Jesus Gives You the Perfect Prayer

I am far from an expert on prayer.  

I’m not the person to go to for tips on how to be consistent in prayer.

I can remind you of the assurance we have in prayer because of Christ.

The prayer we now call the “Lord’s Prayer” did not originate from a monk or a mother. It was given to us by Jesus, our Lord. He tells us to pray to our Father with simple words. Jesus ensures us that the Father knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:5–8).

The Gift of the Lord’s Prayer

Our Lord Jesus gives us this short and all-encompassing prayer in Matthew 6:9–13.

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be Your name.

We have been adopted as God’s children. We can approach the throne with confidence because we are not slaves but children.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:14–15) 

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Life is full of chaos and turmoil. Many times, we are at a loss about what to pray for. When we have no earthly idea what to pray for, we can pray that our heavenly Father’s kingdom will come down to earth and that His will be done in this imperfect world, just as it is done in heaven. Life will not always be sunshine and roses. God gave us a rainbow to remind us of His goodness in the chaos of life. 

A Father and Son of Understanding

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Circumstances may not be what we envisioned, yet we know that God is working through us and in this world for our good. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

Jesus lived as we do. He felt the sun beat down on Him. He wondered where His next meal would come from. He was hungry. He was thirsty. He was covered in dust from the road. He knows what we need and when we need it.

The God of Forgiveness

Scripture tells us we have a high priest who is able to empathize with our weaknesses.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

We can ask for forgiveness with full confidence. We can extend forgiveness with full confidence, knowing that forgiveness does not originate within us but from Christ.

Because of Jesus, we have confidence that forgiveness will be extended. Because of the work of Jesus, we are forgiven and we forgive others.  

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

This world is filled with uncertainty, evil, and the grief caused by evil and uncertainty. No matter how dire our circumstances, how great the uncertainty of situations, or the intensity of our grief, Christ is leading us away from temptation and delivering us from evil. Grief is powerful, evil abounds, and uncertainty grows, yet none of those things can separate us from the great love of God.

I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38–39

Because of Christ, we approach our heavenly Father with full assurance.

Because of Christ, we pray even when we have no idea what to pray for.

Because of Christ, we have a God who understands hunger and need.

Because of Christ, we know and can extend forgiveness.

Because of Christ, we have the assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Dig into the joy and beauty of the Lord’s Prayer even more with a book by Daniel Paavola.