The Lord’s Prayer: The Fourth Petition
After completing the lesson, the student will be able to:
Write out from memory the Fourth Petition, and summarize what it means and what is meant by “daily bread.”
Define the types of concerns or “petitions” that should be a main part of our prayer life.
Describe how the structure of the Lord’s Prayer is a guide for how we should pray.
Identify the biblical definition of “contentment”
Describe how we should respond when God graciously provides for our needs and daily bread.
Recite or write out our memory verse: Philippians 4:6-7 - “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
THE FOURTH PETITION | Use your catechism to write in the following information about the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer. Please copy it word for word below.
Re-read the entire Lord’s Prayer (starts on catechism p.13), then, for each of the petitions, write down:
If it is a spiritual or temporal request (Spiritual = eternal, heavenly, or something of the soul/heart. Temporal = worldly, physical, or a bodily need.)
A brief summary of what the specific petition is asking for.
As you might have noticed, there are 6 petitions that deal with spiritual things (Petitions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7), and only 1 petition that deals with temporal things (Petition 4). That is 6:1 ratio!
HOW AND WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY FOR
In the first three petitions, we are directed to God; the emphasis is upon Him. This shows us that our primary emphasis in prayer is to be upon Him. Observe that in the first three petitions, the word “Your” is emphasized. We set aside our own needs and requests to focus upon God first.
The remaining four petitions turn our attention to our needs and the needs of others. In these remaining petitions, you will see the words “our” and “us” used quite a bit. This draws our attention to human or earthly concerns. While it is not wrong to pray for our personal needs, the basic structure of the Lord’s Prayer does remind us that our bodily and physical needs should not dominate our prayer life.
What should our attitude be like when God gives us our daily bread? Read the following passages as you answer.
Students / Parents (for the student and a parent to discuss and answer together)
Read the following passages of scripture about contentment, then answer the questions below. -- Proverbs 15:16; 1 Timothy 6:6-8; Hebrews 13:5;
