On Mondays, I’ll be sharing a quote from Christian history to help us learn and grow by engaging with those Christians who come before us as we sit at a soul table. Sixteenth century German pastor and theologian, Johann Habermann writes in his little tome on prayer (originally printed in German and translated in the early twentieth century): “Arise, dear soul, and carefully reflect who He is with whom thou speakest and before whom thou standest when thou prayest. Behold, thou speakest with God, thy Maker, and standest in the presence of Him, the eternal Majesty, whom thousand times thousand holy angels and arch-angels attend.

“Therefore, O Christian, enter thou into the closet of thy soul, and beware, lest thou failest to put from thee all sluggishness of heart, and liftest up to thy God a countenance free from blame. Then wilt thou delight in the Lord and have power with Him, and prevail. Yea, thou wilt conquer the unconquerable God and bear away the blessing through Jesus Christ. Amen.”

That little “exhortation to prayer” comes from: Morning and Evening Prayers for All Days of the Week Together With Confessional, Communion, and Other Prayers and Hymns for Mornings and Evenings, and Other Occasions.