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CHAPTER XXVII.
THE THIRD PETITION

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

What is meant by this Petition?

The good and gracious will of God is done, indeed, without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done by us also.

When is this effected?

When God frustrates and brings to nought every evil counsel and purpose which would hinder us from hallowing the name of God and prevent His kingdom from coming to us,—such as the will of the devil, of the world, and of our own flesh; and when he strengthens us and keeps us steadfast in His Word and in the faith even unto our end. This is His gracious and good will.

In this Petition we pray for grace gladly to believe, do, and suffer all that God wills us to believe, do, and suffer, so that His name may be hallowed, and His kingdom may come.

THY WILL. God's will is, 1. That we should believe the Gospel and be saved. [I Tim 2:4+] 2. That we should obey His commandments and be holy. [I Thess. 4:3+] 3. That we should willingly submit to all His dealings with us, and suffer patiently when He lays a cross on us. [Rom. 8:17+]

BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. We pray that God's will may be done by all men and especially by us, as heartily, as continually, and as completely as it is done by the holy angels. [Ps. 103:20, 21]

THE GOOD AND GRACIOUS WILL OF GOD. The will of God is always good and gracious, because He always wills those things which He, in His wisdom and love, [I John 4:16] sees are best. He does all things well, even when we do not understand His ways. [Isa. 55:8, 9, Rom. 8:28]

IS DONE INDEED WITHOUT OUR PRAYER. There will always be some persons who permit God to accomplish His good and gracious purposes in them, whether we pray for it or not. [Isa. 55:11]

BUT WE PRAY IN THIS PETITION THAT IT MAY BE DONE BY US ALSO; [Rom. 12:12] that is, that we may believe His Gospel, obey His Commandments, and trustfully permit Him to lead us in whatsoever paths He will.

WHAT WE PRAY GOD TO DO

In order that God's good and gracious will may be done by us, all opposing wills must be overcome. [Luke 22:31] We therefore pray God

1. TO FRUSTRATE AND BRING TO NOUGHT THE WILL OF THE DEVIL, [II Cor. 2:11] OF THE WORLD [I John 2:15, 16] (wicked persons), AND OF OUR OWN FLESH [Gal. 5:17+] (our natural heart). For these are the great enemies of our souls, who by their EVIL COUNSELS AND PURPOSES WOULD HINDER US FROM HALLOWING THE NAME OF GOD AND PREVENT HIS KINGDOM FROM COMING TO US. They tempt us to oppose God's will by despising His Gospel, disobeying His Commandments, and murmuring against His dealings with us. We pray God

2. TO STRENGTHEN US, [Phil. 2:13] so that we may be able to overcome these enemies and do God's will in spite of them. [Eph. 6:11, 12+] They are very powerful, but if we are in earnest about overcoming them, God will give us the needful strength in answer to our prayer. We pray God

3. TO KEEP US STEADFAST IN HIS WORD IN THE FAITH EVEN OUR END, [Phil. 1:6, I Pet. 4:19] so that we may believe the Gospel with all our heart, live holy Christian lives, trust God to lead us as He sees best, and be faithful unto death, that we may receive the crown of life.

QUESTIONS.—1. What do we pray for in this petition? 2. What do we mean by God's will in this petition? 3. How do we pray that God's will may be done? 4. Why is the will of God good and gracious? 5. How is God's will done without our prayer? 6. When do we do God's will? 7. What three things do we pray God to do? 8. What three wills oppose the will of God? 9. What do the devil, the world, and our own flesh seek? 10. Why do we pray God to strengthen us? 11. When do we remain steadfast in God's Word and in the faith?

SCRIPTURE VERSES.—I Tim. 2:4. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

I Thess. 4:3. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.

Rom. 8:17. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Gal. 5:17. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Eph. 6:11, 12. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

READING.—Jesus in Gethsemane, Matt. 26:36-44.

CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE FOURTH PETITION

Give us this day our daily bread.

What is meant by this Petition?

God gives, indeed, without our prayer, even to the wicked also, their daily bread; but we pray in this petition that He would make us sensible of His benefits, and enable us to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

What is implied in the words "our daily bread"?

All things that pertain to the wants and the support of this present life; such as food, raiment, money, goods, house and land, and other property; a believing spouse and good children; trustworthy servants and faithful magistrates; favorable seasons, peace and health; education and honor; true friends, good neighbors, and the like.

In this Petition we acknowledge that every good gift comes from God; [Jas. 1:17] and we pray that He would give us, day by day, those things which we need for our earthly support and comfort, and would make us content and thankful.

THE PETITION ITSELF

While we are to pray first and chiefly for spiritual blessings, the Saviour here teaches us that we may and should pray for temporal benefits also.

GIVE. By praying God to give us our daily bread, we acknowledge that it comes from Him.⁹ He is the absolute owner of all things, [I Cor. 10:26] and divides to all men as He will. All that we have is His gift. He gives it as a blessing upon our labor; hence, we must work as well as pray. [II Thess. 3:10] But without His blessing, our labor would be in vain. [Ps. 127:1] The farmer sows, but God gives the increase.

US. We are taught to pray not only for ourselves, but for others also. We should be concerned that they too may have their daily bread; and, when necessary, we should give them a portion of what God has first given to us, and thus become the means through which He supplies their wants. [Heb. 13:16]

THIS DAY. We are not to pray for "much goods for many years," but only for this one day's needful supply. When the morrow comes, if we are still alive, we are to pray again. [Matt.6:34+] We are to depend upon God from day to day. We are, indeed, to make a proper provision for our future, but we are not to give way to anxious, unbelieving care about it.

OUR. We ask for bread which we may call our own, bread honestly gotten, bread which God intends we shall have as a reward of our labor; not some one's else bread, and not such things as God, in His wisdom, sees fit to withhold from us.

DAILY BREAD. According to Luther's explanation in the Catechism, our daily bread includes

ALL THINGS WHICH PERTAIN TO THE WANTS AND THE SUPPORT OF THIS PRESENT

FOOD, RAIMENT, to supply our bodily wants;

MONEY, GOODS, HOUSE AND LAND, AND OTHER PROPERTY, by means of which we may procure the supply of our bodily wants;

A BELIEVING SPOUSE AND GOOD CHILDREN, that we may have a good Christian home;

TRUSTWORTHY SERVANTS AND FAITHFUL MAGISTRATES, that we may have the help and protection which we need for the enjoyment of our own;

FAVORABLE SEASONS, PEACE AND HEALTH, EDUCATION AND HONOR, TRUE FRIENDS,

While we pray in this petition that God would give us all the things enumerated above, if He sees fit, we should remember that He is still giving us our daily bread when He gives us only those things which we actually must have for the support of our life. [1 Tim. 6:8]

WHY WE PRAY THUS

GOD GIVES INDEED, WITHOUT OUR PRAYER, EVEN TO THE WICKED [Matt. 5:45] ALSO THEIR DAILY BREAD; for God is good, and seeks to lead men to repentance by His goodness. [Rom. 2:4]

BUT WE PRAY IN THIS PETITION THAT HE WOULD MAKE US SENSIBLE OF HIS

AND ENABLE US TO RECEIVE OUR DAILY BREAD WITH THANKSGIVING. [Eph. 5:20+] Since all the blessings we enjoy are God's gifts, bestowed without any worthiness on our part, [Gen. 32:10] we pray that we may always receive them with thankful hearts, and express our gratitude with our lips and in our lives. We should give thanks at every meal, and in all our prayers.

Contentment. True thankfulness implies contentment with those gifts which God sees fit to bestow upon us. [Heb. 13:5+, 1 Tim. 6:6-8+] We must not murmur because He does not include in our daily bread some things which we desire to have; nor dare we permit the withholding of those things to prevent us from being truly thankful for the many benefits which God does bestow upon us.

QUESTIONS.—1. What do we acknowledge and for what do we pray in this petition? 2. Why do we pray God to "give"? 3. Why do we pray, "give us"? 4. Why do we pray "this day"? 5. Why do we say our daily bread? 6. What does daily bread include? 7. How much must God give us in order to answer this prayer for daily bread? 8. Why does God give, even to the wicked? 9. What should we bear in mind with respect to all our blessings? 10. How should we receive our daily bread? 11. How should we express our gratitude? 12. What is to be said about contentment?

SCRIPTURE VERSES.—Matt. 6:34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Eph. 5:20. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb. 13:5. Let your conversation be without covetousness: and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

1 Tim. 6:6-8. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.

READING.—The Feeding of the Five Thousand, John 6:1-13.

CHAPTER XXIX.
THE FIFTH PETITION

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

What is meant by this Petition?

We pray in this petition that our heavenly Father would not regard our sins, nor deny us our requests on account of them; for we are not worthy of anything for which we pray, and have not merited it; but that He would grant us all things through grace, although we daily commit much sin and deserve chastisement alone. We will, therefore, on our part both heartily forgive and also readily do good to those who may injure or offend us.

In this Petition we acknowledge our sinfulness, pray for forgiveness, and promise to forgive our fellow-men.

The word "And" connects this petition very closely with the preceding one. The daily forgiveness of our sins is as necessary for our souls as our daily bread is for our bodies.

AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES

These words are at once a Confession of Sin, and a Prayer for Pardon.

1. A Confession. The praying of this petition presupposes a penitent state of heart. If we are not truly penitent, this petition is a mockery on our lips. We have need to confess our guilt, because

WE DAILY COMMIT MUCH SIN. [I John 4:8] If we are true Christians, we do not sin wilfully and intentionally. But with our best efforts, we still sin much through weakness, [Rom. 7:19] not only by commission, but still more by omission. Not a day passes by, in which we do not transgress God's law by thoughts and words and deeds. We often do the wrong and omit doing the right without even knowing that we have done so. [Ps. 19:12]

AND DESERVE CHASTISEMENT (Punishment) ALONE. Our sins make us guilty and deserving of punishment, even though they be sins of weakness. We must not excuse or extenuate them. God never excuses any one. But if we penitently confess our sins, He will forgive us for Jesus' sake. [Ps. 32:5+, I John 1:9]

2. A Prayer for Pardon. As in the fourth petition we daily pray "Give," so in this fifth petition we daily pray "Forgive." Since Jesus has taught us to pray thus, and we pray as God's children, this petition presupposes that we pray in faith. We pray as those who believe that God will be gracious and merciful to us for Jesus' sake.

WE PRAY IN THIS PETITION THAT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER WOULD NOT REGARD OUR

NOR DENY US OUR REQUESTS ON ACCOUNT OF THEM. If God should regard our sins, He would send only punishment upon us, [Ps. 130:3+, Ps.143:2] and not give us any of those benefits for which we ask in our prayer.

FOR WE ARE NOT WORTHY OF ANYTHING FOR WHICH WE PRAY, HAVE NOT MERITED

AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US

3. A Promise to Forgive our Fellow-men. God's mercy to us must move as to be merciful to others. [Eph. 3:32] If it does not, God will withdraw His mercy from us, [Matt. 6:14, 15+] as the master withdrew his from the unmerciful servant in the parable. [Matt. 18:32-35] Forgiving others is not a merit which entitles us to receive God's forgiveness. It follows as a result of God's mercy to us. Because God so mercifully forgives us for Jesus' sake, we promise that

WE WILL, THEREFORE, ON OUR PART, BOTH HEARTILY FORGIVE AND ALSO READILY

QUESTIONS.—1. What three things do we do in this petition? 2. What is to be said about the close connection between this petition and the preceding one? 3. What does this petition presuppose? 4. Why do we need to confess our guilt to God? 5. Is sin ever excusable? 6. Why does this petition presuppose faith? 7. What do we pray God to do with our sins? 8. If God regarded our sins, how would He treat our requests? 9. Why do we promise to forgive others? 10. Why must we be willing to forgive them?

SCRIPTURE VERSES.—Ps. 32:5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

Ps. 130:3. If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

Luke 15:18, 19. I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Matt. 6:14, 15. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

READING.-The Unmerciful Servant, Matt. 18:23-35.

CHAPTER XXX.
THE SIXTH PETITION

And lead us not into temptation.

What is meant by this Petition?

God, indeed, tempts no one to sin; but we pray in this petition that God would so guard and preserve us, that the devil, the world, and our own flesh may not deceive us, nor lead us into error and unbelief, despair, and other great and shameful sins; and that, though we may be thus tempted, we may nevertheless finally prevail and gain the victory.

As children of God we must not only seek forgiveness for past sins, but be anxious to avoid sin in the future. We therefore pray that, as far as is possible according to His gracious will, God would keep us from being tempted, and would give us strength to overcome when we are tempted.

If we are in earnest in praying this Petition, we will not run into temptation ourselves, [Matt. 4:7] nor lead others into it.

HOW WE ARE TEMPTED

GOD INDEED TEMPTS NO ONE TO SIN: for He wishes us to do good, and not evil. But He leads us into circumstances in which we are tried, and must decide for or against Him, for good or for evil. This is the sense in which the Bible speaks of God as tempting persons. [Gen. 22:1] He tries or tests us. Remembering that we are weak, we pray in this petition that God would spare us such trials as much as is possible according to His will, and strengthen us in them, that we may be faithful.

The Devil, the World, and our own Flesh tempt us to Sin. These are the great enemies of our souls, who will lead us to destruction if we do not earnestly resist them and repel their temptations.

WHAT WE PRAY

1. That we may not be Deceived or Misled by these Enemies.

WE PRAY IN THIS PETITION THAT GOD WOULD SO GUARD AND PRESERVE US, THAT

THE DEVIL, who puts evil thoughts into our hearts, [Gen. 3:4, 5, II Cor. 11:3]

THE WORLD (wicked persons in the world), [Prov. 1:10+, John 15:18] which tempts us by example, allurements, and threats,

AND OUR OWN FLESH (our natural heart), [Rom. 8:7+] which inclines and urges us to sin,

MAY NOT DECEIVE US, by promising us happiness in the paths of sin, while in reality such paths lead only to misery and destruction. [Matt. 7:13, 14+]

NOR LEAD US INTO ERROR AND UNBELIEF, and thus into ruin, since our salvation depends on believing the truth as it is in Jesus; nor into

DESPAIR; because we are lost if we despair of God's mercy, instead of believing His precious promises in Christ;

AND OTHER GREAT AND SHAMEFUL SINS, in addition to the error, unbelief, and despair mentioned above.

2. That we may Overcome these Enemies and be saved,

AND THAT, THOUGH WE MAY BE THUS TEMPTED, WE MAY NEVERTHELESS FINALLY

QUESTIONS.—1. Why do we pray this petition? 2. What do we mean by it? 3. If we are in earnest in praying it, what will we not do? 4. In what sense does God tempt? 5. Who tempts us to sin? 6. What do we pray against these enemies? 7. How does the devil tempt us? the world? our own flesh? 8. How do they try to deceive us? 9. Into what do they try to mislead us? 10. How long must we fight against these enemies? 11. If we fall, what should we do? 12. How may we overcome these foes? 13. When only shall we be completely victorious over them?

SCRIPTURE VERSES.—Prov. 1:10. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

Rom. 8:7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Matt. 7:13, 14. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

I Tim. 6:12. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

I Cor. 10:12. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

READING.—Peter denying the Lord, Luke 22:54-62; or, The Temptation of Jesus, Matt. 4:1-11.

CHAPTER XXXI.
THE SEVENTH PETITION

But deliver us from evil.

What is meant by this Petition?

We pray in this petition, as in a summary, that our heavenly Father would deliver us from ail manner of evil, whether it affect the body or the soul, property or character, and at last, when the hour of death shall arrive, grant us a happy end, and graciously take us from this world of sorrow to Himself in heaven.

As in the sixth Petition we pray to be preserved from sinning, so in this seventh Petition we pray to be delivered from all the evil which has come upon our race as a consequence of sin.¹⁰ But this petition comes last, because we should be more anxious to be delivered from the sin itself, than from the evil results which follow upon it.

WE PRAY IN PETITION AS IN A SUMMARY. All the petitions which precede it are included in this last one.

THAT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER WOULD DELIVER US FROM ALL MANNER OF EVIL:—

I. IN THIS WORLD

WHETHER IT AFFECT THE BODY,—sickness, pain, hunger, thirst, destitution,

OR THE SOUL,—sin, impenitence, unbelief, sorrow, anxiety, care, despondency, insanity, and the like,

PROPERTY,—poverty, want, famine, fire, flood, wars, riots, etc.,

OR CHARACTER,—disgrace, slander, and the like.

How we pray for this Deliverance. God wills that we should sometimes suffer affliction, in order that our repentance and faith may be increased. [Isa. 48:10+, Rev. 3:19+, II Cor. 4:17, 18] Consequently, our prayer for deliverance from evil in this world is a prayer: 1. That, whenever it is possible according to His will, God would ward off affliction from us. 2. That He would give us grace to bear patiently those afflictions which He sends, [II Cor. 12:9+, Rom 8:28] and would make them a blessing in disguise for us. 3. That in His own time He would remove from us whatever distresses us. [I Sam. 2:6, 7]

We should not grow discouraged or despondent under affliction, but trust in God's mercy and bear our cross cheerfully. [Matt. 10:38] And we should see to it that we do not, by our own sin and folly, bring upon ourselves evils which might have been avoided.

II. IN THE NEXT WORLD

In this world we shall have to endure some evils as long as we live. [John 16:33] But if we are faithful, God will not only overrule them all for our good, [Gen. 50:20] but will finally, at death, deliver us from all evil. [II Tim. 4:18]

AND AT LAST, WHEN THE HOUR OF DEATH SHALL ARRIVE, GRANT US A HAPPY END

AND GRACIOUSLY TAKE US FROM THIS WORLD OF SORROW TO HIMSELF IN HEAVEN

QUESTIONS.—1. What do we pray for in this petition? 2. What connection exists between the sixth and seventh petitions? 3. Why is this petition called a summary? 4. From what kind of evils do we suffer in this world? 5. How do we pray for deliverance from evil in this world? 6. When shall we be completely delivered from all evil? 7. What is to be said about a happy end? 8. Why shall we suffer from no evil in heaven?

SCRIPTURE VERSES.—Isa. 48:10. Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver: I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Rev. 3:19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

II Cor. 12:9. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

Rom. 8:18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be repealed in us.

Rev. 14:13. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth; Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Rev. 21:4. These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them, white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

READING.—The Rich Man and Lazarus, Luke 16:19-31.