Our Father - mining the Catechism

We are celebrating the 450th anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism this year. It is a faithful teaching tool that our church uses to guide us in our study of the Bible. It is divided into 52 "Lord's Day" sections so it can be taught easily in one year. Here are the questions and answers from the Lord's Day sections on "our Father in heaven" from the Lord's Prayer and “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth” from the Apostles' Creed.

May God use these to shape our lives and our prayers.

Lord’s Day 46

Q & A 120

Q. Why did Christ command us
to call God “our Father”?

A. To awaken in us
at the very beginning of our prayer
what should be basic to our prayer—

a childlike reverence and trust
that through Christ God has become our Father,

and that just as our parents do not refuse us

the things of this life,

even less will God our Father refuse to give us

what we ask in faith.¹

¹ Matt. 7:9-11; Luke 11:11-13

Q & A 121

Q. Why the words
“in heaven”?

A. These words teach us

not to think of God’s heavenly majesty

as something earthly,¹

and to expect everything

needed for body and soul
from God’s almighty power.²

¹ Jer. 23:23-24; Acts 17:24-25
² Matt. 6:25-34; Rom. 8:31-32

Lord’s Day 9

Q & A 26

Q. What do you believe when you say,
“I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth”?

A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who out of nothing created heaven and earth

and everything in them,¹

who still upholds and rules them

by his eternal counsel and providence,²

is my God and Father

because of Christ the Son.³

I trust God so much that I do not doubt

he will provide

whatever I need
for body and soul,⁴

and will turn to my good

whatever adversity he sends upon me
in this sad world.⁵

God is able to do this because he is almighty God⁶
and desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.⁷

¹ Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11; Ps. 33:6; Isa. 44:24; Acts 4:24; 14:15
² Ps. 104; Matt. 6:30; 10:29; Eph. 1:11
³ John 1:12-13; Rom. 8:15-16; Gal. 4:4-7; Eph. 1:5
⁴ Ps. 55:22; Matt. 6:25-26; Luke 12:22-31
⁵ Rom. 8:28
⁶ Gen. 18:14; Rom. 8:31-39
⁷ Matt. 7:9-11

Lord’s Day 10

Q & A 27

Q. What do you understand
by the providence of God?

A. The almighty and ever present power of God¹

by which God upholds, as with his hand,

heaven
and earth
and all creatures,²

and so rules them that

leaf and blade,
rain and drought,
fruitful and lean years,
food and drink,
health and sickness,
prosperity and poverty—³
all things, in fact,
come to us

not by chance⁴
but by his fatherly hand.⁵

¹ Jer. 23:23-24; Acts 17:24-28
² Heb. 1:3
³ Jer. 5:24; Acts 14:15-17/a>; John 9:3; Prov. 22:2
⁴ Prov. 16:33
⁵ Matt. 10:29

Q & A 28

Q. How does the knowledge
of God’s creation and providence help us?

A. We can be patient when things go against us,¹

thankful when things go well,²
and for the future we can have
good confidence in our faithful God and Father
that nothing in creation will separate us from his love.³
For all creatures are so completely in God’s hand

that without his will
they can neither move nor be moved.⁴

¹ Job 1:21-22; James 1:3
² Deut. 8:10; 1 Thess. 5:18
³ Ps. 55:22; Rom. 5:3-5; 8:38-39
⁴ Job 1:12; 2:6; Prov. 21:1; Acts 17:24-28