There are a number of recorded prayers of Jesus in the Bible, moments where we get a window into what the Son said to the Father. We see prayers of thanksgiving (John 11:41–42), prayers of desperation (Matthew 26:39), prayers for God’s will (Luke 22:42), and prayers of intercession (John 17). Yet among all of these, there is only one prayer that Jesus explicitly taught his disciples to pray.
This prayer—what has come to be known as The Lord’s Prayer—appears twice in Scripture. The first instance is in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9–13), and the second is when one of the disciples asks, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1–4). The versions differ slightly in wording, but the essence is the same. The name The Lord’s Prayer is a later title given by the church; Scripture itself does not call it that. Still, when the disciples asked to be taught how to pray, this is the model Jesus gave them.
It is important to note that this is not the only prayer we are called to pray. Jesus himself prayed other prayers, and throughout the rest of the New Testament we see the apostles and early church lifting up prayers of every kind (Acts 4:24–30; Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).
From the earliest centuries, the Lord’s Prayer has been central to Christian life and discipleship. The church has relied upon it as foundational for training and instructing believers. Along with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17) and the Apostles’ Creed, it became one of the three pillars of Christian catechesis. We see its prominence in early church documents and in historic catechisms such as the Heidelberg Catechism (Q&A 120–129) and the Westminster Larger Catechism (Q&A 186–196), which build much of their teaching on these three anchors: the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer.
What Jesus gives us in the Lord’s Prayer is more than words to recite—it is a roadmap for prayer. While we should recite the Lord’s Prayer corporately during a worship service, it is not merely a script; rather, it provides an incredible structure for prayer. It is certainly good to memorize and use the prayer privately as well, but its true power lies in teaching us not just what to pray, but how to pray.
Jesus begins:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.”
(Matthew 6:9–10)
In this opening, Jesus teaches us to address God in Heaven, to recognize his holiness, and to submit ourselves to his sovereign will. Prayer begins with adoration and worship, focusing our hearts on God.
Then comes the petition:
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
(Matthew 6:11)
Having opened the prayer with the worship and acknowledgment of God, we then bring our needs before him—trusting him to provide and looking to him for our daily dependence.
Finally, the prayer closes:
“And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”
(Matthew 6:12–13)
In closing, we ask for forgiveness and commit to extending forgiveness to others (cf. Matthew 6:14–15), as we place the path of our lives into God’s good care, seeking his guidance and protection in our daily walk of faith.
Thus, the Lord’s Prayer begins with God’s glory, moves to our daily needs, and ends with our walk in holiness. The Lord’s Prayer is Jesus’ guide for how to pray, as it shapes our priorities and trains our hearts to depend fully on the Father. I encourage you to pray these words of Christ on a regular basis and be fed and nourished by them as you are reminded this is the prayer that Jesus himself taught us to pray.
At Peace Church, we did an extended sermon series—not just verse by verse, and even more than phrase by phrase—but we looked deeply into the Lord’s Prayer and its history, going word by word so that we could truly feel the weight of this short but monumental teaching of Jesus. I encourage you to check out that sermon series, as well as the daily devotional that we produced from those sermons.
