Praying How Jesus Prayed: The Lord’s Prayer
Early on, I memorized the Lord’s Prayer, as my mother taught me at a very young age. I never knew where the prayer fit in because my hometown church didn’t utilize it as much as more liturgical churches do. I remember our church’s worship leader leading our church in the prayer very rarely in my growing-up years. But when we visited my grandparents’ Methodist Church in Princeton, Illinois, they prayed it out loud every Sunday.
I remember the first time I felt pride when they began praying; I knew the Lord’s Prayer, even though everything else the church had memorized liturgically went entirely over my head. It wasn’t until we came to a specific section on forgiveness that I stumbled over the words, as my church back home had chosen to use the “Forgive our debts….” instead of “Forgive us our trespasses…” However, as the years passed and we visited that small Methodist church in Illinois more, that prayer began to hold more and more meaning. I remember when their pastor preached an entire sermon on the prayer, breaking it down verse by verse, and it was as if a lightbulb went off in my head. The Lord’s Prayer became something more at that moment.
It wasn’t something to memorize, slide on by, or mumble through. It was something to contemplate, wrestle with, mull over, and honestly decide for yourself, “Do I actually mean these words? Do they hold meaning deep in my soul? Or am I just going through the motions?”
How to Use the Lord’s Prayer as a Guide
Instead of repeating the words, use them as a structure for your prayers.
Here’s how:
Our Father in Heaven – Relationship & Reverence
Acknowledge God as Father—intimate, loving, and present.
Approach Him with reverence and trust.
Pray: “Father, thank You for who You are. You are holy, good, and near.”
2. Hallowed Be Your Name – Worship & Adoration
Honor God’s name and character.
Reflect on His goodness, love, and sovereignty.
Pray: “Lord, I praise You for Your faithfulness, for Your power, and for Your mercy in my life.”
3. Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done – Surrender & Alignment
Seek God’s will over your own desires.
Pray for His kingdom values—love, justice, peace—to shape your life and community.
Pray: “God, let Your will be done in my life, my family, and my city. Help me surrender to Your plans.”
4. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread – Dependence & Provision
Ask for what you need today—spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
Trust that God will provide in His timing.
Pray: “Father, provide for my needs today. Give me wisdom, strength, and daily grace.”
5. Forgive Us Our Debts, as We Forgive Others – Confession & Grace
Confess any sins and receive God’s forgiveness.
Release bitterness and extend forgiveness to others.
Pray: “Lord, cleanse me of my sin. Help me forgive those who have hurt me, just as You have forgiven me.”
6. Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us from Evil – Protection & Strength
Ask God for guidance and spiritual strength.
Pray for protection from temptation and the enemy’s schemes.
Pray: “God, help me walk in Your truth. Keep me from temptation and strengthen me to resist sin.”
7. For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory Forever – Surrender & Worship
Declare that all authority belongs to God—past, present, and future.
End your prayer with worship and trust in His eternal rule
Pray: “Lord, Yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. No matter what happens in my life, I trust that You reign over all things.
Why Isn’t This Line in Every Bible?
Some Bible translations, like the KJV and NKJV, include this phrase, while others, like the ESV and NIV, do not. Why?
The earliest Greek manuscripts of Matthew 6:13 do not contain this phrase.
It was likely added later by scribes to end the prayer in public worship.
Even though it may not have been part of Jesus’ original words in Matthew, it reflects biblical truths found in 1 Chronicles 29:11:
"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head above all."
Why Should We Pray This Line?
Even if it wasn’t in the earliest manuscripts, ending a prayer with a declaration of God’s power, authority, and glory is a beautiful and biblical practice. It reminds us:
✔️ God reigns over all things.
✔️ His power is unshakable.
✔️ His glory is eternal.
Many churches and believers still pray this phrase as praise and surrender, anchoring their hearts in God's unchanging rule.
Next Steps: Pray It Today
This week, slowly pray through the Lord’s Prayer for a few minutes each day. Write it down, personalize it, and let it shape your conversations with God.
Back to the Present
I now hold the Lord’s Prayer as a sacred and humbling prayer to speak out loud. During COVID-19, my husband and I looked at each other after planting a church for the past 8 years and realized that we had never taught our children the Lord’s Prayer. Of course, they’d heard it used at our church, but we’d never ensured they had memorized it. After a quick confession to them and repentance, Michael and I sat them down and talked them all through the entire prayer. We made it a point to begin praying it regularly around our dinner table, as a bedtime prayer when we tucked them in, or when we needed to pray for protection or guidance.
When we moved into our home right before the pandemic, the previous owners had painted a black chalkboard square on the pantry door next to our dining room table. Even though I had become quite the “chalkboard artist” while pastoring at our church plant, I never knew what to write there. One day, we were trying to get our kids to memorize the Lord’s Prayer, and our youngest son asked, “Mom, could you maybe write it on the pantry chalkboard?” (I mean- what a little genius!) I grabbed a chalk marker and began writing it down, modernizing it slightly so the younger kids would understand what they were saying.
OUR FATHER, WHO IS IN HEAVEN,
HOLY IS YOUR NAME.
YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE.
ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.
GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.
AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS,
AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS.
LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION,
BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM,
AND THE POWER,
AND THE GLORY FOREVER.
AMEN.
God knew what He was doing when He nudged Michael and me to teach our children the Lord’s Prayer. He knew that our church’s doors would soon close, that we would be church-shopping for the first time in our marriage/family life, and that we would find a home in a Wesleyan church, which prays the Lord’s Prayer weekly.
So, as you pray the Lord’s Prayer, reflect on God’s sovereignty in your life today.
