The Prayer that Jesus Gave Us
Jesus taught His followers how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13. It’s a precious jewel that leads us into a deeper relationship with God.
Each phrase in the prayer is a theme that you can adopt as the main points of your time in prayer.
Here is an outline of the prayer and how you can pray it:
1. “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name”
As you say this phrase, think about how God, our Father, is inviting you to talk to Him. Hallowed means holy. To pray this, say “There’s no one like you…” and think about what the Bible says about what God is like and what He has done.
2. “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”
As you say this, surrender to God and invite His will in your life and in the world.
3. “Give us this day our daily bread”
This is when you ask God to provide for the needs in your life today. Remember He already knows what you need. Trust in Him and give thanks.
4. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Confess your sins to God. As you do, remember to forgive anyone who has sinned against you.
5. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
With this phrase, ask God to strengthen you so you can pass any tests, trials, and temptations that you face.
Here are a few more thoughts about this prayer:
- The prayer can take as little as a minute to go through or you can take as long as you want to pray through each phrase.
- The reason for the order that Jesus taught in the prayer is important. It might seem upside-down compared to the way that prayer is often taught today. Here are just two examples:
- Ask for your daily bread after you have put your focus on God, the Father, and His Kingdom first.
- Ask God to forgive you of any sin near the end and not before you ask for your needs because God doesn’t define you by faults and mistakes because of your faith in Jesus Christ. You should confess your sin to God and commit to follow Him, but it’s not something you need to get done before you ask for your needs in order to convince God to listen to your needs. He already care for you.
