Introduction
Without God’s providence, no one could survive; without God’s forgiveness int eh Gospel, no one could be saved. By teaching us to pray for daily bread and forgiveness of sins, Jesus has made it clear that our lives depend entirely upon God.
the Fourth Petition
Give us this day our daily bread.
What does this mean?
God certainly gives daily bread without our prayer, even to all the wicked; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to acknowledge this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
What is meant by daily bread?
Daily bread includes everything needed for this life; such as
- food,
- drink,
- clothing,
- shoes,
- house,
- home,
- fields,
- cattle,
- money,
- goods,
- God-fearing spouse and children,
- faithful servants and rulers,
- good government,
- good weather,
- peace,
- health,
- order,
- honor,
- true friends,
- good neighbors and
- the like.
- Why does Jesus teach us to pray for daily bread when God gives it without prayer?
Jesus wants us to acknowledge our daily bread as a gift from God and to give thanks for it.
- Why does Jesus teach us to pray for “our daily bread”?
Jesus teaches us to pray for our bread, because we should pray not only for ourselves, but also for our neighbor and share with him when he is in need. (See Question 70.)
- Why does Jesus teach us to pray for our “our daily bread”?
Jesus teaches us to pray for our daily bread each day, because He wants us to learn to be content with what He gives us each day and not to worry about the future. (See Question 70.)
Bible Reference: God well cares for His creatures.
- For what purpose does God give us our daily bread?
God gives us our daily bread not only to preserve our lives, but also to giv3e us the means and strength to serve Him. (See “stewardship” in the Glossary.)
The Fifth Petition
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
What does this mean?
We pray in this petition that our Father in ehaven would not look upon our sins, nor on their account deny our prayer; for we are not worthy of anything we ask, neither have we deserved it. But we pray that He would give us everything by grace, for we daily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment; and we on our part will heartily forgive and readily do good to those who sin against us.
- What are the trespasses spoken of in the Fifth Petition?
The trespasses spoken of in teh fifth Petition are the debts we owe to God because of our sins.
- What do we confess in the Fifth Petition?
In the Fifth Petition we confess that we have sinned and are therefore not worthy of any of the things for which we pray.
- For what do we pray in the Fifth Petition?
In the Fifth Petition we pray that our Father in heaven would not look upon our sins, nor deny our prayer because of them, but graciously forgive them for Christ’s sake.
- How should we act toward those who sin against us?
As sinners who have received God’s forgiveness, we should forgive those who sin against us.
- Do we earn God’s forgiveness when we forgive others?
Bible Example: The prodigal son’s confession and his father’s forgiveness
Conclusion
Jesus, the Bread of Life, gives us our daily bread and forgives our sins nourishing both body and soul. We want to acknowledge that we have received these gifts from our heavenly Father. Therefore we gladly share our goods with others and readily forgive those who sin against us.
Hymn
Give us this day our daily bread,
Let us be duly cloved and fed;
And keep Thou from our homes afar
Famine and pestilence and war,
That we may live in godly peace
Unvexed by cares and avarice.
Forgive our sins, that they no more
May grieve and haunt us as before,
As we forgive their trespasses
Who unto us have done amiss;
Thus let us dwell in charity
And serve each other willingly. (ELH 383:5, 6)
Bible Readings
At home:
In class: