How To Pray The Lord’s Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer is one of the most famous prayers in the Christian community. It is also one of the most controversial topics in the Bible, in that people wonder if the Lord’s Prayer is something we should follow word for word. The difference in view is mainly between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. However, Christ taught us the Lord’s Prayer with a purpose: to teach us how to pray. Therefore, diving into how we can apply the Lord’s Prayer in our lives is worthwhile.

Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching us how to pray by demonstrating it through the prayer You prayed, which we can read in the Gospel. Give us a sound understanding of what you meant when you prayed that prayer, and may we apply it properly in our lives. In Your name, I pray. Amen.

How do we pray the Lord’s prayer?

First is essential to know what Jesus meant when He taught us the Lord’s Prayer. Our central passage shall be Matthew 6:5-15. In verses 7-8, Jesus taught us that when we pray, we ought not to pray like the Gentiles, who heap up empty phrases, thinking that God will hear their prayers more readily. That already tells us that the Lord’s Prayer is not some fixed prayer that we recite, thinking that if we recite it, or the more we recite it, the more good we are with God.

As Christians, we know that our standing with God is based on Christ and not based on works. Jesus taught us that when we pray, we don’t pray by saying empty phrases but by meaning what we say and pray. In other words, it is a conversation with our heavenly Father. Just like we mean what we say as we talk to others, the same applies to God. We don’t recite a fixed response to others. A conversation like that wouldn’t make any sense.

That is where the Lord’s Prayer comes in. It is a pattern for how we can converse with God. Remember that it is a pattern or guide and not an exact prayer to follow word for word. In the following paragraphs, we will break down the Lord’s Prayer and see exactly how we can pray it.

The first sentence of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9 is “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” It shows us that when we pray, we also revere and honor God for who He is. While it is not wrong to approach God in prayer and tell Him about our needs and cares, we should also not forget who God is. God is a holy, majestic, and awesome God who deserves to be worshiped, praised, exalted, glorified, and honored, whether we have prayer concerns or not.

The next verse, verse 10, says, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” When we pray, we aren’t just praying for our desires. Ultimately, we should pray for God’s will to be done, not just in our personal lives but also in our community, nation, and the world. What is God’s will in a specific area of your life, your community, career, etc.? Those are some of the things you can pray for. 

According to verse 11, “Give us this day our daily bread,” this is a prayer where we ask God for the things we need. We ask God for provision, protection, and every other need in our lives. That is why in Philippians 4:6-7, it is written that we are to present our prayer requests to God, where His peace, which transcends all understanding, shall guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

Verses 9-10 give us the context of how we ought to pray. We pray out of the desire to glorify God, set His name apart, and do His will here on earth. Therefore, praying to God for something is always for His name, glory, and kingdom. For example, if we pray for good health, we don’t just pray for good health to be healthy. We pray for it so that we will be healthy enough to do more work for Him and His Kingdom. Our prayers revolve around God.

The next one is, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” It is essential to clarify that the verse above does not contradict the truth that we are already forgiven and justified in the eyes of God if we are in Christ. However, why does a Christian pray something like “Lord, forgive my sins”? When a Christian prays, it is out of a broken heart when a Christian makes a mistake or sins against God. Just because we are Christians does not mean that we are 100% perfect. We still make mistakes and sometimes sin. We are all works in progress, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. When we say, “Forgive my sins, Lord,” or “I am sorry for the sin I committed,” it is out of a new heart that desires to honor God and therefore feels sorry towards God. This is a good sign because a genuine Christian who is a new creation will have a new heart that desires not to sin and therefore feels sorry when they do. It is also in that situation where grace will abound more. As we realize that God forgives us, whether past, present, or future sins, we cannot help but forgive those who have sinned against us.

The last part of the Lord’s prayer is “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” It is essential to point out that God never tempts us, as written in ( When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.James 1:13-14). What is meant by “lead us not into temptation” is more of not wanting to be in a situation where you might end up sinning because you desire to honor God. Rather than praying from a presupposition that God tempts people, it is a prayer out of the desire to live a righteous life; therefore, you should pray to God to keep you from doing those things. An excellent example of this in the Old Testament is (Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me. Psalm 5:8), where David prays to God constantly to lead him in righteousness, and (Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.Psalm 27:11), where David prays to God always to guide His ways and lead him on a level path. It has the same theme as “lead us not into temptation” because you want to honor God, live a holy life, and not go into sin. The same applies to “deliver us from evil,” where we don’t want anything to do with evil out of the desire to live in righteousness. Also, praying for God to deliver us from evil means praying for deliverance and protection from all the evil in this world, including Satan.

 

 

All of the things mentioned above are the essence behind the Lord’s Prayer. That means when we pray, we don’t have to pray the exact words that Jesus did. We can only follow the pattern, the essence, and the heart behind it. As we follow that guidance, we can make a personal prayer like this:

Father in heaven, You are holy and majestic. You are sovereign and hold all things together. You know my desires, but I pray that Your will be done and not mine. I also pray for the expansion of the Gospel in our nation, for it is Your will for everyone to hear the Gospel and live in righteousness. I pray for provision for my monthly expenses and the grace to continue growing in the ministry and be fruitful. I am sorry for the times when I have sinned, and just as I am forgiven and redeemed in Christ, help me to forgive those who have offended me. Keep me away from things that won’t help me in my pursuit of holiness and constantly lead me toward the path of righteousness. Protect my loved ones and me from evil, and I thank You because greater is He who is in me than the enemy of the world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Remember that prayer is our way of communicating with God. We do it because of our relationship with God, so we don’t offer prayers out of repetition or the desire to heap up empty phrases. We pray with sincerity. While God has commanded us to pray, we pray out of delight and don’t see it as burdensome, as written in ( In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 1 John 5:3). We were once separated from God because of our sin and are only reconciled with Him because of Christ. Praying to God and coming before His throne as His children is a privilege.