When the Psalmist says: “Thou hast ascended on high,” he expresses but the same truth which Christ Himself declares before Pilate, as we have seen above, namely: “My kingdom is not of this world.” We ought therefore as Christians to raise our hearts and thoughts on high, and seek first of all with diligence and great anxiety this spiritual kingdom; yea, although the field of our labor is on earth, where we have our vocation, our family, our cares for the support of our temporal existence and the government of the State, and the like, yet we ought ever to fulfill first this duty, to seek the kingdom of heaven. Do we do it? The greater portion of mankind is so absorbed, with soul and body, in the transactions of this life, that but little attention, or none at all, is given to the fact that Christ ascended on high. The Holy Ghost therefore earnestly desires to dispel this groveling spirit, and to teach us the truth that Christ did not remain on earth, but that He ascended on high, and that consequently we, even while we dwell in the body here below, should ascend to Him in our thoughts and mind, nor permit the cares of this world to burden our hearts.

Thus ought the Christians to distribute their powers. The body and the old Adam, as we have stated, may indeed be busied with the temporal work of every day life, but the heart should be engaged in seeking after the treasures of heaven, as St. Paul exhorts, Col. 3: “Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Luther’s House Postil, Ascension Day, Volume 2, p. 571)

All that is necessary for such prayer is for the heart to exclaim: Father in heaven, I know Thou lovest me because I love Thy dear Son, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, wherefore I come with my requests to Thee in confidence and assurance, not indeed because I am good or righteous, but because I know that for the sake of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, Thou wilt accept of me and give me all that I need. In His name I now appear before Thee and pray, fully convinced that Thou wilt not consider my unworthiness, but wilt graciously hear my prayer. It would be a serious mistake for the Christian to refrain from prayer until he could deem himself worthy and fit for it. The devil frequently troubled me with thoughts such as these: I am not now ready to pray; I ought first to attend to this or that and afterwards perform my prayer undisturbed. If we indulge such thoughts which hinder and prevent prayer, we will always find something new in the way, and in the end will be entirely prayerless. The devil with his cunning tricks constantly endeavors to keep us away from prayer. We must therefore be prepared to meet his opposition in this regard; and when troubles come we should know that now is the proper time for prayer. If we are not worthy to pray, God will make us so. He loves us for Christ’s sake, and not on account of our own worthiness or righteousness, for we have none. This we fully believe. Christ, in the words of our text, would urge us on to prayer, that we might not be like those prayerless, wicked people who, as they declare, eat and drink with much relish, though they have not prayed for a week. If we are Christians, or desire to be such, we must shun such brutish conduct. Let us, at least, pray in the morning when we arise from sleep, at the table, and again in the evening when we go to bed, saying: “Our Father who art in heaven,” etc. (Luther’s House Postil, Fifth Sunday after Easter, Volume 2, p. 558-559).

The Lord would teach us in the words of our Gospel, as He did His disciples then, never to forget prayer in the hour of distress. To encourage them to this He adds the comforting declaration: “And I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.” It is true, Christ sitteth at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us, as the apostle Paul says. Therefore we know that His intercession for us, both on the occasion of the last supper and afterwards upon the cross, has been effective and will continue to be so until the end of time. But you need not my intercession in your behalf, says Christ, for you yourselves have access to the Father with your prayers, and ought not to doubt that they are heard, for the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved me. Yet from this it does not follow that the intercession of Christ is not of importance and full of comfort unto us, but simply this is meant, that we should have assurance respecting our own prayers because we love Christ. It is God’s will, and we ought ever to know and remember it, that they who love Christ and trust in Him are beloved of the Father and will be heard by Him. It is therefore evident that the godless Papists lie when they direct us to trust in the intercession of the saints.

This exhortation and invitation to prayer by the Lord Himself is consolatory beyond measure. Our Lord and Savior Christ made it possible for us, by His death and, departure from this world to the Father, to have free access unto God, whether we be in church or at home, in the cellar or in the kitchen, in the field or in the workshop; yea, if we are Christians and love Christ, we can under all circumstances of life come with our prayer unto our heavenly Father and pour out our hearts before Him. (Luther’s House Postil, Fifth Sunday after Easter, Volume 2, p. 558).