Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
John CalvinRead
To know God as the sovereign disposer of all good, inviting us to present our requests, and yet not to approach or ask of him, were so far from availing us, that it were just as if one told of a treasure were to allow it to remain buried in the ground.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of approaching God with our requests, likening unasked blessings to buried treasure.
John Calvin suggests that while knowing God’s nature as the source of all good is important, failing to actively engage with Him in prayer is futile. Just as a treasure remains inaccessible if left buried, so too are the blessings and guidance from God if one does not seek them through communication and prayer.
Themes
GodPrayerBlessingsFaithRequestsTreasure
In practice
Example use cases
A pastor might use this quote during a sermon about the importance of prayer.
More from John Calvin
All quotes →The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves. The Scripture supplies him with the means of doing both.
John CalvinRead
Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty.
John CalvinRead
Whomever the Lord has adopted and deemed worthy of His fellowship ought to prepare themselves for a hard, toilsome, and unquiet life, crammed with very many and various kinds of evil.
John CalvinRead
For as the aged, or those whose sight is defective, when any book, however fair, is set before them, though they perceive that there is something written, are scarcely able to make out two consecutive words, but, when aided by glasses, begin to read distinctly, so Scripture, gathering together the impressions of Deity, which, till then, lay confused in our minds, dissipates the darkness, and shows us the true God clearly.
John CalvinRead
When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.
John CalvinRead
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