How Can I Pray the Lord’s Prayer

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer

11 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.[b]
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]
And lead us not into temptation.[d]’”

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e]he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Many people ask the question, “How should I pray?”  If you are like me it is easy to get distracted when I pray, as I start thinking about the many tasks I have to do that day. As with many spiritual disciplines, prayer Is not tried and found wanting but wanting to be tried.  The disciples saw Jesus praying early and often, and then saw the works and miracles he performed. So they asked him to teach them how to pray. Rather than giving them a lengthy explanation he gave them a short model to use. 

First he taught to start by praying “hallowed be Thy Name. Hallowed means “holy” or we would say to “set apart as special”.  So to start the prayer, now called the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches them to recognize their Father in heaven as holy. He is different not just a “good buddy” .  As we come into God’s presence each day it behooves to remember we are the addressing the One who created the heavens and the earth. 

Then, he teaches them to pray, “Thy Kingdom come”. God’s kingdom is where God rules or reigns on earth as it does on earth. Simple put when God’s kingdom breaks into our world we get a glimpse of heaven. When Jesus came from heaven to earth John the Baptist said, “Repent the kingdom  of God is at hand.”  Everything Jesus did revealed what God’s kingdom looks like on earth as it is in heaven. So when we pray this we pray not only do we expect God’s kingdom to come, but that it would come through us, both individually and collectively as a church. It is a dangerous prayer if you take it seriously and actually expect God’s kingdom in great power.  

Tomorrow and the next day we will go through the remaining petitions in the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. Spend some time in prayer today thinking and praying these first two petitions and allowing God’s Holy Spirit to help you set apart God’s name as holy and then allow God’s power to work through you throughout the day.