I am going to examine the primary thoughts that appear throughout Luther’s explanation. You can study his treatment of particular petitions here.
Perhaps the first thing that jumps out is Luther’s use of justification by grace through faith alone. His treatment of every petition assumes Jesus’ declaration that God knows our needs before we ask and responds to them with unconditional love. In the fifth petition, Luther says it plainly, “We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that [God] would give them all to us by grace.” Luther maintains we have the courage to approach God in this fashion, because “God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.”
If we accept this assumption, we might well ask why we should even bother to pray. Luther explains it this way when treating “Thy kingdom come.” “The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.” He says the same thing about “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” when he writes, “The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.”
He goes a little further in the fourth petition when he says, “God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.”
Luther’s understanding of daily bread echoes his explanation of the first article of the creed. “Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.”
In similar fashion, Luther’s explanations of the prayer echo his thoughts on the Third Article of the Creed. The second petition reads, “God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.” Luther’s explanation for third petition goes, “God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will.”
I like the consistency Luther maintains in the catechisms. He does not always do that in his other writings. However, this brief work is based solidly on his belief that God operates in steadfast love and mercy at all times. For instance, in the sixth petition of the prayer he claims God tempts no one. All temptations come from the devil, the world, and our sinful nature. And those temptations are based on lies that mislead us into doubting God’s unfailing love.
