The disciples had watched Jesus pray numerous times. The more they watched, the more they began to wonder why his prayers weren’t like their own.
The disciples were no strangers to prayer. They’d grown up in the synagogue and knew how to pray, yet something seemed different when Jesus prayed. Something seemed deeper, more sincere, more connected to God, more powerful, and more transformational, but they couldn’t quite put their finger on the difference.
So, they asked the teacher for a lesson on how to pray. “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1)
The lesson Jesus gave that day, praying the Lord’s Prayer, also teaches us how to pray. You can learn how to pray more powerfully, too, by praying the Lord’s Prayer line by line.
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The Lord’s Prayer
Jesus responded to his disciple’s request to learn how to pray with the 72 words we know so well as the Lord’s Prayer.
He didn’t intend this to simply be a memory verse, a prayer to only be recited from rote memory. Instead, he gave the disciples a template for prayer.
He outlined how to approach God in prayer, explaining the different conversation points we should have in our prayers, and how crucial it is to align our hearts with God’s.
We memorize the Lord’s Prayer not just so we can recite a prayer, but so that we can easily recall the key components of prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer may be committed to memory quickly, but it is slowly learnt by heart.
– Frederick Denison Maurice
Why Pray the Lord’s Prayer?
Do you want to learn to pray?
Have you been praying all your life, yet haven’t felt its power in your life?
Are you just starting to experience prayer and wondering how it works?
Or, have you been building your prayer habit, but keep seeing others who just seem better at prayer than you and want to know their secret?
If you want to know how to pray, look no further than the Lord’s Prayer.
Sit at the feet of Jesus, alongside the disciples, and listen to his words. See the Lord’s Prayer through fresh eyes. Start praying the Lord’s Prayer as your own.
The Lord’s Prayer – A Prayer for a Lifetime
The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer for all time. A single prayer that can transform your life. A brief, 72-word prayer that can take a lifetime to fully pray.
A simple prayer that can teach you all you need to know about prayer.
Let’s say together, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
I used to think the Lord’s Prayer was a short prayer; but as I live longer, and see more of life, I begin to believe there is no such thing as getting through it. If a man, in praying that prayer, were to be stopped by every word until he had thoroughly prayed it, it would take him a lifetime.
– Henry Ward Beecher
An Outline of The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer is more than just a prayer we memorize and recite, it’s also a lesson in how to pray.
Learn to pray as Jesus taught by using the Lord’s Prayer prayer as a guide for your own prayers.
Below is an outline of the Lord’s Prayer. Each section is a prayer we should offer to God. Each line represents how we should pray.
Outline of the Lord’s Prayer
Introduction and Greeting (“Our Father, who art in heaven”)
Petitions for God:
1) God’s glory – praise and adoration for who He is (“Hallowed be thy name”)
2) God’s kingdom (“Thy kingdom come”)
3) God’s will (“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”)
Petitions for Us:
1) Our needs (“Give us this day, our daily bread”)
2) Our forgiveness (“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”)
3) Our protection (“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”)
Closing and Doxology (“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.”)
Praying the Lord’s Prayer Line by Line
You can use the Lord’s Prayer as a template for your own prayers in many ways.
Use the Lord’s Prayer as an Outline
For each line in the Lord’s Prayer, write your own line. Start with just a sentence for each section and make the Lord’s Prayer your own.
Use your own words, so the prayer speaks directly to your heart.
Your prayer doesn’t have to be eloquent or poetic. Use words you understand plainly.
Below is an example of how you can use the Lord’s Prayer as an outline, but pray it in your own words:
Sample Prayer Using the Lord’s Prayer as a Template
O God, the creator of heaven and earth,
I praise you and worship your name,
May we have more of you here on earth.
I pray for your will in my life, not mine, even it’s hard for me to release control to you.
I pray for your great provision in my life, meeting the needs and concerns of my heart.
Lord, forgive me for my sins – for the things I’ve done, and the things I’ve neglected to do.
Help me forgive others who have hurt me, forgiving them as you forgive me.
Protect me from the evils of this world, help me resist temptations to stray from your path.
For all honor and glory is yours, Lord. May I see your work in my life, in your way, in your time, and to your glory.
Amen.
Use Each Line as a Prayer Topic
Go deeper praying the Lord’s Prayer by using each line as a prayer topic. Focus an entire prayer on each line.
Pray a line each day or each week. Fully immerse yourself in each area of this prayer.
Our Father who art in heaven
Pray a prayer of adoration and praise. Praise God for who he is, your Heavenly Father.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Use this prayer as an example: Our Father Who Art in Heaven: Prayer of Adoration and Praise
Hallowed be your name
Pray a prayer for the glory of God. Worship God with adoration and respect.
I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
Use this prayer as an example: Hallowed Be Thy Name: Prayer declaring the Glory of God
Thy kingdom come
Pray a prayer for more of God on Earth. Pray to acknowledge God as the sovereign ruler of your life, desiring more of His kingdom here on earth.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Use this prayer as an example:Thy Kingdom Come: Prayer for More of God on Earth
Thy will be done
Pray a prayer for God’s plan, not mine. Pray to submit your will to God, following where he leads in trust and obedience.
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
Use this prayer as an example: Thy Will Be Done: Prayer for God’s Plan, Not Mine
Give us this day our daily bread
Pray a prayer for God’s provision in your life.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Use this prayer as an example: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread: Prayer for God’s Provision
Forgive us our debts
Pray a prayer of confession and repentance. Pray to confess your sins and ask for God’s forgiveness. Pray to repent, turning from those sins and walking closer to God’s path.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Use this prayer as an example: Forgive Us Our Debts: Prayer of Confession
As we have also forgiven our debtors
Pray a prayer to forgive others. Pray for God’s help in forgiving others and living a life of love.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Use this prayer as an example: As We Have Also Forgiven Our Debtors: Prayer to Forgive Others
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
Pray a prayer for protection from evil. Pray for God’s help and protection from sin and temptation.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Use this prayer as an example: Lead Us Not Into Temptation: Prayer for Protection from Evil
Doxology and Prayer of Praise to God
Remind yourself God has the power to do far more than you can imagine. Pray for all things to be done to God’s glory and believe that God is faithful to answer your prayers.
David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
“Praise be to you, Lord,
the God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.
Use this prayer as an example: For Thine is the Kingdom: Prayer of Praise to God
Praying The Lord’s Prayer
Want to go deeper praying the Lord’s Prayer, learning to pray through each line, each word?
Praying the Lord’s Prayer is a 40-day online devotional taking you through a deep dive of this most familiar prayer.
Learn to pray through the full depths of this prayer. You’ll never pray this prayer the same way again!
>> Click here for more details on Praying The Lord’s Prayer <<
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peggy says
I ordered two books snd cannotvdowlosd..
Please advise
Kathryn says
Peggy – I just emailed these to you. You can always email [email protected] for support.
Kathy Sheff says
Should we say lead us away from temptation? I am not sure God leads us into temptation.Don’t we usually decide to go there on our own against his will ?