Martin Luther and Prayer
Lent is a time of repentance and prayer, and in keeping with this, I would like to share some advice from Martin Luther on prayer. The following comes from his Lectures on Genesis, where Luther is commenting on Lot’s request to God (Genesis 19:18-20):
“The first requirement of a good prayer is that it give thanks to God and recall in the heart and 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 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 to 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.”
Luther teaches that faith is necessary for a good prayer, for one must believe in God and trust in Him to pray properly. Luther also urges us to pray confidently, with a full assurance that God not only hears our prayer but answers them. Luther writes, “Therefore Bernard admonishes his brothers not to esteem their prayers lightly but to know that their prayers are written in heaven before they themselves have finished them.”
In Christ,
Rev. David L. Putz, Pastor
Holy Cross Lutheran Church (LCMS)
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Good things are happening at Holy Cross! Praise God for that. When we keep Word and Sacrament ministry at the heart of what we do, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is sown. As we share the Word, God gives the growth and we rejoice as humble stewards of the God who changes lives and hearts. Help us always, Lord, to keep Your Word at the center of our life together under your Holy Cross!
Please continue to pray for our congregation and each other. Don’t forget to visit our church website www.holycross-crawfordsville.org to find links for all our services on YouTube.