Call to Worship December 17, 2024
“Of the Nature of Prayer in General; with the Import of Praying Without Ceasing
1 Thessalonians 5:17, ‘Pray without ceasing.’
THESE words are an exhortation briefly delivered, as laws use to be; and therein we have, 1. A duty proposed, ‘Pray.’ 2. The manner of it, ‘without ceasing.’
I. We have the duty itself, ‘Pray.’ It may be asked, What is prayer? I answer, It is ‘an offering up of our desires to God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.’…
First, I am to consider the object of this duty, or whom we are to pray to; that is, God: not to saints and angels, as the Papists do; for prayer is a part of religious worship, and therefore due to God only, Matthew 4:10; and he only knows all things, and is present everywhere to hear us, Isaiah 63:16. To all the three persons in the Trinity prayer is due. That it is so to the Father, nobody doubts. That it is due to Christ, the Son, appears from Stephen’s calling upon him in his last moments, and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,’ Acts 7:59. Even Christ the Mediator is to be worshiped, though his divine nature is the reason why he is worshiped, Hebrews 1:6, ‘And let all the angels of God worship him.’ The Holy Spirit also is to be worshiped, as appears from the apostolic blessing, 2 Corinthians 13:14, ‘The communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.’
In respect of the object of worship, people would do well to satisfy themselves, in their addresses to God, with the belief of the Trinity of persons in the Godhead, who are but one object of worship, and not think to comprehend God, but to make use of the names and titles he has taken to himself in the word. Beware of imaginations of God or the three persons, and of dividing the object of worship, as if praying to the Father, you did not also pray to the Son and the Holy Spirit.
It is most necessary our prayers begin with such a description of God, as may both strike fear and dread in our hearts; and confidence of being heard; as, ‘Our Father which are in Heaven;’ ‘O, Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant, and mercy,’ etc., Daniel 9:4. And this will readily be the case, if we have due thoughts of his glorious majesty and infinite excellency.” (Thomas Boston, Discourses on Prayer)