Prayer: The Chief Exercise of Faith

Two spiritual activities are to be unceasingly part of a believer’s life and growth in Christ toward holiness. One is the reading and study of Scripture, and the second is prayer. Reformer John Calvin wrote extensively on the subject of prayer — in his sermons, his famous "The Institutes of the Christian Religion," and his commentaries, especially his commentary on the Psalms. For Calvin, prayer is the essence of the Christian life; it is a precious gift and not an academic problem. As a pastor, Calvin focused primarily on the practice of prayer rather than the doctrine of prayer, which shows how pastorally practical his theology is. In this episode, we will examine Calvin's teaching on prayer.