The Lord’s Prayer is mentioned two times in the New Testament: Matthew 5-7 and Luke 11:2-4. It is entitled “The Lord’s Prayer” because not only did Jesus tell us to pray it but He is the author of it.
God longs to hear from us. He cannot answer a prayer that was never prayed. Psalm 2:8 (ESV) tells us, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.”
1 John 5:15 (ESV) – And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
If you study the layout of The Lord’s Prayer you will see in the beginning of it we are to acknowledge and worship God for who He is. First focus on God, then present your petitions to Him.
There are seven petitions in The Lord’s Prayer. The first three petitions reference God and His cause. The last four petitions are for us and our benefit. It ends with the Doxology for His glory.
Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)
The 1st Petition
9 …Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Try to quiet your mind, clear your thoughts and focus solely on God our Father. Here you are praising God for who He is and lifting up His name. Enter into prayer with thanksgiving and praising God.
Quiet your thoughts and focus them on God. If you want, kneel, close your eyes, or make the sign of the cross. Say: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed [kept holy] be Thy name”. Here, you praise God and lift up His name. Because of the blood of Jesus you can be thankful you can call God, “Father”.
Be sure to honor the names of God in your prayer:
Jehovah-tsidkenu – Complete FORGIVENESS – The First Blessing.
Jehovah-m’kaddesh – Complete FREEDOM – The Second Blessing.
Jehovah-shalom – Complete PEACE – The Third Blessing.
Jehovah-shammah – Completely ENJOYING HIS PRESENCE – The Fourth Blessing.
Jehovah-rophe – Complete HEALING – The Fifth Blessing.
Jehovah-jireh – Complete PROVISION – The Sixth Blessing.
Jehovah-nissi – Complete FUTURE – The Seventh Blessing.
Jehovah-rohi – Complete FRIENDSHIP – The Eighth Blessing.
Jehovah- tseva’oth – Complete VICTORY – The Ninth Blessing.
Jehovah-elyon – Complete PROTECTION – The Tenth Blessing.
2nd Petition
10 Thy kingdom come,
God’s heavenly kingdom is coming here to earth one day. But, in the mean time we ask God to send us His Holy Spirit so by God’s grace we believe His holy Word and lead Godly lives here on planet earth until we live in eternity with God.
3rd Petition
…Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
We need to pray constantly for the will of God to be done in our lives. We need to pray about our relationship with him, our relationship with our family and friends, our health, our families/friends health, our finances, our job, our church, and our nation. Pray that Father God will break any evil plans Satan has for you and which will hinder God’s kingdom coming here on earth. Pray for God’s grace to enable us to carry out His will in our lives.
4th Petition
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Your daily bread includes everything you might need to live each day such as food, clothing, home (apartment), a job (income), family, friends, neighbors, church, community, weather, health, peace, and the list goes on and on.
5th Petition
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
The 5th petition is the first petition that deals with our personal spiritual needs. Have you noticed that the very first petition that deals with our personal spiritual needs deals with FOREGIVENESS? What is Jesus telling us here? The first thing Jesus is telling us is we are asking God to forgive us our debts just like we forgive others their debts. Just stop and think about it. We want God to forgive us of everything but have we forgiven everyone of everything they have done to us? The first thing that pops in your head is, “How do you expect me to forgive so-and-so for what they did to me? It was unthinkable what they did to me!” You can’t forgive them, but you want God to forgive you. That’s how most of us are. But, by God’s grace and love you can learn to forgive others, but FIRST you have to learn to (1) love yourself as God loves you and then (2) forgive yourself for believing Satan’s lies!
6th Petition
13 And lead us not into temptation,
The sixth petition does not mean that God tempts us into temptation, but that He permits sin but does not promote sin in our lives. The meaning here is that God would not allow us to be overcome by temptation and drawn into sin. God tells us to daily put on the Armor of God to protect ourselves from evil:
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 [c]With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, Ephesians 6:10-18 NASB
7th Petition
…but deliver us from evil:
Here are asking God to deliver us from the evil of sin in our daily lives (our body, soul, possessions, reputation, etc.). We are praying that He would keep our sinful nature from deceiving or misleading us. Our main hope of deliverance should be in God the Father.
Doxology: His Glory
…For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
In the doxology we are praising and exalting God for who He is and for everything He does for us and the world. Trust that everything is possible with God.
To learn more about Praying The Lord’s Prayer watch these videos.
