Prayer and the Lord's Prayer

Q178. What is prayer?

Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit; with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.

Proof texts

• Ps. 62:8 — [8] Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. <i>Selah</i>
• John 16:23 — [23] In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
• Rom. 8:26 — [26] Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
• Ps. 32:5-6 — [5] I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. <i>Selah</i> [6] Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.
• Dan. 9:4 — [4] I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
• Phil. 4:6 — [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Ps. 62:8 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 6 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. The Assembly divided over this: The Regulative Principle of Worship. Only what God commands may be done in worship. What turns on the answer?

Read alongside

HC Q116

Q179. Are we to pray unto God only?

God only being able to search the hearts, hear the requests, pardon the sins, and fulfil the desires of all; and only to be believed in, and worshiped with religious worship; prayer, which is a special part thereof, is to be made by all to him alone, and to none other.

Proof texts

• 1 Kings 8:39 — [39] then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),
• Acts 1:24 — [24] And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen
• Rom. 8:27 — [27] And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
• Ps. 65:2 — [2] O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.
• Mic. 7:18 — [18] Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.
• Ps. 145:18-19 — [18] The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. [19] He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.
• Rom. 10:14 — [14] How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
• Matt. 4:10 — [10] Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
• 1 Cor. 1:2 — [2] To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
• Ps. 50:15 — [15] and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
• Rom. 10:14 — [14] How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited 1 Kings 8:39 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 11 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q180. What is it to pray in the name of Christ?

To pray in the name of Christ is, in obedience to his command, and in confidence on his promises, to ask mercy for his sake; not by bare mentioning of his name, but by drawing our encouragement to pray, and our boldness, strength, and hope of acceptance in prayer, from Christ and his mediation.

Proof texts

• John 14:13-14 — [13] Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [14] If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
• John 16:24 — [24] Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
• Dan. 9:17 — [17] Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate.
• Matt. 7:21 — [21] “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
• Heb. 4:14-16 — [14] Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
• 1 John 5:13-15 — [13] I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. [14] And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. [15] And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited John 14:13-14 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 6 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q181. Why are we to pray in the name of Christ?

The sinfulness of man, and his distance from God by reason thereof, being so great, as that we can have no access into his presence without a mediator; and there being none in heaven or earth appointed to, or fit for, that glorious work but Christ alone, we are to pray in no other name but his only.

Proof texts

• John 14:6 — [6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
• Isa. 59:2 — [2] but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
• Eph. 3:12 — [12] in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
• John 6:27 — [27] Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
• Heb. 7:25-27 — [25] Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. [26] For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. [27] He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.
• 1 Tim. 2:5 — [5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
• Col. 3:17 — [17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
• Heb. 13:15 — [15] Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited John 14:6 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 8 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q182. How doth the Spirit help us to pray?

We not knowing: What to pray for as we ought, the Spirit helps our infirmities, by enabling us to understand both for whom, and: What, and: How prayer is to be made; and by working and quickening in our hearts (although not in all persons, nor at all times, in the same measure) those apprehensions, affections, and graces which are requisite for the right performance of that duty.

Proof texts

• Rom. 8:26-27 — [26] Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. [27] And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
• Ps. 10:17 — [17] O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
• Zech. 12:10 — [10] “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Rom. 8:26-27 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 3 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q183. For whom are we to pray?

We are to pray for the whole church of Christ upon earth; for magistrates, and ministers; for ourselves, our brethren, yea, our enemies; and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter; but not for the dead, nor for those that are known to have sinned the sin unto death.

Proof texts

• Eph. 6:18 — [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
• Ps. 28:9 — [9] Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
• 1 Tim. 2:1-2 — [1] First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
• Col. 4:3 — [3] At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison —
• Gen. 32:11 — [11] Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children.
• Jas. 5:16 — [16] Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
• Matt. 5:44 — [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
• 1 Tim. 2:1-2 — [1] First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
• John 17:20 — [20] “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
• 2 Sam. 7:29 — [29] Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”
• 2 Sam. 12:21-23 — [21] Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” [22] He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ [23] But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
• 1 John 5:16 — [16] If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life — to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Eph. 6:18 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 12 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q184. For what things are we to pray?

We are to pray for all things tending to the glory of God, the welfare of the church, our own or others good; but not for anything that is unlawful.

Proof texts

• Matt. 6:9 — [9] Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
• Ps. 51:18 — [18] Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;
• Ps. 122:6 — [6] Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you!
• Matt. 7:11 — [11] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
• Ps. 125:4 — [4] Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts!
• 1 John 5:14 — [14] And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Matt. 6:9 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 6 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q185. How are we to pray?

We are to pray with an awful apprehension of the majesty of God, and deep sense of our own unworthiness, necessities, and sins; with penitent, thankful, and enlarged hearts; with understanding, faith, sincerity, fervency, love, and perseverance, waiting upon him, with humble submission to his will.

Proof texts

• Eccl. 5:1 — [1] Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.
• Gen. 18:27 — [27] Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.
• Gen. 32:10 — [10] I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.
• Luke 15:17-19 — [17] “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! [18] I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’
• Luke 18:13-14 — [13] But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
• Ps. 51:17 — [17] The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
• Phil. 4:6 — [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
• 1 Sam. 1:15 — [15] But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD.
• 1 Sam. 2:1 — [1] And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.
• 1 Cor. 14:15 — [15] What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.
• Mark 11:24 — [24] Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
• Jas. 1:6 — [6] But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
• Ps. 17:1 — [1] Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
• Ps. 145:18 — [18] The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
• Jas. 5:16 — [16] Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
• 1 Tim. 2:8 — [8] I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;
• Eph. 6:18 — [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
• Mic. 7:7 — [7] But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.
• Matt. 26:39 — [39] And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Eccl. 5:1 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 19 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q186. What rule hath God given for our direction in the duty of prayer?

The whole word of God is of use to direct us in the duty of prayer; but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which our Savior Christ taught his disciples, commonly called The Lord's prayer.

Proof texts

• 1 John 5:14 — [14] And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
• Matt. 6:2-13 — [2] “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [3] But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. [5] “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [6] But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. [7] “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. [9] Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. [10] Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread, [12] and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
• Luke 11:2-4 — [2] And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. [3] Give us each day our daily bread, [4] and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited 1 John 5:14 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 3 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q187. How is the Lord's prayer to be used?

The Lord's prayer is not only for direction, as a pattern, according to which we are to make other prayers; but may also be used as a prayer, so that it be done with understanding, faith, reverence, and other graces necessary to the right performance of the duty of prayer.

Proof texts

• Matt. 6:9 — [9] Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
• Luke 11:2 — [2] And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Matt. 6:9 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 2 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q188. Of how many parts doth the Lord's prayer consist?

The Lord's prayer consists of three parts; a preface, petitions, and a conclusion.

For discussion

1. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
2. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
3. The Assembly divided over this: The Regulative Principle of Worship. Only what God commands may be done in worship. What turns on the answer?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q189. What doth the preface of the Lord's prayer teach us?

The preface of the Lord's prayer (contained in these words, Our Father which art in heaven,) teacheth us, when we pray, to draw near to God with confidence of his fatherly goodness, and our interest therein; with reverence, and all other childlike dispositions, heavenly affections, and due apprehensions of his sovereign power, majesty, and gracious condescension: as also, to pray with and for others.

Proof texts

• Matt. 6:9 — [9] Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
• Luke 11:13 — [13] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
• Rom. 8:15 — [15] For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
• Isa. 64:9 — [9] Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.
• Ps. 123:1 — [1] To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
• Lam. 3:41 — [41] Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven:
• Isa. 63:15-16 — [15] Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me. [16] For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.
• Neh. 1:4-6 — [4] As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. [5] And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, [6] let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned.
• Acts 12:5 — [5] So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Matt. 6:9 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 9 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q190. What do we pray for in the first petition?

In the first petition (which is, Hallowed be thy name,) acknowledging the utter inability and indisposition that is in ourselves and all men to honor God aright, pray, that God would by his grace enable and incline us and others to know, to acknowledge, and highly to esteem him, his titles, attributes, ordinances, word, works, and whatsoever he is pleased to make himself known by; and to glorify him in thought, word, and deed: that he would prevent and remove atheism, ignorance, idolatry, profaneness, and: whatsoever is dishonorable to him; and, by his overruling providence, direct and dispose of all things to his own glory.

Proof texts

• Matt. 6:9 — [9] Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
• 2 Cor. 3:5 — [5] Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,
• Ps. 51:15 — [15] O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
• Ps. 67:2-3 — [2] that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. [3] Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
• Ps. 83:18 — [18] that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.
• Ps. 86:10-13,15 — [10] For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. [11] Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. [12] I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. [13] For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. [15] But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
• 2 Thess. 3:1 — [1] Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,
• Ps. 138:1-3 — [1] I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; [2] I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. [3] On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.
• Ps. 147:19-20 — [19] He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. [20] He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD!
• 2 Cor. 2:14-15 — [14] But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. [15] For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,
• Ps. 145 — [1] I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. [2] Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. [3] Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. [4] One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. [5] On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. [6] They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. [7] They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. [8] The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. [9] The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. [10] All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you! [11] They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, [12] to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. [13] Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.] [14] The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. [15] The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. [16] You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. [17] The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. [18] The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. [19] He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. [20] The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. [21] My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
• Ps. 8 — [1] O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. [2] Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. [3] When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, [4] what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? [5] Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. [6] You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, [7] all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, [8] the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. [9] O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
• Ps. 19:14 — [14] Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
• Ps. 103:1 — [1] Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
• Phil. 1:9,11 — [9] And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, [11] filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
• Ps. 67:1-4 — [1] May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, <i>Selah</i> [2] that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. [3] Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! [4] Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. <i>Selah</i>
• Eph. 1:17-18 — [17] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, [18] having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
• Ps. 97:7 — [7] All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!
• Ps. 74:18,22-23 — [18] Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name. [22] Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day! [23] Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!
• 2 Kings 19:15-16 — [15] And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said: “O LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. [16] Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.
• 2 Chr. 20:6,10-12 — [6] and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. [10] And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy — [11] behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. [12] O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
• Ps. 83 — [1] O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! [2] For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. [3] They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. [4] They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” [5] For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant — [6] the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, [7] Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; [8] Asshur also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. <i>Selah</i> [9] Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, [10] who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground. [11] Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, [12] who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God.” [13] O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind. [14] As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, [15] so may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane! [16] Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O LORD. [17] Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, [18] that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.
• Ps. 140:4,8 — [4] Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have planned to trip up my feet. [8] Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! <i>Selah</i>

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Matt. 6:9 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 23 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q191. What do we pray for in the second petition.?

In the second petition (which is, Thy kingdom come,) acknowledging ourselves and all mankind to be by nature under the dominion of sin and Satan, we pray, that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed, the gospel propagated throughout the world, the Jews called, the fulness of the Gentiles brought in; the church furnished with all gospel officers and ordinances, purged from corruption, countenanced and maintained by the civil magistrate: that the ordinances of Christ may be purely dispensed, and made effectual to the converting of those that are yet in their sins, and the confirming, comforting, and building up of those that are already converted: that Christ would rule in our hearts here, and hasten the time of his second coming, and our reigning with him forever: and that he would be pleased so to exercise the kingdom of his power in all the world, as may best conduce to these ends.

Proof texts

• Matt. 6:10 — [10] Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
• Eph. 2:2-3 — [2] in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — [3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
• Ps. 68:1,18 — [1] God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him! [18] You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.
• Rev. 12:10-11 — [10] And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. [11] And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
• 2 Thess. 3:1 — [1] Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,
• Rom. 10:1 — [1] Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
• John 17:9,20 — [9] I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. [20] “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
• Rom. 11:25-26 — [25] Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. [26] And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
• Ps. 67 — [1] May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, <i>Selah</i> [2] that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. [3] Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! [4] Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. <i>Selah</i> [5] Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! [6] The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. [7] God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!
• Matt. 9:38 — [38] therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
• 2 Thess. 3:1 — [1] Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,
• Mal. 1:11 — [11] For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.
• Zeph. 3:9 — [9] “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord.
• 1 Tim. 2:1-2 — [1] First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
• Acts 4:29-30 — [29] And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, [30] while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
• Eph. 6:18-20 — [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, [19] and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, [20] for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
• Rom. 15:29-30,32 — [29] I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. [30] I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, [32] so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.
• 2 Thess. 1:11 — [11] To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,
• 2 Thess. 2:16-17 — [16] Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, [17] comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
• Eph. 3:14-20 — [14] For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, [15] from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, [16] that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, [17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, [18] may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, [19] and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. [20] Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
• Rev. 22:20 — [20] He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
• Isa. 64:1-2 — [1] Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence — [2] as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil — to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
• Rev. 4:8-11 — [8] And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” [9] And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, [10] the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, [11] “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Matt. 6:10 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 23 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q192. What do we pray for in the third petition?

In the third petition (which is, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,) acknowledging, that by nature we and all men are not only utterly unable and unwilling to know and do the will of God, but prone to rebel against his word, to repine and murmur against his providence, and wholly inclined to do the will of the flesh, and of the devil: we pray, that God would by his Spirit take away from ourselves and others all blindness, weakness, indisposedness, and perverseness of heart; and by his grace make us able and willing to know, do, and submit to his will in all things, with the like humility, cheerfulness, faithfulness, diligence, zeal, sincerity, and constancy, as the angels do in heaven.

Proof texts

• Matt. 6:10 — [10] Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
• Rom. 7:18 — [18] For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
• Job 21:14 — [14] They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.
• 1 Cor. 2:14 — [14] The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
• Rom. 8:7 — [7] For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
• Ex. 17:7 — [7] And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
• Num. 14:2 — [2] And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!
• Eph. 2:2 — [2] in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience —
• Eph. 1:17-18 — [17] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, [18] having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
• Eph. 3:16 — [16] that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
• Matt. 26:40-41 — [40] And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? [41] Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
• Jer. 31:18-19 — [18] I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the LORD my God. [19] For after I had turned away, I relented, and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’
• Ps. 119:1,8,35-36 — [1] Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! [8] I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me! [35] Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. [36] Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!
• Acts 21:14 — [14] And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”
• Mic. 6:8 — [8] He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
• Ps. 100:2 — [2] Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
• Job 1:21 — [21] And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
• 2 Sam. 15:25-26 — [25] Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. [26] But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.”
• Isa. 38:3 — [3] and said, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
• Ps. 119:4-5 — [4] You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. [5] Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
• Rom. 12:11 — [11] Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
• Ps. 119:80 — [80] May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame!
• Ps. 119:112 — [112] I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.
• Isa. 6:2-3 — [2] Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. [3] And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
• Ps. 103:20-21 — [20] Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! [21] Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!
• Matt. 18:10 — [10] “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Matt. 6:10 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 26 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q193. What do we pray for in the fourth petition?

In the fourth petition (which is, Give us this day our daily bread,) acknowledging, that in Adam, and by our own sin, we have forfeited our right to all the outward blessings of this life, and deserve to be wholly deprived of them by God, and to have them cursed to us in the use of them; and that neither they of themselves are able to sustain us, nor we to merit, or by our own industry to procure them; but prone to desire, get, and use them unlawfully: we pray for ourselves and others, that both they and we, waiting upon the providence of God from day to day in the use of lawful means, may, of his free gift, and as to his fatherly wisdom shall seem best, enjoy a competent portion of them; and have the same continued and blessed unto us in our holy and comfortable use of them, and contentment in them; and be kept from all things that are contrary to our temporal support and comfort.

Proof texts

• Matt. 6:11 — [11] Give us this day our daily bread,
• Gen. 2:17 — [17] but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
• Gen. 3:17 — [17] And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
• Rom. 8:20-22 — [20] For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope [21] that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. [22] For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
• Jer. 5:25 — [25] Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you.
• Deut. 28:15-68 — [15] “But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. [16] Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. [17] Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. [18] Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. [19] Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. [20] “The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. [21] The LORD will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. [22] The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. [23] And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. [24] The LORD will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed. [25] “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. [26] And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away. [27] The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed. [28] The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind, [29] and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you. [30] You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall ravish her. You shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it. You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not enjoy its fruit. [31] Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat any of it. Your donkey shall be seized before your face, but shall not be restored to you. Your sheep shall be given to your enemies, but there shall be no one to help you. [32] Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes look on and fail with longing for them all day long, but you shall be helpless. [33] A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually, [34] so that you are driven mad by the sights that your eyes see. [35] The LORD will strike you on the knees and on the legs with grievous boils of which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head. [36] “The LORD will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. And there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone. [37] And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the LORD will lead you away. [38] You shall carry much seed into the field and shall gather in little, for the locust shall consume it. [39] You shall plant vineyards and dress them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall eat them. [40] You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives shall drop off. [41] You shall father sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours, for they shall go into captivity. [42] The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground. [43] The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. [44] He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. [45] “All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you. [46] They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. [47] Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, [48] therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you. [49] The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand, [50] a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young. [51] It shall eat the offspring of your cattle and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed; it also shall not leave you grain, wine, or oil, the increase of your herds or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish. [52] “They shall besiege you in all your towns, until your high and fortified walls, in which you trusted, come down throughout all your land. And they shall besiege you in all your towns throughout all your land, which the LORD your God has given you. [53] And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters, whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies shall distress you. [54] The man who is the most tender and refined among you will begrudge food to his brother, to the wife he embraces, and to the last of the children whom he has left, [55] so that he will not give to any of them any of the flesh of his children whom he is eating, because he has nothing else left, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in all your towns. [56] The most tender and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because she is so delicate and tender, will begrudge to the husband she embraces, to her son and to her daughter, [57] her afterbirth that comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears, because lacking everything she will eat them secretly, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in your towns. [58] “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God, [59] then the LORD will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting. [60] And he will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. [61] Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the LORD will bring upon you, until you are destroyed. [62] Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God. [63] And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. [64] “And the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. [65] And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the LORD will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul. [66] Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. [67] In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see. [68] And the LORD will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”
• Deut. 8:3 — [3] And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
• Gen. 32:10 — [10] I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.
• Deut. 8:17-18 — [17] Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ [18] You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
• Jer. 6:13 — [13] “For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.
• Mark 7:21-22 — [21] For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, [22] coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
• Hos. 12:7 — [7] A merchant, in whose hands are false balances, he loves to oppress.
• Jas. 4:3 — [3] You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
• Gen. 28:20 — [20] Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear,
• Gen. 43:12-14 — [12] Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. [13] Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. [14] May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
• Eph. 4:28 — [28] Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
• 2 Thess. 3:11-12 — [11] For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. [12] Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
• Phil. 4:6 — [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
• 1 Tim. 4:3-5 — [3] who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. [4] For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, [5] for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
• 1 Tim. 6:6-8 — [6] But godliness with contentment is great gain, [7] for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. [8] But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
• Prov. 30:8-9 — [8] Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, [9] lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Matt. 6:11 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 21 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q194. What do we pray for in the fifth petition?

In the fifth petition (which is, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,) acknowledging, that we and all others are guilty both of original and actual sin, and thereby become debtors to the justice of God; and that neither we, nor any other creature, can make the least satisfaction for that debt: we pray for ourselves and others, that God of his free grace would, through the obedience and satisfaction of Christ, apprehended and applied by faith, acquit us both from the guilt and punishment of sin, accept us in his Beloved; continue his favor and grace to us, pardon our daily failings, and fill us with peace and joy, in giving us daily more and more assurance of forgiveness; which we are the rather emboldened to ask, and encouraged to expect, when we have this testimony in ourselves, that we from the heart forgive others their offenses.

Proof texts

• Matt. 6:12 — [12] and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
• Rom. 3:9-22 — [9] What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, [10] as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; [11] no one understands; no one seeks for God. [12] All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” [13] “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” [14] “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” [15] “Their feet are swift to shed blood; [16] in their paths are ruin and misery, [17] and the way of peace they have not known.” [18] “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” [19] Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. [20] For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. [21] But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — [22] the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
• Matt. 18:24-25 — [24] When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. [25] And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.
• Ps. 130:3-4 — [3] If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? [4] But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
• Rom. 3:24-26 — [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [25] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. [26] It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
• Heb. 9:22 — [22] Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
• Eph. 1:6-7 — [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. [7] In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
• 2 Pet. 1:2 — [2] May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
• Hos. 14:2 — [2] Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips.
• Jer. 14:7 — [7] “Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for your name's sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you.
• Rom. 15:13 — [13] May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
• Ps. 51:7-10,12 — [7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. [8] Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. [9] Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. [10] Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. [12] Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
• Luke 11:4 — [4] and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”
• Matt. 6:14-15 — [14] For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, [15] but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
• Matt. 18:35 — [35] So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Matt. 6:12 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 15 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q195. What do we pray for in the sixth petition?

In the sixth petition (which is, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,) acknowledging, that the most wise, righteous, and gracious God, for divers holy and just ends, may so order things, that we may be assaulted, foiled, and for a time led captive by temptations; that Satan, the world, and the flesh, are ready powerfully to draw us aside, and ensnare us; and that we, even after the pardon of our sins, by reason of our corruption, weakness, and want of watchfulness, are not only subject to be tempted, and forward to expose ourselves unto temptations, but also of ourselves unable and unwilling to resist them, to recover out of them, and to improve them; and worthy to be left under the power of them: we pray, that God would so overrule the world and all in it, subdue the flesh, and restrain Satan, order all things, bestow and bless all means of grace, and quicken us to watchfulness in the use of them, that we and all his people may by his providence be kept from being tempted to sin; or, if tempted, that by his Spirit we may be powerfully supported and enabled to stand in the hour of temptation; or when fallen, raised again and recovered out of it, and have a sanctified use and improvement thereof: that our sanctification and salvation may be perfected, Satan trodden under our feet, and we fully freed from sin, temptation, and all evil, forever.

Proof texts

• Matt. 6:13 — [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
• 2 Chr. 32:31 — [31] And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.
• 1 Chr. 21:1 — [1] Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.
• Luke 21:34 — [34] “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
• Mark 4:19 — [19] but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
• Jas. 1:14 — [14] But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
• Gal. 5:17 — [17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
• Matt. 26:41 — [41] Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
• Matt. 26:69-72 — [69] Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” [70] But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” [71] And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” [72] And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.”
• Gal. 2:11-14 — [11] But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. [12] For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. [13] And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. [14] But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
• 2 Chr. 18:3 — [3] Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.”
• 2 Chr. 19:2 — [2] But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD.
• Rom. 7:23-24 — [23] but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. [24] Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
• 1 Chr. 21:1-4 — [1] Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. [2] So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.” [3] But Joab said, “May the LORD add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord's servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?” [4] But the king's word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem.
• 2 Chr. 16:7-10 — [7] At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. [8] Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. [9] For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” [10] Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.
• Ps. 81:11-12 — [11] “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. [12] So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
• John 17:15 — [15] I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
• Ps. 51:10 — [10] Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
• Ps. 119:133 — [133] Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
• 2 Cor. 12:7-8 — [7] So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. [8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
• 1 Cor. 10:12-13 — [12] Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. [13] No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
• Heb. 13:20-21 — [20] Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, [21] equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
• Matt. 26:41 — [41] Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
• Ps. 19:13 — [13] Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
• Eph. 3:14-17 — [14] For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, [15] from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, [16] that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, [17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
• 1 Thess. 3:13 — [13] so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
• Jude 1:24 — [24] Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
• Ps. 51:12 — [12] Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
• 1 Pet. 5:8-10 — [8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
• 2 Cor. 13:7,9 — [7] But we pray to God that you may not do wrong — not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. [9] For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for.
• Rom. 16:20 — [20] The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
• Zech. 3:2 — [2] And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”
• Luke 22:31-32 — [31] “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, [32] but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
• John 17:15 — [15] I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
• 1 Thess. 5:23 — [23] Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Matt. 6:13 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 35 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116

Q196. What doth the conclusion of the Lord's prayer teach us?

The conclusion of the Lord's prayer (which is, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.), teaches us to enforce our petitions with arguments, which are to be taken, not from any worthiness in ourselves, or in any other creature, but from God; and with our prayers to join praises, ascribing to God alone eternal sovereignty, omnipotency, and glorious excellency; in regard whereof, as he is able and willing to help us, so we by faith are emboldened to plead with him that he would, and quietly to rely upon him, that he will fulfil our requests. And, to testify this our desire and assurance, we say, Amen.

Proof texts

• Matt. 6:13 — [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
• Rom. 15:30 — [30] I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,
• Dan. 9:4,7-9,16-19 — [4] I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, [7] To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. [8] To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. [9] To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him [16] “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. [17] Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. [18] O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. [19] O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”
• Phil. 4:6 — [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
• 1 Chr. 29:10-13 — [10] Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. [11] Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. [12] Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. [13] And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
• Eph. 3:20-21 — [20] Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, [21] to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
• Luke 11:13 — [13] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
• 2 Chr. 20:6,11 — [6] and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. [11] behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit.
• 2 Chr. 14:11 — [11] And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”
• 1 Cor. 14:16 — [16] Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?
• Rev. 22:20-21 — [20] He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! [21] The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Matt. 6:13 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 11 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q98 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. HC Q116 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q98 · HC Q116