One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
Learning to pray like Jesus is a key element in nurturing our Christian spiritual formation and becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. In Luke 11 the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. This is the only recorded instance of the disciples asking Jesus to teach them something specific.
Jesus intended for this to become our model for prayer. Not that these are the only words that we should pray, but that these six elements of prayer should be a part of our conversation with God the Father.
Take a moment and look at the diagram. It helps us identify the six sections of the prayer. So to pray with the same model that Jesus used is to:
1. Character— Acknowledge God as Holy Papa or Hallowed Abba.
2. Kingdom—To pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth, for
God’s will to be done on earth.
3. Provision— To put our trust in God to provide.
4. Forgiveness— To allow god’s forgiveness to flow through us.
5. Guidance— To seek God’s direction and follow it.
6. Protection— To trust God to protect us from evil.
Practically speaking, to pray using this pattern it might mean that we take a request that is heavy on our heart and begin to overlay the Lord’s prayer over it. For instance, you might take the stack of unpaid bills out of the drawer and begin to pray over them. The Lord might nudge you and ask, “Was it really my will for you to purchase all those things on credit.” Or you might feel led to ask the Lord to provide for your needs, placing your trust in God for provision.
Here is an example from Mike Breen. “Father, I know you are my caring, loving heavenly Father. YOU rule over all and will watch over me today from your throne in heaven. I want your will to be done in all of my thoughts and actions today. Please provide fro all my needs today—spiritual, physical, financial.” (Building a Discipling Culture, pg. 183)
A second way to pray the Lord’s prayer is to pour out the six sections of the prayer over a request. Asking God to bring the need under the rule and reign of God. Mike Breen suggests that if someone you know is sick you might be able to pray over them like this:
“Father, your reign in heaven extends down to our residence here on earth. Let your glory be seen in the life of my friend. In your Kingdom there is no sickness, no pain. Let your kingdom come in my friend’s life and body today.” ( Building a Discipling Culture, pg. 183)
