A Christian Epistle on Prayer

...as well as everything we obtain through prayer, is God's grace. He cares far more for the desires of a faithful heart than for words, so that no one should think he has achieved it through his own works A common Reformation-era theme: that even the act of praying is a gift of grace, preventing pride in one's own religious efforts..

All this—and how true prayer also manifests outwardly—is clearly expressed in many Psalms. For example, in Psalm 88, where the Prophet prays and says: "Lord God, my Savior, I cry day and night before you; let my prayer come before you. Incline your ear to my cry, for my soul is full of misery. Lord, I call upon you daily; I spread out my hands to you," etc. And previously in the 86th Psalm: "Lord, to you I lift up my soul; I call to you daily. Hear, Lord, my prayer and take note of the voice of my supplication. In distress I call upon you; you will answer me." Likewise, Psalm 142: "I cry to the Lord with my voice; I plead with the Lord with my voice. I pour out my speech before him and show him my distress. Lord, to you I cry; take note of my lament," etc. Indeed, the entire Psalter The Book of Psalms in the Bible, used as the primary prayer book in Christian and Jewish traditions. is nothing other than a constant conversation with God. How God also answers the devout person who prays will follow hereafter.

Thus did the Prophet David pray with intense earnestness, just as many of the aforementioned words, manners, and gestures that belong to prayer appear in the cited Psalms. These include: lifting up the soul, spreading out the hands, pouring out one's speech as well as the heart before God, crying out, pleading, petitioning, calling upon, lamenting, longing, sighing, etc. Whi- The text cuts off here with the catchword "che alle," likely leading into "Welche alle" (All of which...).