Overview

The catechism closes with the third means of grace: prayer. It defines prayer (Q98), names Scripture as our rule and the Lord’s Prayer as a special pattern (Q99), and then walks through the Lord’s Prayer — its preface (Q100), six petitions (Q101–106), and conclusion (Q107). 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 Questions & Answers

Q98. What is prayer? A. Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, 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)

“…if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (1 John 5:14, ESV)

Further proofs: Ps. 62:8; John 16:23–24; Dan. 9:4; 1 John 1:9.

Q99. What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer? A. The whole word of God is of use to direct us in prayer; but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called the Lord’s prayer.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven…’” (Matt. 6:9–13, ESV)

Further proofs: Luke 11:1–2; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; 1 John 5:14.

Q100. What doth the preface of the Lord’s prayer teach us? A. The preface of the Lord’s prayer, which is, Our Father which art in heaven, teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us; and that we should 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)

Further proofs: Matt. 6:9; Isa. 64:9; Eph. 3:12; Acts 12:5; 1 Tim. 2:1–2.

Q101. What do we pray for in the first petition? A. In the first petition, which is, Hallowed be thy name, we pray, That God would enable us and others to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known; and that he would dispose all things to his own glory.

Q102. What do we pray for in the second petition? A. In the second petition, which is, Thy kingdom come, we pray, That Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.

Q103. What do we pray for in the third petition? A. In the third petition, which is, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven, we pray, That God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“…Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10, ESV)

“Bless the LORD, O you his angels… who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!” (Ps. 103:20–21, ESV)

Further proofs: Matt. 6:9–10; Ps. 67:1–3; Rom. 12:2; Acts 21:14.

Q104. What do we pray for in the fourth petition? A. In the fourth petition, which is, Give us this day our daily bread, we pray, 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.

Q105. What do we pray for in the fifth petition? A. In the fifth petition, which is, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, we pray, That God, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are the rather encouraged to ask, because by his grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“…forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matt. 6:12, ESV)

“…forgiving each other, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32, ESV)

Further proofs: Ps. 51:1–2; Dan. 9:17–19; Matt. 18:35; 1 John 1:7.

Q106. What do we pray for in the sixth petition? A. In the sixth petition, which is, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, we pray, That God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“…but God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape.” (1 Cor. 10:13, ESV)

Further proofs: Matt. 6:13; 26:41; Ps. 19:13; John 17:15.

Q107. 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 take our encouragement in prayer from God only, and in our prayers to praise him, ascribing kingdom, power, and glory to him; and, in testimony of our desire, and assurance to be heard, we say, Amen.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

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

Further proofs: Matt. 6:13; Dan. 9:18–19; Rev. 22:20; 1 Cor. 14:16.

Exposition: Q98 defines prayer beautifully as “an offering up of our desires unto God” — for things agreeable to His will, in Christ’s name, with confession and thanksgiving. The Lord’s Prayer (Q99) is the perfect pattern. Its preface (Q100) teaches the heart of all prayer: we come “as children to a father” — with reverence and confidence, and not alone but “with and for others” (“Our Father”). The petitions move in order: the first three concern God — His name (glory), His kingdom (rule), His will (obedience); the last three concern us — daily bread (provision), forgiveness (pardon), and deliverance (protection from temptation and evil). Note that we pray for God’s glory first, before our own needs — prayer reorders the heart around God’s priorities (Q1). The fifth petition links our being forgiven to our forgiving (not as cause, but as evidence; Q105). The conclusion (Q107) returns all to God: kingdom, power, and glory are His, and “Amen” expresses both our desire and our assurance of being heard.

Connections

• WLC Q178–196 — what prayer is; the rule of prayer; the Lord’s Prayer expounded petition by petition, with its preface and conclusion (much more fully than the WSC).
• 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. Q98 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 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 is transformative: we begin not with our needs but with God’s glory, kingdom, and will, so that prayer recalibrates our hearts to His priorities before we ever reach our daily bread. The preface (Q100) holds together the two things we most need in prayer — reverence (He is “in heaven”) and confidence (He is “our Father”) — and reminds us we never pray alone but “with and for others.” For the believer who struggles to pray, this section is pure encouragement: you come to a Father “able and ready to help,” in the name of the Son, by the Spirit of adoption, with the very words Christ taught — and you 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, we are sent to our knees, where faith and duty alike are received as grace.

For Memory & Reflection

• Memorize Q98 (the definition of prayer) and the Lord’s Prayer itself (Matt. 6:9–13); anchor verses: Philippians 4:6 and Matthew 6:9–13. The petition-answers (Q101–106) are worth learning as a guide for daily prayer.
• The first three petitions seek God’s glory before my needs. Does my praying begin where the Lord’s Prayer begins?
• The preface joins reverence and confidence — God “in heaven,” yet “our Father.” Which do I most need to recover in my prayers?
• The catechism ends on its knees. Having learned what to believe and do, am I bringing it all to God in prayer?