Lord’s Day 45
Q118. What has God commanded us to pray for?
Everything we need, spiritually and physically, as embraced in the prayer Christ our Lord himself taught us.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
James 1:17
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Matthew 6:33
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Commentary — Zacharias Ursinus (1616)
The conditions of acceptable prayer are —
1. "That it be directed to the true God", or that the true God be called upon, who has revealed himself in the church by the word delivered by the Prophets and Apostles, and by the work of creation, preservation and redemption. This true God now is the eternal Father, Son and Holy Ghost. ""As we have received,"" said Basil, ""so have we been baptized, and as we have been baptized, so do we believe, and as we believe, so do we worship the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.""
2. The second requisite of acceptable prayer, "is a knowledge of the divine commandment". Without the commandment of God we doubt in regard to our being heard. The person, however, that has an eye to the divine command, rests fully assured that his prayers are acceptable to God; because the worship which God requires of us, in his word, cannot be other wise than pleasing to him. When we pray, therefore, we ought so to think and resolve, "I call upon thee, because thou hast commanded me".