Calvin on Prayer – God Forgives Us When Our Prayers Are Marked by Human Weakness

Calvin addresses a matter most Christians have thought or worried about. “Does God accept my prayers when I doubt, am impatient with him, or when I allow my mind to wander carelessly?” Calvin reminds us that our prayers do not require perfection in wording nor perfect faith to be heard and answered by God. What God seeks of us is an awareness and acknowledgement of his majesty.

16. Our prayers can obtain an answer only through God’s forgiveness

Calvin reminds us that the essence of prayer is intimate conversation with God.

This also is worth noting: what I have set forth on the four rules of right praying (What God Offers Us in Prayer ) is not so rigorously required that God will reject those prayers in which he finds neither perfect faith nor repentance, together with a warmth of zeal and petitions rightly conceived.

I have said that, although prayer is an intimate conversation of the pious with God, yet reverence and moderation must be kept, lest we give loose rein to miscellaneous requests, and lest we crave more than God allows; further, that we should lift up our minds to a pure and chaste veneration of him, lest God’s majesty become worthless for us.

He cites David as one forgiven for improper prayer.

No one has ever carried this out with the uprightness that was due; for, not to mention the rank and file, how many complaints of David savor of intemperance! Not that he would either deliberately expostulate with God or clamor against his judgments, but that, fainting with weakness, he finds no other solace better than to cast his own sorrows into the bosom of God. But God tolerates even our stammering and pardons our ignorance whenever something inadvertently escapes us; as indeed without this mercy there would be no freedom to pray. But although David intended to submit completely to God’s will, and prayed with no less patience than zeal to obtain his request, yet there come forth—sometimes, rather, boil up—turbulent emotions, quite out of harmony with the first rule that we laid down.

Calvin points out that when we acknowledge that we prayed improperly God graciously forgives us.

We can especially see from the ending of the Thirty-ninth Psalm with what violent sorrow this holy man is carried away, so that he cannot control himself. “Let me alone,” he says, “before I depart, and be no more.” [Ps. 39:13] One might say that this desperate man seeks nothing except to rot in his evils, with God’s hand withdrawn. Not that he deliberately rushes into that intemperance, or, as the wicked are wont, wishes to be far from God, but he only complains that God’s wrath is unbearable. In those trials also there are often uttered petitions not sufficiently consonant with the rule of God’s Word, and in which the saints do not sufficiently weigh what is lawful and expedient. All prayers marred by these defects deserve to be repudiated; nevertheless, provided the saints bemoan their sins, chastise themselves, and immediately return to themselves, God pardons them.

They likewise sin with regard to the second rule [praying from a sincere sense of want and penitence]; for they must repeatedly wrestle with their own coldness, and their need and misery do not sharply enough urge them to pray earnestly. Now it often happens that their minds slip away and well-nigh vanish; accordingly, in this respect there is also need for pardon, lest our languid or mutilated, or interrupted and vague, prayers suffer a refusal. God has planted in men’s minds by nature the principle that their prayers are lawful only when their minds are uplifted. Hence the rite of lifting up the hands, to which we have previously referred—one common to all ages and peoples, and still in force. But how rarely is there one who, in raising up his hands, is not aware of his own apathy, since his heart stays on the ground?

What God desires of us is a broken and humble heart.

With regard to seeking forgiveness of sins, although no believers neglect this topic, yet those truly versed in prayers know that they do not offer the tenth part of that sacrifice of which David speaks: “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” [Ps. 51:17]. Accordingly, men should always seek a twofold pardon because they are aware of many offenses, the feeling of which still does not so touch them that they are as much displeased with themselves as they ought to be, but also because, in so far as it has been granted them to benefit by repentance and fear of God, stricken down with a just sorrow on account of their offenses, they pray that the wrath of the judge be averted.

Calvin points out that our prayers often suffer due to human weakness.

Most of all it is weakness or imperfection of faith that vitiates believers’ prayers, unless God’s mercy succor them; but no wonder God pardons this defect, since he often tests his own with sharp trials, as if he deliberately willed to snuff out their faith. Hardest of all is this trial, where believers are compelled to cry out, “How long wilt thou be angry with the prayer of thy servant?” [Ps. 80:4; cf. 79:5], as if prayers themselves annoyed God. So when Jeremiah says, “God has shut out my prayer” [Lam. 3:8], there is no doubt that he was stricken with violent perturbation. Innumerable examples of this kind occur in Scripture, from which it is clear the faith of the saints was often so mixed and troubled with doubts that in believing and hoping they yet betrayed some want of faith. But because they do not reach the goal desired, they ought the more to endeavor to correct their faults, and each day come nearer to the perfect rule of prayer.

Thankfully, God does not loathe our prayers! He does want us to strive to remove hindrances to our prayers.

Meanwhile they should feel too the depths of evil in which those have been plunged who bring new diseases upon themselves in their very remedies, seeing that there is no prayer which in justice God would not loathe if he did not overlook the spots with which all are sprinkled. I do not recount these matters in order that believers may confidently pardon themselves for anything but that by severely chastising themselves they may strive to overcome these obstacles; and although Satan tries to block all paths to prevent them from praying, they should nonetheless break through, surely persuaded that, although not freed of all hindrances, their efforts still please God and their petitions are approved, provided they endeavor and strive toward a goal not immediately attainable.

Calvin, Institutes, 3.20.16