The Lord's Prayer

Though every part of this prayer, the glory of God is given first place. Yet God's glory is especially the object of the three first petitions, in which we are to look to the glory of God alone, without any reference to our own advantage. The three remaining petitions are devoted to our interests, and relate to things which it is useful for us to ask.

But before we explain the Lord's Prayer part by part, it is most necessary first to exhort and incite people to prayer, as Christ and the apostles also have done. 5] And the first matter is to know that it is our duty to pray because of God's commandment.… 

But praying, as the Second Commandment teaches, is to call upon God in every need. This He requires of us, and has not left it to our choice. But it is our duty and obligation to pray if we would be Christians, as much as it is our duty and obligation to obey our parents and the government; for by calling upon it and praying the name of God is honored and profitably employed. 9] This you must note above all things, that thereby you may silence and repel such thoughts as would keep and deter us from prayer….

Let this be the first and most important point, that all our prayers must be based and rest upon obedience to God, irrespective of our person, whether we be sinners or saints, worthy or unworthy. 18] And we must know that God will not have it treated as a jest, but be angry, and punish all who do not pray, as surely as He punishes all other disobedience; next, that He will not suffer our prayers to be in vain or lost. For if He did not intend to answer your prayer, He would not bid you pray and add such a severe commandment to it.

19] In the second place, we should be the more urged and incited to pray because God has also added a promise, and declared that it shall surely be done to us as we pray, as He says Ps. 50:15: Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee. And Christ in the Gospel of St. Matthew 7:7: Ask, and it shall be given you. For every one that asketh receiveth. 20] Such promises ought certainly to encourage and kindle our hearts to pray with pleasure and delight, since He testifies with His [own] word that our prayer is heartily pleasing to Him, moreover, that it shall assuredly be heard and granted, in order that we may not despise it or think lightly of it, and pray at a venture. 

21] This you can hold up to Him and say: Here I come, dear Father, and pray, not of my own purpose nor upon my own worthiness, but at Thy commandment and promise, which cannot fail or deceive me.

We may observe first that this prayer contains all we can reasonably or innocently pray for. There is nothing which we need to ask of God, nothing which we can ask without offending him, which is not included, either directly or indirectly, in this comprehensive prayer.

Second we may observe that it contains all we can reasonably or innocently desire; whatever is for the glory of God, whatever is needful or profitable, not only for ourselves, but for every creature in heaven and earth. Indeed, our prayers are the proper test of our desires because nothing is fit to have a place in our desires which is not fit to have a place in our prayers. And we should not desire what we should not pray for.

Third we may observe that this prayer contains all our duty to God and man." It contains all things that are pure and holy, all things God requires of men, all things that are acceptable in his sight, and all things that may profit our neighbor.