the greatest dangers if I go up into the hills in accordance with Your wish. I have already sinned by delaying, but a similar misfortune could happen to me. Therefore I pray You because of the mercy with which You have saved me to grant me what I am asking."

In the third place, Lot states what he wants granted to him. He says: "I shall flee to the city which is close at hand, and there I shall be saved." Moreover, he enlarges on this request in an excellent manner by giving particulars. "This city is small," he says. "Furthermore, it is close by, and there I shall be able to be safe from every danger."

This is Lot's prayer, and in accordance with it God changes His plan and intention—something of which you should carefully take note—for at this point one should not debate about the secret change of God's will. On the contrary, one should learn what the psalm (145:19) also teaches: "The Lord fulfills the desire of all who fear Him." God does the will of those who fear Him and subordinates His will to ours, provided we continue to fear Him. Thus this account serves to rouse and spur us on to prayer in all our dangers, since God wants to do what we want, provided that we humble prostrate ourselves before Him and pray.

God wants to disregard His own will and do ours. These facts must be earnestly impressed on the people and on us, lest the disposition to pray flag in us. To be sure, God does everything, but we, too, must do what belongs to our calling. He give bread to nourish and preserve the body; but He gives it to him who labors, sows, reaps, etc. And when you sow the land, you must not think that nothing will result from your labor. For it is God's command that you should do your duty, and He wants to work through you. Therefore you must devote yourself to your work and duty with all your strength and attention, and leave the rest to God. Thus when it is necessary to fight the Turk, God's command urges you in the first place to defend your subjects. Therefore you should equip yourself and provide weapons as well as the other things necessary for war and say: "I have done what I could; but supply, Lord, what is still lacking in me, in order that Thy will may be done." For this reason, Paul, too, admonishes us (Rom. 12:11) not to be slothful in our zeal or to relax our zeal.

In this way we should gain the courage to pray, which men taught by spiritual discernment have called a labor above all other labors. Why is this? For no other reason than that a most violent conflict must be maintained against the hesitating and murmuring to which faintheartedness and a feeling of unworthiness give rise. Let us, therefore, learn to fortify ourselves against these plots of Satan, and let us direct our attention to promises and example like those recorded here about Lot. For these things were not written for Lot's sake; they were written for our sakes, in order that we may learn how to check God's angry will and to meet God when He shows the rod that is near by, just as the Lord Himself says in Ezekiel (22:30): "And I sought for a man among themâ€¦who should stand in the breach before Me…and I found none. Therefore I have poured out My indignation upon them."

In this way we should gain the courage to pray, which men taught by spiritual discernment have called a labor above all other labors. Why is this? For no other reason than that a most violent conflict must be maintained against the hesitating and murmuring to which faintheartedness and a feeling of unworthiness give rise. Let us, therefore, learn to fortify ourselves against these plots of Satan, and let us direct our attention to promises and example like those recorded here about Lot. For these things were not written for Lot's sake; they were written for our sakes, in order that we may learn how to check God's angry will and to meet God when He shows the rod that is near by, just as the Lord Himself says in Ezekiel (22:30): "And I sought for a man among themâ€¦who should stand in the breach before Meâ€¦and I found none. Therefore I have poured out My indignation upon them."

Hence God is provoked to wrath if we neglect prayer, for His own command is being disregarded. Let us, therefore, pray boldly and with confidence. If He does not give what we are asking for, He will nevertheless give something else that is better; for prayer cannot be in vain, as James, too, states (5:16): "The prayer of a righteous man avails much if it is persistent," that is, earnest and ardent. For God cannot despise a righteous man and all his works. Even though the world persecutes him, God nevertheless respects his works and words, yes, even his sufferings. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints" (Ps. 116:15).

Blessings to you, Tim, as you explore this violent, wrathful, sorrowful and blessed canyon of prayer. May it bring you forth as pure gold, purified in God's furnace seven times.

Love,

Dad
March 26, 2002