Overview

The catechism closes with the third means of grace: prayer. It defines prayer (Q178), to whom (Q179), in whose name (Q180–181), and with whose help (Q182) we are to pray, for whom and for what (Q183–185); then it expounds the Lord’s Prayer as the special rule and pattern (Q186–196) — its preface, six petitions, and conclusion. It is a fitting end: having learned what to believe and what to do, we are taught how to call upon God for all of it. The key answers are quoted; the petitions are summarized.

The Questions & Answers

Q178. What is prayer? A. Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit; with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“…let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6, ESV)

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness… the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Rom. 8:26, ESV)

Further proofs: Ps. 62:8; 1 John 1:9; Phil. 3:3; Dan. 9:4.

Q181. Why are we to pray in the name of Christ? A. The sinfulness of man, and his distance from God by reason thereof, being so great, as that we can have no access into his presence without a mediator; and there being none in heaven or earth appointed to, or fit for, that glorious work but Christ alone, we are to pray in no other name but his only.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“…Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13–14, ESV)

“…No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6; cf. Heb. 7:25, ESV)

Q186. What rule hath God given for our direction in the duty of prayer? A. The whole word of God is of use to direct us in the duty of prayer; but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which our Saviour Christ taught his disciples, commonly called the Lord’s prayer.

Q188. Of how many parts doth the Lord’s prayer consist? A. The Lord’s prayer consists of three parts; a preface, petitions, and a conclusion.

Q189. What doth the preface of the Lord’s prayer teach us? A. The preface of the Lord’s prayer (contained in these words, Our Father which art in heaven,) teacheth us, when we pray, to draw near to God with confidence of his fatherly goodness, and our interest therein; with reverence, and all other childlike dispositions, heavenly affections, and due apprehensions of his sovereign power, majesty, and gracious condescension: as also, to pray with and for others.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“…you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Rom. 8:15, ESV)

“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven…’” (Matt. 6:9, ESV)

Further proofs: Isa. 64:9; Ps. 123:1; Eph. 6:18; 1 Tim. 2:1–2.

The six petitions (Q190–195, summarized):

• First — “Hallowed be thy name” (Q190): that God would enable us and others to glorify Him in all whereby He makes Himself known, and dispose all things to His glory.
• Second — “Thy kingdom come” (Q191): that the kingdom of sin and Satan be destroyed, the gospel propagated, the church gathered and established, ourselves and others brought into and kept in it, and that Christ would rule in our hearts and hasten His second coming.
• Third — “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven” (Q192): that God would take away our blindness, weakness, and rebellion, and by His grace make us able and willing to know, do, and submit to His will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.
• Fourth — “Give us this day our daily bread” (Q193): that of God’s free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy His blessing with them.
• Fifth — “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Q194): that God, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are encouraged to ask because by His grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others.
• Sixth — “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Q195): that God would either keep us from being tempted, or support and deliver us when tempted.

Q196. What doth the conclusion of the Lord’s prayer teach us? A. The conclusion of the Lord’s prayer (which is, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever, Amen,) teacheth us to enforce our petitions with arguments, which are to be taken, not from any worthiness in ourselves, or in any other creature, but from God; and with our prayers to join praises, ascribing to God alone eternal sovereignty, omnipotency, and glorious excellency; in regard whereof, as he is able and willing to help us, so we by faith are emboldened to plead with him that he would, and quietly to rely upon him that he will, fulfil our requests. And, to testify this our desire and assurance, we say, Amen.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory… for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours.” (1 Chron. 29:11–13, ESV)

“…He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20, ESV)

Exposition: Q178 defines prayer richly: “an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit” — Trinitarian prayer, to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. Q181 grounds praying “in Christ’s name” in our need of a Mediator: sin has put such distance between us and God that only Christ can give us access. The Lord’s Prayer (Q186) is the perfect pattern. Its preface (Q189) teaches the heart of all prayer — coming “with confidence of his fatherly goodness… with reverence… and to pray with and for others” (“Our Father”). The petitions move in order: the first three concern God — His glory, kingdom, and will; the last three concern us — provision, pardon, and protection. That order is itself transformative: we seek God’s glory before our own needs. The fifth petition links our being forgiven to our forgiving (as evidence, not cause; Q194). The conclusion (Q196) returns all to God, teaching us to plead His own kingdom, power, and glory as our arguments, and to seal our prayer with “Amen” — both desire and assurance of being heard.

Connections

• WSC Q98–107 — what prayer is; the rule of prayer; the Lord’s Prayer expounded.
• WCF 21.3 (prayer as a special part of religious worship, in Christ’s name, by the Spirit, according to God’s will).
• Loci: Prayer; the means of grace; the Lord’s Prayer; adoption (praying as children to a Father).

Pastoral & Practical Significance

The catechism ends, fittingly, by teaching us to pray — for all the truth we have learned and all the duty we have been shown is to be sought from God on our knees. Q178 frees prayer from formality: it is “offering up our desires unto God,” real communion in which we bring our actual longings, confess our sins, and thank Him for His mercies — and we never pray alone or in our own strength, but “by the help of his Spirit,” who intercedes for us in our weakness (Rom. 8:26). Q181 is deeply comforting: we who could never approach a holy God on our own have full access “in the name of Christ” our Mediator, who lives to make intercession for us. The Lord’s Prayer is a gift for everyone who has ever felt they did not know how to pray — Christ Himself gave us the words and the pattern. Its order recalibrates the heart: we begin not with our needs but with God’s glory, kingdom, and will, so that prayer aligns us to His priorities before we ever reach our daily bread. The preface (Q189) joins the two things we most need — confidence (“our Father”) and reverence (“in heaven”) — and reminds us to pray “with and for others.” And the conclusion (Q196) teaches us to plead not our worthiness but God’s own greatness, and to close with “Amen,” the confident “so let it be” of a child sure of being heard. Having learned what to believe and how to live, the catechism sends us to our knees, where faith and duty alike are received as grace — and, like the whole of Scripture, it ends longing for the King’s return: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

For Memory & Reflection

• Memorize Q178 (the definition of prayer), Q189 (the preface), and the Lord’s Prayer itself (Matt. 6:9–13); anchor verses: Philippians 4:6 and Matthew 6:9. The petition-answers guide daily prayer.
• The first three petitions seek God’s glory before my needs. Does my praying begin where the Lord’s Prayer begins?
• Q196 teaches me to plead God’s own kingdom, power, and glory — not my worthiness — and to rest in “Amen.” How does that change the way I ask?
• The catechism ends on its knees, longing for Christ’s return. Having learned what to believe and do, am I bringing it all to God in prayer?