The Lord’s Prayer

Editorial by Yves Monnier

People still ask the same thing the disciples did 2,000 years ago: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1, NKJV). We all know, the disciples included, that prayer is an integral part of our journey with God. However, we all seem to struggle to make prayer a vibrant and meaningful part of our daily lives and, consequently, the request, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Jesus’ answer is one of the most memorized passages in the Bible: The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1–4). While memorizing this timeless prayer is good, we must grasp that Jesus’ answer goes beyond just repeating lofty words. Behind that prayer are potent principles that truly transform how one prays.

Jesus teaches through the Lord’s Prayer that there are seven basic things that one should include when praying.

1. Praise God. “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”

2. Surrender my will to God. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth (my life) as it is in heaven.”

3. Share my needs. “Give us this day our daily bread.”

4. Confess my sins. “And forgive us our debts.”

5. Forgive others. “As we forgive our debtors.”

6. Plead for protection and deliverance from the enemy of God. “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

7. Praise God some more. “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

What a blessing it is to not only recite the Lord’s Prayer but also linger at each point. This prayer exercise has transformed and re-energized my prayer life. I now pray with more purpose and direction.

If your prayer time is at a standstill, consider using the Lord’s Prayer template and see for yourself how powerful this prayer still is in the twenty-first century.