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The Fourth Petition:
Give us this day our daily bread. We know and trust that You will provide all that we need each day. As we remember and trust Your many promises to daily provide food for our body and food for our soul, help us to appreciate and be content with what You give us and not worry about the future.
In the third petition, we are forced to reflect on God’s perfect will, not ours. Our will as sinners is not perfect, and we live in the fallen world (the second petition’s reflection: God’s kingdom is not of this world, and only comes through Christ in us and Christ through us to others, and ultimately when Christ triumphantly returns) and as such we know there will be trouble in this world. Jesus reminds us in John 16:33 that there will be tribulation in this world, but as Christ instructs, we take heart as He has overcome the world. As sinners, we are hopeless and must rely on grace from a loving God.
This grace comes to us through “daily bread.” Through God’s Word, we are fed daily and pray that grace comes to us through the Gospel. It is through the Gospel we receive our Lord Jesus Christ himself. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 6:32-35.
While we may be tempted to only pray selfishly for actual bread to nourish our body, God’s “daily bread,” through His Word does more than nourish our body - it nourishes, comforts, and sustains our soul. By God’s grace, He “give(s)” us this day our “daily bread.” By His grace, He gave the “bread of life,” Jesus Christ. We can have peace as we know and trust that God will provide all we need daily as we remember to trust His many promises. We can be confident and content that God will provide daily, both physically and spiritually, today, tomorrow, and forever.
The Fifth Petition:
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Although undeserving of Your mercy, we know You forgive our sins because of Jesus’ sinless life and innocent death. As You have forgiven us, so help us to be forgiving to others.
Christ teaches us in this petition that we need forgiveness, first from God and then from man. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” Romans 3:23-24. By His grace, God is willing and able to forgive our sins because of Jesus’ sinless life and innocent death as payment for those sins.
This petition also emphasizes the reciprocal nature of forgiveness. Just as we seek God's mercy and pardon for our own sins, we are to extend that same mercy and pardon to others. Forgiveness reflects God's love and grace in our lives. In this petition, we are reminded to cultivate a heart of forgiveness in all our interactions with others.
The Sixth Petition:
Lead us not into temptation. May we never tempt You nor fall into temptation as we face each day. Keep temptation from us altogether, but if it comes our way, strengthen us by your Spirit through Word and Sacrament that we may overcome temptation and retain the victory that is ours in Christ.
In this petition, we are asking God’s help to avoid temptation altogether; however, if it comes our way, we are asking Him to help us overcome it. In these simple yet profound words, Jesus teaches us to turn to God for guidance and strength in the face of life’s many trials and temptations. We humbly acknowledge our vulnerability, frailty, and susceptibility to sin and plead for God’s protective hand in our lives, asking Him to steer us away from situations that may lead us astray or challenge our faith. We are reminded of our dependency on God's wisdom and strength to navigate life's stormy seas. Ultimately, this petition is a plea for God’s loving care and protection on our spiritual journey.
The Seventh and Final Petition:
But deliver us from evil. We live in a world full of sin, full of evil. Keep all evil away from us, or if it comes our way, make it serve for our good, and finally take us out of this evil world to Yourself and the safe haven of heaven.
When we pray this petition, we acknowledge that there are forces afoot that want to separate us from our faith and from our God. We recognize the need for divine intervention and strength to resist and overcome these forces. We express our trust in God’s ability to rescue us from harm, both spiritual and physical, and to keep us safe in His loving care. This petition is a powerful declaration of our dependence on God as our ultimate Protector and Deliverer.
The Doxology (Hymn of Praise)
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. (While this Doxology is not included in the portion from Matthew, we bring to a close the Lord’s Prayer with an expression of praise.) We want to give credit where credit is due, so we close our prayer with a doxology and an “amen,” the ancient word for “Yes.” We say this because we know that You hear and answer all our prayers simply because You are God and OUR God through our faith in Jesus Christ.
This doxology is a reminder that when we approach God in prayer, we are addressing the King of all creation, who is eminently able to grant our petitions. By concluding our prayer in this way, we humbly declare our trust in God’s sovereign power and our submission to His will. The word “Amen” signifies our agreement and affirmation of these truths.
We Pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
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