Forty-Six Sermons in Vol II of the Works - Edwards - XXV - 'The most high a prayer-hearing God'

-->Required reading
Forty-Six Sermons in Volume II of the Works by Jonathan Edwards (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read the Sermon entitled 'The most high a prayer-hearing God'.

My summary
Today Edwards expounds Psalm lxv. 2. 'O thou that hearest prayer'.

Edwards' main doctrine from the sermon is 'That it is the character of the Most High, that he is a God who hears prayer.'

Edwards supports the doctrine by showing:
1. That the Most High is a God that hears prayer;
2. That he is eminently such a God;
3. That herein he is distinguished from all false gods;
4. The reasons of the doctrine.

Then by way of application Edwards says that from this doctrine we 'may learn how highly we are privileged, in that we have the Most High revealed to us, who is a God that heareth prayer'.

What grabbed me
Edwards made some great points about why God requires prayer in order to bestow mercy.  Particularly this one: '. With respect to ourselves, God requires prayer of us in order to the bestowment of mercy, because it tends to prepare us for its reception. Fervent prayer many ways tends to prepare the heart. Hereby is excited a sense of our need, and of the value of the mercy which we seek, and at the same time earnest desires for it; whereby the mind is more prepared to prize it, to rejoice in it when bestowed, and to be thankful for it. Prayer, with suitable confession, may excite a sense of our unworthiness of the mercy we seek; and the placing of ourselves in the immediate presence of God, may make us sensible of his majesty, and in a sense fit to receive mercy of him. Our prayer to God may excite in us a suitable sense and consideration of our dependence on God for the mercy we ask, and a suitable exercise of faith in God’s sufficiency, that so we may be prepared to glorify his name when the mercy is received.'

When we receive something that we have earnestly prayed for, our joy is all the more greater!

Next week's reading
Read the Sermon entitled 'The nature and end of excommunication'.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.