How to Pray: 12 Lessons From the Lord’s Prayer
What better person to learn how to pray from than the Lord Jesus himself, the great intercessor? Jesus’ earthly life was one of prayer.
What better person to learn how to pray from than the Lord Jesus himself, the great intercessor? Jesus’ earthly life was one of prayer. And even now at the right hand of the Father, Jesus is still praying and making intercession for us.
“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25
In this article, we are going to glean 12 lessons from the Lord’s comprehensive teaching on prayer found in Matthew 6:5-15, which includes the famous Lord’s Prayer. Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer on two occasions recorded in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. Jesus gave us the perfect model of prayer in the Lord’s Prayer that all of us can use to enrich our prayer lives.
Lord, teach us to pray.
On one occasion, as Jesus was praying, one of his disciples, watching Jesus pray, said to him afterwards, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1.
“Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1
Jesus proceeded to teach his disciples what has become the great model and teaching on prayer: the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus taught the same prayer in his detailed teaching on prayer in Matthew’s gospel, part of the great sermon on the mount. It is from this entire teaching on prayer that we are going to pick out 12 key lessons on prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:5-15
“5And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “Therefore, do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on 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 do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.“
Below are 12 lessons from Jesus’ teaching on prayer:
1. When you pray. (Vs. 5)
“And when you pray.” Matthew 6:5
The first thing Jesus says when he begins the teaching on prayer is, “And when you pray.” This means that he expects us to pray. Prayer is simply communion with God. Every believer should cultivate a daily habit of prayer just as Jesus did. We cannot have a relationship with God the Father, Son, and Spirit without prayer. Jesus made it easy for us and not only taught us how to pray but also modeled it in his own life.
Jesus’ example and life of prayer.
As we read the 4 books of the gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we see many accounts of Jesus going off alone to pray. Even though he was God and sinless, Jesus still prayed. We find Jesus, despite his busy ministry, deliberately setting aside times to pray. He prayed at various times: mornings before dawn, evenings, and also spent nights in prayer. He prayed in the mountains, in the wilderness, and also while with his disciples. Here are a few instances:
“And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.” Matthew 14:23
“And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.” Mark 6:46
“So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” Luke 5:16
“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12
“During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.” Hebrews 5:7
If Jesus prayed, how much more should we? Because prayer is commanded, to not pray is sin.
2. Do not pray like hypocrites. (Vs. 5)
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” Matthew 6:5
The first thing Jesus teaches on is motive and attitude in prayer. He warns us not to be like the hypocrites who pray to be seen by men. The Pharisees stood in public places and made great exhibitions of prayer to receive praise from men. However, their hearts were far from God, and they had no relationship with him. Such attitudes and motives have no reward from God. Prayer is communion with God and not a show for men.
“These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” Matthew 15:8
3. Go into your room and shut your door. (vs. 6).
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:6
Jesus then emphasized praying to God in private/secret and having a place of prayer. He said, “Go to your room and shut your door.” This implies a personal and private place where one can meet God daily.
He did not say, "Go to church or temple," but "Go to your room." By using these words, Jesus showed us that prayer is a personal matter. “Pray to your Father who is in the secret place.” Your "room" may be a bedroom, a garden, or a mountain, but it should be your private place to meet with God. Jesus mainly prayed in the mountains because he did not have privacy where he stayed because of the multitudes.
“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” Mark 1:35
The place itself is not the concern, but the privacy, sincerity, and taking time alone to cultivate a relationship with God are. Jesus promises a reward for this kind of prayer.
4. Do not use vain repetitions when you pray. (Vs. 7-8)
“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. “Therefore, do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:7-8
Jesus warned against vain repetitions in prayer, which means babbling or empty, meaningless repetition of words. God is a father and desires genuine, sincere, and honest communication with us, and not just meaningless or rote repetition of words. The Pharisees loved to pray, repeating many words that they did not mean, just to appear spiritual to people. Jesus said that is how the heathen pray, but those who have a relationship with God should pray as such. God already knows what we need, and so we don’t have to go round in circles using empty words to express our hearts to him.
5. Our Father in heaven. (Vs. 9)
“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:9
Jesus says we should pray, saying, “Our Father in heaven“. God is our Father. This is personal but also plural. He is our father. God is the father of a family. It is good to be conscious of the fact that we are members of a family. This awareness expands our prayers so that we are not just individualistic in relating with God but include others in love in our prayers.
God is a person and not just some ethereal force in the sky. Through the Lord Jesus and what he did on the cross for us, God is not only our creator but has become our Father. We can therefore approach him with confidence, knowing that he loves us and we are intimately connected to him.
Before salvation, God was not our father but just a creator, and we were at enmity with God. But now, he is our Father, and we have peace with him and confidence to approach him. Unlike earthly fathers, he is a perfect father.
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26
“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15
“And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:6
6. Hallowed be your name. (Vs. 9)
“Hallowed be Your name.” Matthew 6:9
In prayer, we start with worshiping and exulting God. We praise and magnify his holy name and declare to him his attributes, magnificence, and nature in our adoration. We can do this through song, psalms, and adoration. As we study God’s word, we learn more and more of his attributes, and we use these to worship and adore him. God loves to be worshiped and honored. He dwells in the praises of his people.
God is holy, awesome, mighty, alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, Yahweh, the creator, the one who was and is and is to come, I AM that I AM, the immortal one, the all-sufficient one, the self-existing one, the father of our Lord Jesus, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the covenant-keeping God, the terrible God, God above all gods, without descent or generation, the eternal one. As we worship God, we stand in awe of Him and prepare our hearts to come into His presence. He is a great king.
“For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” Psalm 95:3
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4
“Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” Exodus 15:11
“Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3
7. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. (Vs. 10)
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10
First, we ask for God’s kingdom to come and for his will to be done. These two are intricately connected. God’s kingdom comes as his will is done. A kingdom is a realm governed by a king. God’s kingdom is his reign and dominion, his rule and authority.
God’s will is God’s mind, desires, and commands as expressed in His Word, the Bible. By praying for God’s will to be done, we are asking that God’s reign and dominion prevail on earth as they do in heaven. There are a few specific things we can pray for in this regard:
Pray for the salvation of souls.
As the gospel of Jesus Christ is preached, God’s kingdom advances. The gospel is also called the gospel of the kingdom. The only way God’s kingdom comes is by people becoming part of his kingdom. And this is only possible through Jesus Christ and the salvation he offers. It is God’s will for all to be saved.
“Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
Therefore, in praying for God’s kingdom to come, we should pray for the lost to hear the gospel, pray for God to send laborers to his harvest, pray for our unsaved loved ones, pray for missionaries, and pray for any specific nations and people groups that God places on our hearts.
“Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
Pray for kings and all in authority.
We should also pray for rulers and authorities to be obedient to God, know God, and put in place policies that are friendly to the spread of the gospel. Those in authority have great influence over the people they rule. The apostle Paul exhorts us to pray for them that we may live quiet and peaceful lives. Peaceful nations are beneficial for the preaching of the gospel.
“Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:1-5
Pray for the Church and believers to obey God’s will.
God’s kingdom also comes as we believers obey God and His Word and shine our light in the world. God’s will is done as we obey him. Therefore, we can also at this point pray for the body of Christ, our churches, church workers, pastors, preachers of the gospel, and for ourselves to be obedient to God. God’s will is revealed in the Bible. All our prayers should be aligned with God’s will because God cannot violate his word.
“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
8. Give us our daily bread. (Vs. 11)
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11
After praying for God’s kingdom and his desires, we can now make our requests. Jesus teaches us to ask God for our daily bread. Bread here refers to basic needs. God cares about us, and Jesus earlier in verse 8 says God knows what we need even before we ask. “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” But he desires us to ask him since he is our Father. Let us therefore ask with confidence.
Notice Jesus says, “Give us“. The plural means we don’t just ask for ourselves. We ask for others, too. Do you know someone with a need? Pray for them. We are to present all our requests to God with a sincere heart, expectation, and confidence that he is a good father.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:7-11
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Our requests should be according to God’s will.
Jesus sets the tone in verse 10 by teaching us that prayer should be according to God's will. Therefore, all our requests should be per God’s will. God does not answer prayers that violate his nature or his word. It therefore improves our prayer lives greatly if we are also students of God’s word. God’s promises and his will are clear in Scripture. Once we know his will on any matter, it gives us confidence when we come to pray to him. Our faith grows as we become familiar with God’s word, and faith is a key to answered prayer.
“And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is (exists), and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
9. Forgive us as we forgive others. (Vs. 12)
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Matthew 6:12
Every time we pray, we should ask God to forgive us our debts. The word debt here refers to obligations, moral faults, transgressions, or something owed. We sin against God every day.
The apostle John tells us in 1 John 1:8-10 that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and lie and make God a liar. We sin in many ways, many of them unconscious, and many of our sins are sins of omission. Because we are not aware of many of our sins, we must always ask for forgiveness even when we can’t immediately think of anything. God tells us to do so and promises to forgive us. We should confess any known and unknown sins and ask for God to forgive us and for the blood of Jesus to wash us.
“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:7-10
We must forgive others before we pray.
The condition in Matthew 6:12 is that God forgives us only as we forgive others. If we refuse to forgive others, God will not forgive us. If we are not forgiven, we remain under condemnation and are deemed transgressors. As a result, God will not hear our prayers.
“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Psalm 66:18
10. Lead us not into temptation. Deliver us from evil. (Vs. 13)
“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13
In prayer, Jesus tells us to ask God not to lead us into temptation. This means, in essence, “and do not allow us to enter into“. It does not mean God is leading us to temptations himself, since God does not tempt with evil (James 1:13). The word temptations here means trials, testing, solicitations, or adversities. God is all-powerful. He can lead us away from situations where we may be tempted and tried. These are sent our way either by our own lusts or by the evil one. These may be temptations to sin or trials of difficulties.
Sometimes God may allow us to be tempted to test our faith, but never beyond what we can bear. And the Bible encourages us that he will always provide a way of escape. And so when we pray for God not to lead us into temptation, he will either protect us from situations of temptation, provide moral and spiritual strength, or make ways of escape for us.
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” James 1:13-15
Pray for deliverance from evil.
We should also pray for God to deliver us from the evil one (the devil). Some translations say, “Deliver us from evil.” Sometimes believers come under attacks of various kinds orchestrated by the devil. This is inevitable since we are still in the world. We should, in such cases, ask God to deliver us from the evil one.
And even when we are not presently under attack, we should preempt and pray that God would protect us each day and deliver us from Satan’s plans and attacks. God sees and knows all things and can direct our steps accordingly. Jesus, too, prayed for us before he left the earth, that God would keep us from the evil one. God promises to preserve us, and so we should ask for his deliverance.
“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” John 17:15
“And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” Romans 16:20
“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3
“The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.” 2 Peter 2:9
11. Yours is the kingdom, power, and glory forever. (Vs. 13)
“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:13
The Lord’s Prayer ends here with this expression of praise. In the oldest and most reliable manuscripts of Matthew, this verse was absent and was a later addition. This means that Jesus did not include this in the prayer. However, it is a good expression in ending the prayer to reflect on the fact that the kingdom, power, and glory belong to God forever!
Since all things, people, and all power belong to God, we can have confidence that he will answer us. This expression, “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever“, is known as a doxology. A doxology is an expression of adoration and glory to God. We end the prayer in thanksgiving and praise to God that he has heard us.
Amen ends the prayer. "Amen" means "verily," "truly," or "so be it." It is an affirmation or agreement that God has heard us and granted our request.
12. The necessity of forgiveness. (Vs. 14-15)
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.“ Matthew 6:14-15
Jesus ends the teaching on prayer with an emphasis on the necessity of forgiveness. Although he mentioned this in the prayer itself, he mentions it again in conclusion. This should show us the great importance of forgiving others and also the grave danger of not forgiving. God takes this matter seriously, and he says he will not forgive us if we refuse to forgive others.
By emphasizing this after his teaching on prayer, Jesus is emphasizing the fact that our praying is meaningless if we have forgiveness in our hearts. And additionally, our souls are in danger of damnation if we do not forgive others because it means we too remain unforgiving and therefore under God’s condemnation and judgment.
Make haste to forgive.
In an earlier teaching in Matthew 5, Jesus emphasizes the need to reconcile with others before bringing our gifts to God. Before we pray, let us therefore make haste to forgive and be reconciled to others. And if we find it difficult, we can pray for the grace to forgive. This is a prayer God will answer willingly because it is his will that we forgive!
“Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:23-26
Go and pray!
I hope this article has encouraged you and motivated you to pray. If you are a new believer, or new to prayer, do not be intimidated. Jesus’ teaching on prayer was for ordinary men like you and me. Everyone can pray, because everyone has access to the Father. Make a beginning today.
“The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.” James 5:16-118
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
If this article blesses you, please share it with your friends, on your socials, and with anyone who needs to know Jesus Christ.
Have you given your life to Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior? He loves us so much that he, our creator, left heaven and came to earth, died for us on the cross, taking our sins upon him so that we may be forgiven and receive his righteousness. He conquered death by rising from the dead and made a way for us who were dead in sin to be reconciled back to the Father (God). What’s more, he has prepared a wonderful home for us in heaven, where those who love him and obey him will spend eternity with him. Learn more here about how to be born again and have eternal life after this brief life on earth.
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