The Fourth Petition

71] Give us this day our daily bread.

72] Here, now, we consider the poor bread basket, the necessaries of our body and of the

temporal life. It is a brief and simple word, but it has a very wide scope. For when you

mention and pray for daily bread, you pray for everything that is necessary in order to have

and enjoy daily bread and, on the other hand, against everything which interferes with it.

Therefore you must open wide and extend your thoughts not only to the oven or the flour‐

bin, but to the distant field and the entire land, which bears and brings to us daily bread and

every sort of sustenance. For if God did not cause it to grow, and bless and preserve it in the

field, we could never take bread from the oven or have any to set upon the table.

73] To comprise it briefly, this petition includes everything that belongs to our entire life in

the world, because on that account alone do we need daily bread. Now for our life it is not

only necessary that our body have food and covering and other necessaries, but also that we

spend our days in peace and quiet among the people with whom we live and have

intercourse in daily business and conversation and all sorts of doings, in short, whatever

pertains both to the domestic and to the neighborly or civil relation and government. For

where these two things are hindered [intercepted and disturbed] that they do not prosper as

they ought, the necessaries of life also are impeded, so that ultimately life cannot be

maintained. 74] And there is, indeed, the greatest need to pray for temporal authority and

government, as that by which most of all God preserves to us our daily bread and all the

comforts of this life. For though we have received of God all good things in abundance, we

are not able to retain any of them or use them in security and happiness, if He did not give us

a permanent and peaceful government. For where there are dissension, strife, and war, there

the daily bread is already taken away, or at least checked.

75] Therefore it would be very proper to place in the coat‐of‐arms of every pious prince a

loaf of bread instead of a lion, or a wreath of rue, or to stamp it upon the coin, to remind

both them and their subjects that by their office we have protection and peace, and that

without them we could not cat and retain our daily bread. Therefore they are also worthy of

all honor, that we give to them for their office what we ought and can, as to those through

whom we enjoy in peace and quietness what we have, because otherwise we would not keep

a farthing; and that, in addition, we also pray for them that through them God may bestow

on us the more blessing and good.

76] Let this be a very brief explanation and sketch, showing how far this petition extends

through all conditions on earth. Of this any one might indeed make a long prayer, and with

many words enumerate all the things thatare included therein, as that we pray God to give us

food and drink, clothing, house, and home, and health of body; also that He cause the grain

and fruits of the field to grow and mature well; furthermore, that He help us at home

towards good housekeeping, that He give and preserve to us a godly wife, children, and

servants, that He cause our work, trade, or whatever we are engaged in to prosper and

succeed, favor us with faithful neighbors and good friends, etc. 77] Likewise, that He give to

emperors, kings, and all estates, and especially to the rulers of our country and to all

counselors, magistrates, and officers, wisdom, strength, and success that they may govern

well and vanquish the Turks and all enemies; to subjects and the common people, obedience,

peace, and harmony in their life with one another; 78] and on the other hand, that He would

preserve us from all sorts of calamity to body and livelihood, as lightning, hail, fire, flood,

poison, pestilence, cattle‐plague, war and bloodshed, famine, destructive beasts, wicked

men, etc. 79] All this it is well to impress upon the simple, namely, that these things come

from God, and must be prayed for by us.

80] But this petition is especially directed also against our chief enemy, the devil. For all his

thought and desire is to deprive us of all that we have from God, or to hinder it; and he is not

satisfied to obstruct and destroy spiritual government in leading souls astray by his lies and

bringing them under his power, but he also prevents and hinders the stability of all

government and honorable, peaceable relations on earth. There he causes so much

contention, murder, sedition, and war, also lightning and hail to destroy grain and cattle, to

poison the air, etc. 81] In short, he is sorry that any one has a morsel of bread from God and

eats it in peace; and if it were in his power, and our prayer (next to God) did not prevent him,

we would not keep a straw in the field, a farthing in the house, yea, not even our life for an

hour, especially those who have the Word of God and would like to be Christians.

82] Behold, thus God wishes to indicate to us how He cares for us in all our need, and

faithfully provides also for our temporal support. 83] And although He abundantly grants and

preserves these things even to the wicked and knaves, yet He wishes that we pray for them,

in order that we may recognize that we receive them from His hand, and may feel His

paternal goodness toward us therein. For when He withdraws His hand, nothing can prosper

nor be maintained in the end, as, indeed, we daily see and experience. 84] How much trouble

there is now in the world only on account of bad coin, yea, on account of daily oppression

and raising of prices in common trade, bargaining and labor on the part of those who

wantonly oppress the poor and deprive them of their daily bread! This we must suffer

indeed; but let them take care that they do not lose the common intercession, and beware

lest this petition in the Lord's Prayer be against them.