Second Sermon.
From your commandment.
In order for a prayer to be good and to be heard, it must first be noted that five things are necessary. The first is that one has a promise or promise from God, and first considers it, reminds God of it, and thereby moves himself to ask comfortingly. For if God had not called to ask and promised to hear, all creatures would not obtain a grain with all their asking. From this it follows that no one can ask for anything.
We do not obtain from God the worthiness of his prayer, but only out of divine goodness, which precedes all asking and desiring, and by his gracious promise and command moves us to ask and desire: that we may learn how much more he cares for us, and is more ready to give than we are to receive; and seek boldly to ask comfortingly, because he offers all and more than we can ask.
Secondly, it is necessary not to doubt the promise of the true and faithful God. For this very reason he has promised to hear, even commanded to ask, so that one ever has certain and firm faith that it will be heard; when he says in Matthew Cap. 21, 22: "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." And in Luke he says Cap. 11, 9-13: "I say also unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For whosoever asketh, receiveth; whosoever seeketh, findeth; and whosoever knocketh, it shall be opened unto him. Where then among you does a son ask his father for bread, and he offers him a stone for it? Or if he asks for a fish, will he ask a snake for it? or if he asks for an egg, will he ask a scorpion for it? So then you who are bad can give good gifts to your children; how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" On this and such a promise and command one must comfortably rely and ask with right confidence.
Thirdly, if someone prays in such a way that he doubts God's answer, and only puts his prayer to the test, whether it will be done or not, he does two evil things. The first is that he himself destroys his prayer and works in vain. For thus saith Jacob, Cap. 1:6, 7: "Whosoever will ask of God, let him ask in faith, and doubt not: for he that doubteth is like a wave of the sea driven and wafted by the wind; but such a man thinketh not that he shall receive anything of the Lord." This is what he means, that the same man's heart does not keep still, therefore God cannot give him anything; but faith keeps the heart still and makes it receptive to divine gifts.
The other evil thing is that he considers his most faithful and true God to be a liar and a loose, uncertain man, as one who may not or will not fulfill his promises, and thus by his doubt deprives God of the honor and name of faithfulness and truth. In this it is so hardly sinned against that also by the same sin a Christian becomes a heathen.
and denies and loses his own God, and if he remains in it, he must be eternally damned without all consolation. But if anything he asks is given him, it is not given to him for salvation, but for harm, temporally and eternally; not even for the sake of prayer, but out of the wrath of God, to reward the good words spoken in sins, unbelief and godly dishonor.
(5) Fourthly, some say: Yes, I would trust that my prayer would be heard, if I were worthy and did well. I answer, If thou wilt not pray sooner, when thou knowest or feelest thyself worthy and skillful, thou needest never pray again. For as was said before, our prayer must not be based on our worthiness or his worthiness, but on the unchanging truth of divine promise; and if it is based on itself or anything else, it is false and deceives you, even if with great devotion the heart breaks and weeps drops of blood. For this we ask, that we are not worthy to ask; and by this very thing we become worthy to ask and to be heard, that we think we are unworthy, and dare to comfort ourselves in the faithfulness of God alone. However unworthy you may be, look at it and realize with all seriousness that it is a thousand times more important that you honor God's truth and do not turn His faithful promise into a lie in your doubt. For your worthiness does not help you, your unworthiness does not hinder you; but disbelief condemns you, and confidence dignifies and keeps you.
6. Therefore, beware throughout your life that you never consider yourself worthy or skilled to ask or receive; unless thou find thyself a free venturer on the true and certain promise of thy gracious God, who will thus reveal to thee his mercy and goodness, that at the same time as he hath promised to hear the unworthy, undeserving, out of pure grace, unbidden, he will also hear the unworthy supplicant out of pure grace, in honor of his truth and promise; so that you will not be unworthy of his truth, but of his truth, that he may fulfill the promise, and of his mercy, that he may fulfill the promise.
Give thanks for the promise he has made, so that the saying in Psalm 25, vv. 8-10, may stand: "The Lord is good and right, therefore he will instruct sinners in the way: he guides the wretched aright, and teaches the miserable his way. The ways of the Lord are goodness and faithfulness unto them that keep his covenant and testimony." Kindness or mercy in promise; faithfulness or truth in fulfillment or hearing of promises. And in another Psalm he says: "Goodness and faithfulness meet together, righteousness and peace kiss each other", Ps. 85, 11, that is, they come together in every work and gift that we obtain from God through petition.
(7) Fifthly, in this trust we are to keep ourselves so that we do not set a goal, day or place for God, nor set the manner or measure of his answer; but give all this home to his will, wisdom and omnipotence, only waiting freshly and cheerfully for the answer: but not wanting to know how and where, how soon, how long, and by whom; for his divine wisdom will abundantly find better manner and measure, time and place, than we may think of, and miraculous signs should also take place. As in the Old Testament: when the children of Israel
They trusted in God to deliver them, yet there was no possible way before their eyes, nor in all their thoughts; then the Red Sea opened up and gave them a way through, and drowned all their enemies at once, Exodus 14.
8 So Judith the holy woman, when she heard that the citizens of Bethulia were going to surrender the city in five days, if God did not help them, chastised them, saying, "Who are you to tempt God? These are not acts of mercy to obtain mercy, but rather to arouse disfavor. Will you set a time for God to have mercy on you, and set a day at your pleasure?" Judith 8, 10. 14. Therefore God also helped her in a strange way, so that she cut off the head of the great Holofernes and the enemies were driven away.
(9) St. Paul also says that God's ability is such that He does exceedingly more and better than we ask or understand, Eph. 3:20. Therefore, we should consider ourselves too lowly to name, depict, or present the time, place, manner, measure, and other circumstances of what we ask of God; but rather, we should completely place everything in His hands and firmly believe that He will hear us.