The Lord’s Prayer Guide: Matthew 6:9-13

Our Lord did not leave us in ignorance about how to pray or what kinds of things to pray about.  What we usually call “the Lord’s Prayer” is really our prayer.  Jesus gave it to us to shape the way we pray and to influence the things we seek from God.

Pray, then, in this way: The Lord’s Prayer is not for recitation but for imitation.  It is a guide for how to pray.

Hallowed be Your name: Our priority in prayer is the glory of God.

Your kingdom come: The purpose of our prayer is to serve His kingdom.

Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven: Submission to God’s will guides our prayer and enables us to receive His answers to our prayers.

Give us this day our daily bread: The essence of prayer is our declaration of dependence on God for our every need.

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors: As we receive forgiveness from God, we must extend forgiveness to others.  Grace is the currency of God’s kingdom.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: God’s spiritual protection is our most significant need.

The key to answered prayer is letting God be the author of our prayers.  When we allow Him to determine our desires, He is more than willing to grant our requests.