Questions & Answers

#GC259 According to what you say, the first three of these requests are expedient for us, and yet they ought not to be made with any other intention that of desiring that God may be glorified? It is so. And similarly, although the last three requests are appointed as prayers for what is expedient to us, yet even in them we ought to seek the glory of God, so that it may be the end of all our...
#GC260 Let us come to the exposition. And before we go any further, why is? God called our Father, rather than by some other name Since it is essential that our consciences have a steadfast assurance, when we pray, our God gives Himself a name. which suggests only gentleness...
#GC261 Shall we then dare to go to God familiarly, as a child to his father? Yes, in fact with greater assurance of obtaining what we ask. For if we, being evil, cannot refuse our children bread and meat, when they ask, how much less will our heavenly Father, who is not only g...
#GC262 Can we not prove from this very Name, what has been said, viz. that prayer should be grounded on the intercession of Jesus Christ? Yes, certainly. For God does not acknowledge us as His children, except in so far as we are members of His Son.
#GC263 Why do you not call God your God, but call Him our Father together? Each believer may indeed call Him his own Father, but in this formula Jesus Christ instructs us to pray together, to remind us that in our prayers we are to exercise charity towards our neighbours, an...
#GC264 What is meant by the clause "who art in heaven" It is just the same as if I were to call Him exalted, mighty, incomprehensible.
#GC265 To what end, and for what reason? That when we call upon Him, we may learn to lift our thoughts on high, and not to have any carnal or earthly thoughts of Him, not to measure Him by our apprehension, nor to subject Him to our will, bu...
#GC266 Now expound the first petition? The Name of God is His renown, with which He is celebrated among men. We pray then that His glory may be exalted above all, and in all things.
#GC267 Do you think that His glory can increase or decrease? Not in itself. But this means that it may be manifested, as it ought to be, that all the works which God performs may appear glorious, as indeed they are, so that He Himself may be glorified in every...
#GC268 What do you understand by the Kingdom of God in the second petition? It consists principally of two things: that He leads His own, and governs them by His Spirit, and on the other hand casts down and confounds the reprobate who refuse to subject themselves to His rule,...
#GC269 In what sense do you pray that this Kingdom may come? That day by day the Lord may increase the numbers of the faithful, that day by day He may increasingly bestow His graces upon them, until He has filled them completely; moreover, that He cause His tru...
#GC270 Is that not taking place today? Yes indeed---in part, but we pray that it may continually increase and advance, until at last it comes to its perfection in the day of judgment, in which God alone will be exalted, and ever creature w...
#GC271 What do you mean by asking that the will of God may be done? That all creatures may be brought under obedience to Him, and so that everything may be done according to His good will.
#GC272 Do you mean that nothing can be done contrary to His will? We ask not only that He may bring all things to pass, as He has determined in His counsel, but also that, putting down all rebellion, He may bring all wills to conform to His own.
#GC273 In so doing, do we not renounce our own wills? We do, not only that He may overthrow our desires, which are at variance with His own good will, bringing them all to nought, but also that He may create in us new spirits and new hearts, so that we m...
#GC274 Why do you add "on earth as it is in heaven" Since His heavenly creatures or His angels have it as their own object to obey Him, promptly without opposition, we desire that the same thing may be done on earth, that is, that all men may yield the...
#GC275 Let us come to the second part. What mean you by "the daily bread" you ask for In general, everything that we need for our body, not only food and clothing, but all that God knows to be expedient for us, that we may be able to eat our bread in peace.
#GC276 But why do you ask God to give you your food, when He orders us to win it, by working with our hands? Though He commands us to work for our living, nevertheless it is not our labour, industry, and diligence, that provide us with food, but the blessing of God alone, which makes the labour of our hands...
#GC277 Why do you call it yours, when you ask God to give it to you? Because of the kindness of God it becomes ours, though it is by no means due to us. We are also reminded by this not to desire the bread of others, but only that which we acquire by legitimate means,...
#GC278 Why do you say "daily" and "this day" That we may learn to be content, and not to covet more than our need requires.
#GC279 Since this prayer is common to all, how can the rich, who have an abundance of good things, provide for a long time, ask for bread each day? The rich, as well as the poor, should understand that none of the things profit them, unless the Lord grant them the use of them, and by His grace make it profitable to them. Thus in having we have no...
#GC280 What does the fifth petition contain? That it pleases God to pardon our sins.
#GC281 Is any man living so righteous, that He does not need to make this petition? No, for the Lord Jesus gave this form of prayer to His Apostles for His Church. Wherefore he who would exempt himself from this, must renounce the community of Christians. And indeed Scripture testifi...
#GC282 How do you think that such remission is granted to us? As the words of Jesus Christ used declare: because our sins are debts, making us liable to eternal death, we pray that God will pardon us out of His sheer kindness.
#GC283 You mean, them, that it is by the gratuitous goodness of God that we obtain remission of sins? Yes, for we can offer no satisfaction for the smallest sin we commit, if God does no exercise His sheer kindness toward us in forgiving us them all.
#GC284 What gain and profit do we receive, when God pardons our sins? We are acceptable to Him, just as if we were righteous and innocent, and our consciences are assured of His paternal love, from which comes salvation and life.
#GC285 When you pray that He may forgive us as we forgive our debtors, do you mean that in pardoning men we merit pardon from God? By no means, for then pardon would not be by grace, and would not be founded, as it ought to be, on the satisfaction which Jesus Christ made for us in His death. But since by forgetting the injuries d...
#GC286 Do you think, then, God refuses to have as His children those who cannot forget the offenses committed against them, so that they cannot hope to be partakers of His grace? Yes. And He intends that all men may know that with what measure they mete to their neighbours, it shall be measured to them.
#GC287 What follows? "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
#GC288 Do you treat this as one petition? Yes, for the second part is an explanation of the first part.

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