A Pattern for Prayer
The beginning of a new year is often a time when we take stock of where we are and where we would like to grow in the months ahead. If we hope to become more like Christ in our character and learn how to do the things that Jesus did, sharpening our skills and competency, then it will require intentional pursuit and practice.
So, where do you want to grow in 2025? What area of discipleship do you want to develop?
My guess is that many of us would say, “I need to freshen up my prayer life. It’s become inconsistent and dry.” Then comes the question, “But how?”
Over the next two posts, I’d like to share a practical suggestion that I have used over the years and found to be not only helpful but also has deepened my prayers.
It’s rooted in the Lord’s Prayer. In this post, I’m going to give you a simple breakdown of the prayer, and then in the following post, I’ll give you three ways you can use Jesus’ model for prayer in your daily life.
Teach Us to Pray
Now, I’m fully aware that all too often, The Lord’s Prayer has devolved into mindless repetition or dry recitation. In fact, in some traditions, it has become a source of penance. (“You must say this prayer so many times.”)
Yet it was never intended to be that. In the Bible, we’re told that the Lord’s Prayer arose out of the disciples’ curiosity and desire.
They saw how Jesus would get up early in the morning, go to a solitary place, and pray. They saw that He did this quite consistently.
In observing that, they saw the unique and loving relationship Jesus had with His Heavenly Father. They saw the peace that was realized and the power that was released when He prayed... and they wanted to learn His secret.
Luke 11 says that one day the disciples once again saw Jesus praying, and one of them got up the courage to ask, "Lord, teach us to pray." Jesus went on to give them a pattern for prayer.
In a parallel text, Matthew describes it this way:
This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today 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.”
Matthew 6:9-13
If Jesus said, "This is the way you should pray," then it makes sense that it's probably something we should pay attention to.
The Six Sides of the Lord’s Prayer
There are six aspects to the Lord’s Prayer: the Father’s Character, the Father’s Kingdom, the Father’s Provision, The Father’s Forgiveness, the Father’s Guidance, and the Father’s Deliverance.
Father's Character (v.9) – Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Jesus begins His prayer with a simple word that embodies an important relational concept. He uses the Aramaic word for Father: Abba—literally papa or daddy. Pious Jews never used this word when speaking of God because it was so intimate.
None of us would dispute that Jesus had every right to use that word. However, now He is extending that privilege to His disciples. In so doing, He is letting us know that we, too, have the right as sons and daughters to that same intimate relationship.
However, then Jesus adds, “Hallowed be your name” God is very close, but very different. He is wonderfully intimate yet totally other. Our response to Him needs to reflect that dynamic tension. We come to Him as Father and also as Lord.
Father's Kingdom (v. 10) Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Jesus is saying here that we have indeed been adopted into God’s family and we have every right to call Him Papa. But beyond that, our Father is the King.
In His Kingdom, there is no sickness, no war, no injustice, no poverty, no corruption. This is what we are asking for when we pray, "Your Kingdom come." We are requesting the Kingdom reality come here and now.
Father's Provision (v.11) Give us this day our daily bread
We all have needs - physical, emotional, relational, spiritual. This part of the prayer is where we bring those needs to our Father who loves us.
We acknowledge that He has the means to meet those needs and that we trust in His provision. So, we ask boldly for that provision.
Father's Forgiveness (v. 12) Forgive us our trespasses and we forgive those who trespass against us
God has given each of us territory. It can be literal territory, but it can also be emotional or relational territory. As we obediently stay within that territory, we can know the Father’s provision and blessing.
When I step out of the territory God has given to me (“trespass”), I must ask for forgiveness.
Likewise, having received that forgiveness, when someone steps out of their territory into mine, I must forgive them.
Father's Guidance (v.13a) Lead us not into temptation
Up to this point, the prayer has been dealing with our relationship with the Father and with those around us. Here, the prayer moves into going out into the world as an ambassador for the Kingdom.
To pray this part of the prayer is to say in effect, “As I follow the path you have laid out for me, may I not be tempted to stray from it. As I step out into the world to do Your kingdom work, help me to be in the world but not of it."
Father's Deliverance (v. 13b) But deliver us from evil
We have a very real enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy.
Here we pray for God’s protection and deliverance from the schemes of the evil one.
It’s a declaration that our Father has power over the evil one. And it’s a request to keep us safe as we venture into His service.
I know this has been a quick breakdown of this beautiful prayer, but hope it has piqued your interest.
Friends, when you stop to think about it, Jesus’ model prayer is simple yet so profound. It really addresses the full spectrum of human need and covers everything He taught us about Kingdom life.
In my next post, I will give you three ways to use this remarkable prayer in your daily life. Meanwhile, I encourage you to use these six phrases as launching points for your prayers for yourself, your family, your church, and your world.
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