Sermon 23, Job 6:1-7
In today’s sermon Calvin discusses prayer. I find prayer hard. First, what drives us to pray? This is key to Calvin’s message today. Calvin talks about the man that acknowledges his position. “They appear to be delicate and weak, but it is they who are the most robust and steadfast”. David was not “hampered by physical afflictions”, no he was a tough guy, instead “he examines himself and his conscience is touched.” In short, the manly man is reflective, self-critical and hyper-aware of his short comings. This is a motivator for prayer. Good. But prayer is difficult, for me at least. On that note I’m relieved to read Calvin write regarding prayer “If someone asked us, ‘what are you saying? What are you asking of God?’ We would not know what to tell him.” And even more “even if the one who is praying is entangled in the language and cannot say what he wants to, God still understands that kind of expression.” That’s of great comfort to me.
A last note. Calvin writes now with great simplicity and clarity on suffering and affliction. Calvin is unequivocal on two things: “We now see why God afflicts us. In the first place it is because we deserve it and, second, because he wishes to advance our salvation that way.” Pretty clear, right? A little earlier, on spiritual battles (which we suck at, being much better at physical battles because we live in the flesh) he writes “we would do stupid things without them, and that would be a sign that God has forsaken us and that our consciences are asleep.” The comfort is that feeling bad about myself, which likely has to induced (prodded) by my circumstances, actually means God is near and loves me.