The Third Petition

So far, we have prayed that God's name would be honored among us and that His kingdom would grow and flourish. These two requests cover everything that relates to God's glory and our reception of God Himself, along with all the treasures He brings, which is to say our salvation. But at this very point, we face a pressing need: we must hold firmly to these treasures and never allow ourselves to be torn away from them. Just as a well-ordered government needs not only magistrates and rulers but also defenders, protectors, and guardians, so here, having prayed for the most important things (for the Gospel, for faith and the Holy Spirit, for divine guidance and deliverance from the devil's power), we must now pray that God's will be done. If we are to remain in possession of these treasures, we should expect a staggering number of attacks and assaults on their account, coming from everyone who dares to obstruct and undermine the fulfillment of the first two petitions.

Most people have no idea how fiercely the devil opposes and works to prevent their fulfillment. He cannot tolerate anyone teaching or believing the truth, and it causes him unbearable anguish when his lies and abominations, long honored under the attractive cover of God's name, are exposed and stripped of all their false dignity, and he himself is driven from our hearts while his kingdom is broken open. So, like a furious fool, he seethes and rages with everything he has, marshaling all his subjects and calling on the world and our own sinful nature as his allies. Our flesh is corrupt and bent toward evil by its very nature, even after we have received and believed God's Word. The world, too, is twisted and wicked. Watch how he stirs up our passions, how he fans the flames and keeps them burning, all to obstruct us, push us back, and bring us once more under his control. That is his singular purpose, his consuming desire and obsession, the goal he pursues without rest, day and night, using every strategy, every malicious scheme, every method and means he can devise to accomplish it.

Those of us who want to live as Christians must reckon with the reality that the devil, his angels, and the world itself will all stand against us as enemies, ready to bring every kind of sorrow and hardship our way. Wherever God's Word is preached, received, believed, and bearing fruit, the precious, holy cross of persecution will follow close behind. No one should expect to live in peace; rather, we must be prepared to risk everything we have on this earth: possessions, reputation, home, property, spouse, children, body, and life itself. This prospect causes real grief to our flesh and our old sinful nature, because it means we must hold firm and endure with patience whatever comes our way, and let go of whatever is taken from us. It is therefore just as necessary here as in every other situation that we pray without ceasing: Your will be done, dear Father, and not the will of the devil or of our enemies, nor of those who would persecute and destroy Your Word or block Your kingdom from coming; and grant that whatever we must suffer on account of it may be borne with patience and overcome, so that our poor flesh does not yield or collapse through weakness or laziness.

Notice that in these three petitions, the concerns that belong to God have been the focus of our sincere prayer, yet we have also been praying on our own behalf. We have pleaded for something that touches us directly when we ask that what will happen regardless of us might also happen in us. Just as God's name will be hallowed and His kingdom will come without our prayers, so His will must be done and must prevail even when Satan and all his forces rise up in fury, storming and raging in their attempt to wipe out the Gospel entirely. But for our own sake, we must pray that His will be done among us without obstruction, despite all their fury, so that they accomplish nothing and we remain standing in the face of every act of violence and persecution, yielding ourselves to the will of God.

This prayer should be our protection, our defense, and our weapon for repelling and overcoming everything the devil, the pope, bishops, tyrants, and heretics can throw against the Gospel. Let every one of them rage and test themselves, let them plot and scheme to weaken and destroy us in the service of their own will and agenda. One or two Christians standing against them with this single petition will serve as a fortress against which they will hurl themselves to their own ruin. We take comfort and confidence in knowing that the will and designs of the devil and all our enemies must and will ultimately fail and come to nothing, no matter how proud, secure, and powerful they believe themselves to be. For unless their will is broken and defeated, God's kingdom on earth cannot endure, and His name cannot be honored.