PROJECT WITTENBERG
Luther's Little
Instruction Book
(The Small Catechism of Martin Luther)
Translated by Robert E. Smith
May 22, 1994
III.
THE LORD'S PRAYER
__________
The Our Father
The Simple Way a Father Should Present it to His Household
I.
Introduction
Our Father, Who is
in Heaven.
Q. What does this
mean?
A. In this
introduction, God invites us to believe that He is
our real Father and we are His real children, so
that we will pray with trust and complete
confidence, in the same way beloved children
approach their beloved Father with their requests.
II. The
First Request
May Your name be
holy.
Q. What does this
mean?
A. Of course,
God's name is holy in and of itself, but by this
request, we pray that He will make it holy among us,
too.
Q. How does this
take place?
A. When God's Word
is taught clearly and purely, and when we live holy
lives as God's children based upon it. Help us,
Heavenly Father, to do this! But anyone who teaches
and lives by something other than God's Word defiles
God's name among us. Protect us from this, Heavenly
Father!
III. The
Second Request
Your Kingdom come.
Q. What does this
mean?
A. Truly God's
Kingdom comes by itself, without our prayer. But we
pray in this request that it come to us as well.
Q. How does this
happen?
A. When the
Heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that we
believe His holy Word by His grace and live godly
lives here in this age and there in eternal life.
IV. The
Third Request
May Your will be
accomplished, as it is Heaven, so may it be on
Earth.
Q. What does this
mean?
A. Truly, God's
good and gracious will is accomplished without our
prayer. But we pray in this request that is be
accomplished among us as well.
Q. How does this
happen?
A. When God
destroys and interferes with every evil will and all
evil advice, which will not allow God's Kingdom to
come, such as the Devil's will, the world's will and
will of our bodily desires. It also happens when God
strengthens us by faith and by His Word and keeps
living by them faithfully until the end of our
lives. This is His will, good and full of grace.
V. The
Fourth Request
Give us our daily
bread today.
Q. What does this
mean?
A. Truly, God
gives daily bread to evil people, even without our
prayer. But we pray in this request that He will
help us realize this and receive our daily bread
with thanksgiving.
Q. What does
``Daily Bread'' mean?
A. Everything that
nourishes our body and meets its needs, such as:
Food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, yard, fields,
cattle, money, possessions, a devout spouse, devout
children, devout employees, devout and faithful
rulers, good government, good weather, peace,
health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful
neighbors and other things like these.
VI. The
Fifth Request
And forgive our
guilt, as we forgive those guilty of sinning against
us.
Q. What does this
mean?
A. We pray in this
request that our Heavenly Father will neither pay
attention to our sins nor refuse requests such as
these because of our sins and because we are neither
worthy nor deserve the things for which we pray. Yet
He wants to give them all to us by His grace,
because many times each day we sin and truly deserve
only punishment. Because God does this, we will, of
course, want to forgive from our hearts and
willingly do good to those who sin against us.
VII. The
Sixth Request
And lead us not
into temptation.
Q. What does this
mean?
A. God tempts no
one, of course, but we pray in this request that God
will protect us and save us, so that the Devil, the
world and our bodily desires will neither deceive us
nor seduce us into heresy, despair or other serious
shame or vice, and so that we will win and be
victorious in the end, even if they attack us.
VIII. The
Seventh Request
But set us free
from the Evil One.
Q. What does this
mean?
A. We pray in this
request, as a summary, that our Father in Heaven
will save us from every kind of evil that threatens
body, soul, property and honor. We pray that when at
last our final hour has come, He will grant us a
blessed death, and, in His grace, bring us to
Himself from this valley of tears.
IX. Amen.
Q. What does this
mean?
A. That I should
be certain that such prayers are acceptable to the
Father in Heaven and will be granted, that He
Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and
that He promises to answer us. Amen. Amen. This
means: Yes, yes it will happen this way.
This text was translated in 1994
for Project Wittenberg by Robert E. Smith and is in the public
domain. You may freely distribute, copy or print this text. Please
direct any comments or suggestions to:
Rev. Robert E. Smith
Walther Library
Concordia Theological Seminary.
E-mail: smithre@mail.ctsfw.edu
Surface Mail: 6600 N. Clinton St., Ft. Wayne, IN 46825 USA
Phone: (260) 452-3149 - Fax: (260) 452-2126
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