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Lesson 18 The Lord's Prayer (continued) Lord's Days 49 - 52 The Lord's Prayer (continued) The Last Three Petitions In the first three petitions of the Lord's Prayer, the petitioner has asked nothing for himself. It concerned the honor and interests of God. That is first and foremost. This teaches us that our prayers should not be a list of desires which we would like to see fulfilled. We may pray for our bodily and spiritual needs, that is, for those things needed for body and soul: the means to sustain life, the forgiveness of sins, and preservation from sin. These are spoken of in the last three petitions. Then we are taught why we may openly ask for all these, even though we cannot bring forth a single merit in ourselves as a pleading ground.
Q. 125 Which is the fourth petition?
(a) Psalm 145:15, 104:27, Matthew 6:26; "Give" The word "give" with which this petition begins is not a demand, but a plea, spoken in deep humility and childlike trust. One who truly prays acknowledges that his Father in heaven possesses everything in heaven and upon earth. Likewise he feels himself to be dependent upon Him each day for the sustaining of life. He does not speak as one who claims his rights, because with God man has no rights. He eats the bread of grace. And if he may experience this as grace, then the simplest meal tastes good. He tastes God's favor in it. What a blessing if we may lay the cares of our daily life in the hands of the Lord! Us The one who prays does not only ask for himself, but also for his neighbor. The "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9) of Cain is not fitting for a Christian. The Lord Jesus here teaches him to also have concern for others. That concern then ought also to be expressed in prayer. Therefore the word "us" is used. The Lord Jesus Himself has also taught us to pray for our enemies. In this He Himself gave the good example when He prayed for those who crucified Him: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). This Day We are really concerned about our rest and our ease. We would prefer to live for many years without any cares, that is, to have heaven on earth. However, that would not be good. If it is well, there are cares to cause us to pray, day after day. Therefore the Lord teaches us to ask each day for the sustenance for one day, not at the same time for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and certainly not for many years. Of course, we may be concerned about the future; we are required to do so. But that does not take away the fact that we daily live in dependence upon the Lord, who is willing to care for us as a Father. Each day the Lord caused manna to fall for the Israelites. He gives us the fowls of the air as an example, for which the Lord daily provides food, and they do not take thought for the next day (Matthew 6:26). This is what is intended by the words "this day" and "daily." The Lord teaches His children to ask for "our daily bread." How can they say it in that way? Is it not a great favor if they receive bread out of the hand of God? They do not have any rights, do they? Actually, they do - a child's rights. For everything they need, the Lord Jesus merited it for them. He suffered hunger in order that His people would have bread. He suffered thirst on the cross in order that His children should have enough to drink. Children do not come to the table of their father and mother as beggars, but as children who have a child's right for bread. What a wonder it is if we may ask God for bread in that way. Bread We ask for what we are in need of, nothing more: food, drink, clothing, shelter, work, and health. These things are needed by us to go through life and to be able to seek and serve the Lord in this life. Often the Lord gives more than we need, that is true, but He is not obligated to do so, and we should not pursue luxury and excess. If we receive more than our daily needs, then we are required to bestow that to the honor of God and the well being of our neighbor. This stands in opposition to this materialistic age, where the focus of life of many seems to be in having and keeping, in eating and drinking excessively, in a beautiful home, a nice car, and two or more holidays to foreign countries. What does the Lord Jesus say? "Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life" (John 6:27). Trusting in the Lord We tend to instinctively put our trust in creatures. That is because of sin. It was different in Paradise. There Adam put his trust entirely in the Lord. But since we have run away from God, it is our nature to expect our prosperity from sun and rain, health, diplomas, and a good salary. Wrong! says the Catechism. We must completely withdraw our trust from those things. They all lead to disappointment. Put your trust in the Lord only! He will never disappoint you. He is a Helper in bodily and spiritual needs, even if things turn out differently than we had expected. We must learn to live by faith, also in regard to temporal life. We need a lifetime to learn this, and much prayer is needed!
Q. 126. Which is the fifth petition?
(a) Psalm 51:1, 143:2, 1 John 2:1, Romans 8:1; Sinners What is the definition of a poor sinner? A sinner is one who misses his mark. He does not serve the purpose for which God created him, which is to live to the honor of God. He also lacks the means to correct this deficiency with the Lord. All he has is guilt which becomes greater by the day. That is why he is called a poor sinner. He lacks everything needed to pay the debt. In daily life such a one is declared bankrupt. The poor sinner experiences the bankruptcy of his life. All that then is left over is a begging for grace and a begging for forgiveness. Does he seek for alleviating circumstances? There are none. David prayed in Psalm 25:11, "For Thy Name's sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity; for it is great." In our answer, sins are called "transgressions," not just pardonable lapses or errors. The word "transgression" does not only apply to the wicked deed of the murderer, who therefore deserves death, but applies to every sin, no matter how small they may be. It applies to the wrong things we think, speak, and do, but also to the sins of omission. We also sin when we fail to do the good that we ought to do. The old man Yes, there is still more: the depravity which always cleaves to us. That is that old man of Lord's Day 33. As long as a child of God lives, sin is present in his heart. He is polluted with it. By itself, this already makes him guilty before God. Also for this, forgiveness is needed. Therefore the request is made that God also would not impute this debt to our account. That is possible because Christ took upon Himself the debts of all His children and paid for them on the cross. That cost Him His blood. The expression "with His blood" here means His merits. He who uprightly confesses his guilt and pleads on those merits may be assured of the hearing of his prayer. If we, by the grace of God, are already willing to forgive our neighbor his debts, how great God's willingness must then be! This gave David the freedom to ask, "For Thy Name's sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity; for it is great" (Psalm 25:11).
Q. 127. Which is the sixth petition?
(a) John 5:15, Psalm 103:14; A declaration of war The first gospel promise was given in the form of a declaration of war, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:15). The world history is a history of this warfare. However, this warfare is also present in the personal life of each of God's children. A child of God does not go to heaven sleeping, but waging war. That is a life and death struggle against three deadly enemies: the devil, the world, and our own flesh. This "our own flesh" is called "the old man" in Lord's Day 33. Even a regenerated person still has so much of that "old man" in himself that he is too weak to fight against sin in his own strength. We can think of a person who through illness has become so weak that he can hardly stand on his legs. He has to defend himself against three giants who are out to destroy him. What an uneven fight! Very weak in himself Of himself, a child of God is very weak. As soon as new life is present, three enemies try fall upon him and seek to kill him. A child of God will never be able to fight this warfare in his own strength. What does he then do? He does just as king Jehoshaphat did, who with his army was not equal to the great army which came to invade the land. He took refuge with God, "We have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we not what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee" (2 Chronicles 20:12). In the perfect prayer, the Lord Jesus teaches us to pray likewise. He teaches us to invoke God's omnipotence against these three deadly enemies. In a war, it is important to know the enemy. Here this knowledge counts even more, because often they pose themselves as friends. The devil and the world The devil is mentioned first. An unconverted person is troubled very little by him, because he belongs to that kingdom of the devil. The devil believes that this should remain as it is and does everything in his power to keep such a person unconcerned. And man enjoys living without cares. This changes when the devil fears that he will lose a subject. He tries to lure him back. If he does not succeed, then he will show his true colors: a roaring lion! He is filled with an unabating hatred against God and everything that belongs to Him. He goes about to destroy. Originally he was an angel, thus he is extraordinarily gifted, and moreover, he has 6000 years of experience. He knows that he will not be able to snatch our of Christ's hands even a single soul for whom Christ died. Christ Himself said, "Neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand" (John 10:28). Yet the devil will make it as difficult as possible for them. There is not a single person who is capable of dealing with his wiles and forcefulness. Therefore God's child ought to take refuge in his most powerful weapon, which is prayer. The devil also mobilizes his helpers. One of his helpers is the world. This does not mean creation as such, but everything on this earth that opposes the Lord: people and organizations. This world tempts and tries to bring to sin. It does so in a friendly way, by alluring in the direction of evil. This can also be done, when necessary, by threats and persecution. Also then prayer cannot be overlooked. Our flesh However, the worst enemy is the old man within, here called "flesh." That old man will always choose the side of the devil and the world. This makes God's child still weaker. The old man can sometimes be so strong that he overrules the new man. Also here prayer is necessary against the power of evil in our heart. "Lord, keep me standing in this struggle, for I am so soon brought down; send Thy Spirit in order that He may lead me through and out of this world to the heavenly mansions." This Spirit puts grace in the heart and gives faith to call upon the omnipotence of God to help us. Otherwise we will be brought down, we will suffer defeat, and the devil will laugh. But when God's omnipotence is at our side, we will ultimately gain the victory. The risen Christ told John to write to the congregation at Smyrna, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life" (Revelation 2: 10).
Q. 128. How dost thou conclude thy prayer?
(a) Romans 10:12, 2 Peter 2:9; How is man entitled to this? Much has been asked for in this prayer. How is man entitled to ask for all this? Is it also not very arrogant to ask for so much? From where do we get this liberty? It is not from ourselves, for we do not have any rights. We have not merited anything, but have forfeited all blessings. It is also not on the basis of our prayers, because the best prayer of a child of God needs to be washed in the blood of Christ. God's child has two Intercessors: One in the heart, the Holy Spirit; and One in heaven, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit leads in prayer in the heart. It is that prayer that will offer by hoim who prays. Christ receives it, purifies it, and brings it with His intercessory prayer to the Father. The liberty lies in God, in His kingship, His power, and His glory. That is a mighty, threefold pleading ground. The Lord knows what is best for us The King seeks the best for His subjects. His heart goes out to His people. He is always ready to extend His help. He not only is willing to do it, but also is able to do so. There is nothing that we can ask of Him that is beyond His power. He also knows what is good for us. Thus, when it is said that He is willing and able to give His people all good, then this "good" will not always be that what we call "good". Adversity can also be good, namely, to make a person more dependent on Him and to live closer to Him. He alone knows what is good for us. The first petition, "Hallowed be thy Name" is directed to the honor of God. The prayer also ends with this. It is not our interests and salvation which take precedence in this perfect prayer, but it is God's honor. This is where everything will end. John wrote in the book of Revelation, "And every creature, which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth forever and ever" (Revelation 5:13-14).
Q. 129. What doth the word "Amen" signify? (a) 2 Corinthians 1:20, 2 Timothy 2:13. Amen By the word "Amen" we hear that a prayer has ended. At the beginning of a meal we then know that we can begin to eat. At the end of the meal, we know that we can leave the table. Also when a child in a Christian family cannot yet say a prayer, "Amen" is the first word he learns. But the word "Amen" has a much deeper meaning. The Hebrew word occurs often in the Bible. In many languages it remained this way. It means "confidence" or "trust." At the end of the prayer, the word "Amen" does not signify a respectable closing, but it is a confession of faith. In the first place, he who prays acknowledges that he is convinced that he in his heart truly longs for what he asked of God. In the second place, he also expresses his trust that God hears his prayer. To the true petitioner, the Lord says, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it" (Psalm 81:10). With the word "Amen", the person praying says, as it were, "Lord, I put the hand of faith on Thy promise: it shall truly and certainly be. My prayer has been heard by Thee, also if Thou hearest me in a different way than I can imagine." Blessed are those people who may pray in this way. Let us therefore frequently ask, "Lord, teach me to pray. Amen". Questions to go with Lesson 18 (Lord's Day 50-52).
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