What is the Lord’s Prayer?

“This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (KJV) (Matthew 6: 9-13)

Most Christians have memorized this prayer. It is good to know this amazing prayer by heart but it is important to not let it become just words that have been memorized. When you explore the meaning behind the words of the Lord’s prayer, you can really begin to understand what Jesus was saying. The Lord’s prayer is also a template for whatever prayer we seek to give to God.

The following prayer is based on the Lord’s Prayer but is worded in a different way to explore some of the meaning behind the words of that prayer.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name

Heavenly Father, You are worthy to be praised. You are holy and Your name is holy. You are the almighty and everlasting God, Creator of the heavens and the earth. You put the stars in the sky and you know each one by name. You are the One true God. Nothing compares to You.

I am in awe of You and I am grateful that I belong to You. Who am I that You are mindful of me? Thank you for calling me your child. I was lost but You found me. You have adopted me as Your child and You have blessed me. I am completely undeserving of Your love, yet You love me.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven

Your kingdom will soon be established. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that You are the One true God. There is no one like You. You are Lord over all the earth and the heavens. Your will is supreme.

I don’t always understand why You allow some things to happen and I don’t understand how You are using it but I know that You are in control. I accept that You have a purpose in everything you do and in everything you permit to happen.

Your ways are righteous and above reproach. I know that Your purpose is higher than my purpose, that Your thoughts are above my thoughts, and that You have every right to whatever decisions You make. Please help me to trust you completely.

I know that whatever you allow, you will help me through it and You will make something good come from it. You have promised that all things work together for the good of those who love You and are called according to your purpose. Lord, whatever Your plan for me, please give me the strength to persevere and to do so in a way that brings You glory. Let not my will but Thy will be done.

Give us this day our daily bread

Thank You for reminding me of who You are. You know all my needs: physical, emotional, and spiritual. You know my fears. You know the deepest desires of my heart. You know the pain that I endure. You know the healing that I need. If it is within Your will, please heal my body and my heart. I know that You promise to heal my heart. If you choose to allow the thorn in my side to remain, I know that Your grace is sufficient for me. Please help me to receive Your healing and peace.

You clothe the lilies of the field in wondrous beauty. Your eye is on the sparrow. You know the number of hairs on my head. You know all things. You know my needs better than I do myself. Help me to be ready to receive whatever it is You know that I need – even if I don’t yet know what that it is.

Thank You for whatever ways you intend to use my current challenges. Please sustain me with Your presence amidst my trials. The peace You offer me is beyond all understanding and it is not contingent upon worldly circumstances. You are the giver of all that is good. You are the source of true peace, rest, strength, love, hope, and joy.

Please help me to always seek You first. Please help me to focus on You instead of me. Help me to look for and see even more evidence of Your hand in my life. And please help me to be ready for whatever you call me to do.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

Lord, please forgive me. I am completely undeserving of Your forgiveness. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, so that through Him, my sins can be forgiven. Thank You for looking upon me through the cleansing of the blood of Your Lamb. Please wash me clean from my sins, as filthy garments are cleansed to sparkling white.

Thank You for Your generous mercy and not giving me the punishment that I deserve. Thank You for Your abundant grace and giving me forgiveness and blessings that I do not deserve. Thank You for loving me even when I seem unlovable.

I understand that when You forgive me, You are not saying that what I did was okay or that it is okay for it to happen again. Yet, You still forgive me. Never again to hold those past sins against me. And you require me to willingly forgive others as You have forgiven me. Please help me to forgive those who have sinned against me.

In my pride, I am too quick to see the sin and weaknesses in others and too slow to see it within myself. Please help me to not be so easily offended. Help me to remove the log from my own eye before focusing on the speck of dust that is in others.

When I feel offended, please help me to be free from my anger before the sun goes down. Help me to not give the devil a foothold in my life by holding onto anger and keeping grudges. When someone sins against me, they sin against You (not just me). Help me to surrender to You my right to be angry or offended. You are completely holy and I am not. You have more right to be angry than I do. You know exactly what happened, You know exactly what to do, and You will use it in whatever way You choose.

Please help me to follow the example of unconditional love and humility that your Son, Jesus Christ, provided. Please help me to see others through his eyes instead of the limited vision of my own.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

Lord, please help me when I battle with temptation. Help me not to think, say, or do things that lead me away from You. Help me to stay focused on who You are and who You are calling me to be. Thank you for promising to not allow me to be tempted beyond my ability to withstand it without also providing a way for me to resist the temptation.

Thank you for reminding me that my struggle is not with humans but with the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Thank you for reminding me that nothing can separate me from Your love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, not anything else in all creation.

Lord, please deliver me from the evil one. Help me to remember to put on Your armor so that I can recognize the enemy’s lies and schemes. Please help me to stand against the enemy’s attack. Show me what is really true versus what feels true. Help me to utilize Your full armor: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

Please surround me with Your hedge of protection and do not allow evil to harm Your child. Thank You for reminding me that You are all powerful. The enemy is not. You are in control.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever

Glorious Lord, You existed before time began. You created all things. You know all things. You can do all things. There is none above You.

You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. The kingdom is Yours. The power is Yours. The glory is Yours. Forever. You alone are worthy of all praise. May You be glorified in all things, in all ways, forever and ever!

I pray in the blessed name of my Savior and my Lord, Jesus Christ (Yeshua), whose name You have lifted up above all names.

Amen