Heidelberg Catechism, Question 116
Question 116
Why is prayer necessary for Christians?
Because it is that chief part of thankfulness which God requires of us (Ps. 50;14, 15); and also, because God will give his grace and Holy Spirit to those only, who with sincere desire continually ask them of him, and are thankful for them (Luke 11;13).
Scripture references for paragraph 1
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Psalms 50:1414Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and fulfill your vows to the Most High.
Psalms 50:1515Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
Luke 11:1313So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Matthew 7:77Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
Deuteronomy 4:2929But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Jeremiah 29:1313You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Source and edition
Heidelberg Catechism. RCA English, E. R. Good & Bro., Tiffin, 1879. RCA English, E. R. Good & Bro., Tiffin, 1879
Public Domain (historic text); CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikisource transcription). Source transcription.
Transcription licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0.
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