The Lord's Prayer.
The Fourth Petition.
Which is the Fourth Petition?
_Our Father who art in heaven, Give us this day our daily bread._
What does this mean?
_God gives daily bread indeed without our prayer, also to all the
wicked; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it
and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving._
What, then, is meant by "daily bread"?
_Everything that belongs to the support and wants of the body, such as
food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, field, cattle, money, goods,
a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and faithful
rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor,
good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like._
1. For _our daily bread_ our Lord bids us pray in this petition. By
daily bread everything is meant that _belongs to the support and wants
of our body,_ everything we need to support our life. Our Catechism
enumerates quite a number of such things. For all these things we pray
as far as we need them for our daily bread. We do not pray for _riches,_
for many comforts or luxuries, but for that which we need. We pray:
_"Give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for
me, lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I
be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain."_ Prov. 30,8.9.
The apostle says: _"Having food and raiment, let us be therewith
content."_ 1 Tim. 6,8.
2. We pray for our daily bread. _"God gives daily bread indeed without
our prayer";_ He gives it _"also to all the wicked,"_ who cannot and
will not pray for it. _"He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the
good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."_ Matt. 5,45. If
God gives daily bread without our prayer, why, then, do we pray for it?
_"We pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it,"_ that is,
we pray that God may lead us to know that our daily bread, all we have
and receive in this life, is _His gracious gift._ Wicked, unbelieving
men do not acknowledge this. They believe that they are earning their
daily bread by means of their labor or receiving it by other natural
means. Christians also often forget that all their earthly goods are
the gift of their Father in heaven. Therefore we pray that God would
grant us to know that every good gift comes from above, from Him, our
Father. _"The eyes of all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their
meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand and satisfiest the desire of
every living thing."_ Ps. 145,15.16. When we acknowledge this, _we shall
receive our daily bread with thanksgiving._ Then our daily bread, all
our earthly goods, _will be a blessing to us,_ a blessing for both our
body and our soul. Knowing that our daily bread is God's gift, we
receive it with thanksgiving; therefore we pray before each meal and,
having finished it, say grace.
3. Our Lord tells us to pray for _our_ daily bread. It is true, our
daily bread is the gift of our Father in heaven, but He will generally
bestow this gift upon us _by means of our labor._ God wants us to work,
and He will provide what we need for this life. The bread that we eat
should be the bread _that is honestly coming to us. "If any would not
work, neither should he eat."_ 2 Thess. 3,10.--We do not say _my,_
but _our_ bread, because we _include our neighbor_ in our prayer, asking
God to give also him his daily bread. This reminds us of our duty
willingly to help our neighbor whenever he is in need and want. Our
Father in heaven very often gives us more than we need for our own
support and the support of our family; He does this for the purpose that
_we may have to give to those that are in need._ God, then, desires to
give our neighbor his daily bread through us. _"Deal thy bread to the
hungry."_ Is. 58,7.
4. We pray God to give us our daily bread _this day._ Our Lord reminds
us _that we should not be anxiously concerned for the morrow._ We have a
rich and kind Father in heaven, who cares for us, for our life and
welfare. We pray to Him for our bread to-day and every day, and we know
that He will not forsake us. Our Lord admonishes us: _"Take therefore no
thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things
of itself."_ Matt. 6,34.
5. In the Fourth Petition we pray for our _daily bread,_ for all that is
necessary for our life and bodily welfare here on earth. In the first
three petitions we pray for _heavenly gifts,_ for the gifts which we
need for our soul, for our eternal welfare. Our Lord in this way teaches
us that the heavenly gifts are much more important, that we should pray
for them first of all. _"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."_ Matt.
6,33.