Dear Cornerstone Family,
I was delighted this week to receive a prerelease copy of Dr. Guy Richard’s new book, Persistent Prayer. Guy has been a dear friend for many years, and I’ve always benefited from his writing ministry. This new work is no exception! It’s filled with rich teaching on the purpose of prayer and wise instruction on the practice of prayer. As soon as it’s available for purchase, look for it on The Bookshelf at Cornerstone!
Speaking of prayer, I recently gave a talk on prayer, leaning heavily on John Calvin’s magisterial work, Institutes of the Christian Religion. The rules of prayer Calvin sets forward have done much to revive and grow my own prayer life over the years.
The first rule in prayer for Calvin is the fear of God. All true prayer must sense the seriousness and magnitude of what prayer is—speaking with Almighty God. Contrary to the way it sounds, Calvin is not suggesting we should be scared of God. No, instead, the fear Calvin has in mind is holy reverence and awe, recognizing we are speaking with God Himself when we pray. If we do not experience a holy tremble in the soul as we approach the God of the universe in prayer, then we’re not alive to who God is or the reality of prayer.
The second rule of prayer for Calvin is spiritual humility. As holy fear captures the soul, this second reality comes home—our neediness and dependence on God. Simply stated, Calvin says we should come to God aware that our only hope is in his grace and forgiveness. That is, we come broken and contrite, honest about our doubts, fears, and insufficiencies. We come, as Martin Luther liked to say, “as a beggar begging bread.” By implication, this means we must shed all pretense and phoniness, entering God’s presence “naked in soul,” (C.S. Lewis) for that is who we really are.
The third rule and fourth rule can be paired together, for they are essentially two sides of the same coin. The third rule is submissive trust, and the fourth is confident hope. By submissive trust, Calvin means that we pray with a heart that willingly says, “Thy will be done.” This does not mean we do not ask for what we desire. Instead, it means that when we ask for what we desire, we believe God knows best and will give us what we need. The submissive heart gladly receives whatever God ordains. The more this submissive, trusting heart is formed within us, the more confident hope will become the reality of our prayer life. For in the act of praying, the Spirit aligns our wills with God’s will (Matthew 7:7-8). As that happens, we experience hope that our prayer will be answered, for our prayer is for God’s will to be done.
As you can see, these instructions are less about the content of prayer and more about the heart with which we are to pray. That is because the greatest work of God in prayer is often done inside of us. As we meet with God in prayer, we are conformed more into Christ’s image. As we are conformed more into Christ’s image, we are enabled more and more to rest in God and His will. Let’s pray that godly fear, spiritual humility, submissive trust, and confident hope mark our prayers increasingly in the days ahead!
