Prayer: What does Johann Gerhard say? (Week 2)
Join us as Pastor Ricky Jacob explores the 400-year old writings of Johann Gerhard and his thoughts on prayer.
Start at the beginning: Week 1
I told you that the topic of this week is on prayer. We will be reflecting especially on the thoughts of Johann Gerhard and his writings of some 400 years ago.
Gerhard wrote: There are four immovable truths on which our confidence to pray rests. Because of these, we may be certain that our heavenly Father mercifully hears our prayers. The truths on which our certainty rests are God's omnipotent kindness, God's unfailing truthfulness, Christ's intercession as our mediator, and the Holy Spirit's testimony.
Today we will look at God's omnipotent kindness. God is all-powerful! He has the power to create. He has the power to destroy. He truly brought you into this world and He can certainly take you out. However, note the last word in today's immovable truth - kindness. God is indeed powerful, no doubt about it. God is also kind. Or in a word, God is love. God's love extends to you today!
Gerhard wrote: How much has God given to us without our asking? He has given us body and soul. He has even given us His own Son. What will He give to us if only we ask Him? Because God has given us such great things, we can have courage and confidence when we ask Him for lesser things. Everything we ask for is insignificant compared to the fact that the Son of God willingly suffered and died for us. God's goodness is boundless and infinite.
Luther explained the work of God the Father in this way: [Creator God] richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. . . All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.
Gerhard taught the following benefits of prayer:
• It is a winch, drawing us to heaven, and a vessel that draws water from the font of divine kindness.
• [Prayer] is a consolation for the dejected and a delight for the holy.
I close with this thought from Johann Gerhard:
Whoever is truly a child of God through faith will, with childlike trust, address his or her heavenly Father every day in prayer. The one in whose heart the Holy Spirit has made His home will, as a spiritual priest, daily offer to God this incense of prayer.