The Seventh Petition

In the Greek text this petition reads: Deliver, or preserve, us from the evil one, or the malicious one. Apparently it refers to the devil as the sum of all evil, as if the entire substance of our prayer should be directed against our arch-enemy. He it is who opposes all we pray for: God's name or honor, God's kingdom and will, our daily bread, a clear and joyful conscience, and like blessings. Therefore, finally we sum it all up and say: Dear Father, help that we may be free from all this misery. But none the less the short petition includes all the evil we experience in the devil's kingdom—poverty, shame, death; in short, all wretched misery and heartache, of which there is an infinite amount on earth. The devil, because he is not only a liar, but also a murderer (Jn 8, 44), unceasingly seeks to take our lives and wreaks his anger on us whenever he can cause us bodily harm or injury. He breaks the neck of many a one and drives others into insanity; some he drowns, many he hounds into suicide and other shocking crimes. Therefore, the one thing we have to do on earth is to pray against this arch-enemy. For if God did not support us we would not be secure before him one hour.

From this you will see again how God wants us to pray to him for everything that affects our temporal welfare, and desires that we should seek and expect help from no one but him. And this petition God has placed last; because if we are to be guarded and freed from all evil, his name must first be hallowed in us, his kingdom be in us and his will be done by us. Then he will finally preserve us from sin and shame, and from everything else that harms or injures.

Thus God has briefly placed before us all the necessities that may ever beset us, so preventing our ever having an excuse for not praying. But the efficacy of prayer consists in our learning also to say "Amen" to it—that is, not to doubt that our prayer surely shall be heard and fulfilled. For prayer is simply the word of undoubting faith, which does not pray at a venture; which knows that God does not lie to it, since he has promised to grant its requests. Where this faith is not, there can be no true prayer. Therefore, they labor under a pernicious delusion who so pray that they dare not from their hearts say yes to their prayer and conclude with certainty that God will answer them; who remain in doubt and say: How can I be so bold as to presume that God hears my prayer? Am I not still a miserable sinner? And so on.

The reason they so doubt is that they do not have regard for God's promise, but for their own works and worthiness, and thus despise God and charge him with lying; therefore they receive nothing, as St. James says: "Let him ask in faith, nothing doubting; for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord," James 1, 6-7. Behold how intensely God is concerned that we be confident that our praying is not in vain and that we in no way lightly esteem our prayers.