The Lord's Prayer

Do you ever feel at a loss for words when it’s time to pray, like I sometimes do? Perhaps your prayers feel inadequate, like empty phrases that don't truly capture what's in your heart or in God’s heart—and maybe that’s why you sometimes hesitate to pray.

Interestingly, as we read through the Gospels, we notice that the disciples rarely ask Jesus to teach them specific things. Jesus appointed them to preach, to walk in authority, to cast out demons, and to heal the sick, but there's no record of them asking how to do these things—they seemed to understand what to do from walking and observing Jesus doing these things. However, they did make one request: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1, ESV). In response, Jesus taught them what we now know as the Lord’s Prayer—a primarily corporate prayer at the heart of the Sermon on the Mount that we still pray to today and that we can always turn to.

Jesus said: “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one; (For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen)” (Matthew 6:9–13 ESV)

The main prayer, excluding the sometimes-quoted and likely later-added phrase, “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen,” can be divided into two main parts. The first three requests focus on God—His honor, His kingdom, and His purposes—to be made known and established on the earth. The remaining three focus on our needs and the help we need to live as citizens of His kingdom. This format establishes a structure for prayer that combines worship with petition as the foundation, around which confession, thanksgiving, and intercession can be formed. It reminds us of Jesus’ later teaching in Matthew.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 ESV)

FOCUS ON GOD

Jesus begins this prayer by focusing on God, making a profound statement by addressing Him not only as His Father but Our Father. He is our father in heaven. Within that statement, we acknowledge that the omnipresent God, Creator of the universe, is our Father—the source of life and provision. The God Almighty has drawn us close and brought us into His family. His name must be recognized and kept holy, for there is none like Him. He is the only God, sovereign, righteous, just, and abounding in love, and he is to be feared and recognized as such on earth just as He already is in heaven (Psalm 103:18-19, Revelation 4:8).

“For when he (man) sees his children (which are God’s), the work of my (God’s) hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.” (Isaiah 29:23 ESV)

“To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.” (Deuteronomy 4:35 ESV)

Our God, creator of the universe, has a kingdom that is currently fully manifested in heaven where there are no hindrances and everything is submitted to His ways and will. Jesus proclaimed that this kingdom is near and can be experienced in our lives now (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). However, we yearn for the fullness of His kingdom. When we ask God to let His kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven, we’re seeking the full manifestation of His promised rule, glory, righteousness, and justice here on earth, as people will submit to his kingship and sovereignty—a transformation that only He can bring.

“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24 ESV)

“As I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.” (Numbers 14:21 NASB)

Similarly, we ask for God’s will—not our own—to be done on earth as in heaven. His will differs from ours, and His ways of establishing and executing His kingdom differ greatly from ours. The Lord said through Isaiah: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Is 55:8–9 ESV). His will requires us to let go of our selfishness and pride, to die to ourselves, and to submit fully to Him, trusting in His ways about how He will bring forth His kingdom. Jesus modeled this as He prayed this very prayer in the garden before His crucifixion (Matthew 26:42), and Paul did the same while proclaiming the gospel in the face of persecution (Acts 21:13-14). And as we align with God’s will, His kingdom advances.

FOCUS ON US

As we live in the tension between already belonging to the kingdom of heaven but not yet experiencing its fullness, Jesus teaches us to seek the Father’s help. With that our first prayer acknowledges our dependency on the Lord, asking the Father to provide our daily bread, both natural and spiritual. This request and confession of trust echo the Israelites' story in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4–5); it calls us not to worry about food and clothing (Matthew 6:25–33), to resist greed (Proverbs 30:8–9), but with thanksgiving to believe that God will provide what is needed. And at the same time, we pray to the Lord to keep growing us more and more into His likeness, helping us to understand His will and ways through His word that is sustaining us (Matthew 4:4).

“You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:16 ESV)

“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV)

In the process of becoming more like Him, we first have to experience what we can give to others. Though once saved, we stumble and are on a journey of being saved and thus in need of more than just a one-time forgiveness. The beauty of this is that the Lord gladly forgives when we ask. It is in his nature to forgive, to show mercy and compassion, to let love cover our wrongdoings (Psalm 86:15, 103:8), that is why he gave us his son (John 3:16). In receiving His forgiveness, we learn to forgive others. For why should others be held against their debts and I am not? We forgive as we have been forgiven, leaving revenge to the Lord (Romans 12:19) and living in peace, avoiding the root of bitterness in our hearts (Hebrews 12:15).

“Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32 NASB)

Though we may stumble due to our human nature, we can call upon the Lord’s help to avoid falling into testing and the grip of sin, which often sneaks subtly into our lives. Through His support, we learn to resist sin by living more by the Spirit than by the flesh. Staying connected with God through constant prayer strengthens this resistance. Jesus Himself told us that staying watchful and praying helps guard us against temptation (Mark 14:38; Luke 22:40). The enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), using deception and lies to try to lead us astray (John 8:44; 1 Peter 5:8). But Jesus, who has gone before us and faced all temptations (Hebrews 4:15), prays for our protection (John 17:15), and we can unite with Him in this prayer, asking God to keep us strong.

“The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3 NASB)

UNTIL THE FULLNESS

Therefore, the Lord’s prayer is not just a liturgy, as we may have come to know it, but when we pray this prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, we are agreeing with the Lord’s heart, his will, his plans, and purposes for us and the world. These are not empty words but come straight from the heart of God and can give us language and a starting point as we pray and wait for the reality of “His is the kingdom and the glory and the honor forever” to be fully established and acknowledged here on earth.

Amen.

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Resources:

Bible Project.

Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992).

R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co., 2007).