Prayer, with thanksgiving, being one special part of religious worship, is by God required of all men: and, that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son, by the help of His Spirit, according to His will, with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance; and, if vocal, in a known tongue.
God requires prayer with thanksgiving of all men, but only that prayer that is offered according to God's commandments is acceptable. We discussed this briefly yesterday. Proverbs 28:9 states, "If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination." In the mouths of the disobedient even prayer is an affront to God.
In order that prayer may be accepted, it is
1. to be made in the name of the Son, again invoking the idea of a necessary mediator. Notice the use of triune components.
2. by the help of God's Spirit (Romans 8:26-27).
3. according to God's will, knowing what you are saying, with the proper attitude of reverence and humility, believing in the importance of what you are doing, in faith (for all things apart from faith are sin), with love, and with perseverance.
4. if spoken aloud, in a known tongue. At the time, this was directed against the use of Latin in worship services, because the average congregant did not understand Latin. It is interesting to meditate on the potential application of this instruction to the phenomenon of glossolalia seen in some churches today.
The Confession does not here take up the subject of the content of our prayers. The divines undoubtedly discouraged the use of rote or repetitive prayers, but it is legitimate for Christians to use the Lord's Prayer as a model ("Pray in this manner," our Lord said) and even as part of community worship. Paul adds further instruction as to the content of prayers in 1 Timothy 2:1-2.
Tomorrow: More words on prayer.
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