Prayer and the Lord's Prayer
Understand prayer as a duty and gift, the rule Christ gave for it, and the shape of the Lord's Prayer in its preface and several petitions.
If the Word and sacraments are means by which God speaks to us, prayer is the means by which we are taught to speak to him. The Catechisms treat it as both a required duty and a sweet privilege, and they make Christ's own pattern the guide for how we are to pray.
The duty and rule of prayer
Prayer is the offering up of our desires to God for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of sins and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies. It is to be made to God alone, by the help of his Spirit, and grounded on his promises. Though the whole Word of God is of use to direct us, the special rule of direction is the form Christ taught his disciples, commonly called the Lord's Prayer — given not only as a set form to be used but as a pattern to shape all our praying.
The preface
The Lord's Prayer opens, "Our Father which art in heaven." Its preface teaches us to draw near with holy reverence and confidence, as children to a Father able and ready to help us. The word "our" reminds us to pray with and for others, not for ourselves alone, while "in heaven" lifts our thoughts to his majesty, power, and all-sufficiency. So the very address sets the soul between nearness and awe before a single petition is spoken.
The six petitions
The petitions fall into two groups. The first three set God's glory before our own concerns: that his name be hallowed, his kingdom come, and his will be done on earth as in heaven. Here we ask that God would enable us and others to know and honour him, that the kingdom of grace would advance and the kingdom of glory be hastened, and that we would obey and submit as the angels do.
The last three petitions seek our own good: daily bread for the support of this life, the forgiveness of our sins as we forgive others, and deliverance from temptation and the power of evil. Together they teach us to depend on God for body and soul, for pardon and for protection.
The conclusion
The prayer closes with a conclusion that both grounds our boldness and frames our praise: that the kingdom, power, and glory belong to God forever. From him we take our encouragement in prayer, to him alone we ascribe all honour, and with "Amen" we testify our desire and assurance to be heard.
Study the full text, Scripture proofs, and commentary on each:
- Read WSC 98–99 and WLC 178–179 together and ask what the Larger Catechism adds about the parts of prayer.
- Work through WLC 190–195 and note for each petition what we confess and what we ask.
- Compare the explanation of the preface in WSC 100 with WLC 189.
See how this doctrine is stated across the Reformed confessions side by side.
Prayer and the Lord's Prayer →