How to Pray The Lord’s Prayer?
Today, I want to talk a little about how to pray a Christian prayer. None of us automatically knows how to pray. It’s not a gift we were born with. But it’s a skill we could develop; however, someone has to teach us how to pray (Luke 11:1).
Globally, one of the most famous prayers, of all time, is the “Our Father Prayer” or “The Lord’s Prayer”. But is it really a prayer?
One of the biggest mistakes most Christians and non-Christians make with it is to repeat it word for word.
But this is a grave misunderstanding of the Scriptures.
Nevertheless, today I want to teach you how to pray using the “Our Father Prayer” as our model.
This prayer guide uses Jesus’ format that he taught to his disciples, and it utilizes ten steps.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Prepare to Pray
- Begin to Pray: Acknowledge
- Worship the Name of the Lord
- Pray for the Advent of the Kingdom
- Pray for His Will
- Asking
- Receiving
- Releasing
- Worship Him Again
- Pray Until You Pray!
Step One – Prepare for Prayer
- Go to your prayer chamber. This is any place that you designate for regular alone time with God. It could be in a tree; in the attic or basement; in your office; library, or in your bedroom.
- Now eliminate all distractions. Turn off all electronic devices: radio, TV, cell phones, tablets, and the music etc.
- Kneel. We don’t have to kneel to pray. However, no other stance demonstrates submission and worship of God better. Three great prophets of God kneel as they prayed. They are Solomon, David, and Daniel, (1 Kings 8:54; Psalm 95:6 & Daniel 6:10).
Step Two – Begin Your Petition
- First, acknowledge the Lord God.
There are many gods in earth. Therefore, start your Christian prayer by acknowledging the Lord God. Then, identify where He is, then you should direct all your prayers to Him.
Therefore, identify Him by name. Then, thank Him for His great name! Hence, “Our Father” who is in heaven (Matthew 6:9).
But remember, “Father” is not a name. It’s a title like a son, daughter, mother, or sister.
Since Jesus came in his Father’s name, then the name of the father is identical to that of the son—Jesus, (John 5:43; 10:25).
Example of How to Pray
For example, you could start your prayer by saying: “Great and holy Lord God who is in heaven, I thank you for your holy name, Christ Jesus. I’m unworthy to speak your righteous name Lord….”
However, direct all your prayers to the Lord God, but the only route to Him is through Jesus Christ. He is the only one who died for the sins of all humanity.
Consequently, when you pray, do so in the name of Jesus Christ.
As I Navigate How to Pray – What Should I Say in My Christian Prayers?
The Lord God became a man, Jesus Christ, to shed sinless blood for us. Who else qualifies to die for humanity? Who else qualifies to receive our prayers? No one!
What should you pray about? Understand prayer as a conversation with Him. Talk with Him about everything. Nevertheless, all that you could say to the Lord fall into three main categories: worship; asking; thanking, and receiving.
Step Three – Worship the Name of Jesus Christ
- How to Worship the name of the Lord God?
After we have identified who we are going to direct our prayers to and where he’s situated, then let’s begin to worship Him.
Therefore, “Hallowed be thy name,” (Matthew 6:9).
This means that we bless, or “hallow”, or reverence, or worship the great name, Christ Jesus our Lord.
Subsequently, we will speak great and wonderful things about it.
Example of Worship
For example, we could say, Lord Jesus Christ, I bow before your great name. (Here is where we see the suitability of kneeling as we pray.) (Philippians 2:10).
I worship and adore your mighty name, Jesus. It’s all about your wonderful name.
Lord Jesus, your name is above every name in heaven and earth. I magnify and exalt your majestic name, (Leviticus 22:32).
Step Four – Pray for the Kingdom of God
- Pray for the “coming” of the Kingdom of God.
As a result, “Thy kingdom come,” (Matthew 6:10(a) & Luke 11:2(a)). So, we should also acknowledge that the kingdom of “our Father in heaven” is come.
But when and how? Know assuredly that “the Kingdom of God is within you,” (Luke 17:21). An earthly kingdom does not move. It doesn’t come or go. It remains.
However, this is a spiritual one. It’s from heaven. It comes when we speak the King’s words.
Jesus says: “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you,” (Matthew 12:28).
So, when we utter the Word of the Lord to someone, His kingdom comes to that person.
Don’t allow anyone to deceive you. The kingdom of God is not in word, meaning it’s not in talk.
For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power”, (1 Corinthians 4:20).
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As You Learn How to Pray You Will Realize Christian Prayer is More Than This!
This was one of the key features of Jesus’ ministry that the people use to differentiate him from all the others.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes”, (Matthew 7:28-29; Mark 1:22)
Therefore, it’s not just “word”, or talk, but the ministry of the Word of God with the power and authority of the Holy Ghost,(Romans 14:17).
Nevertheless, when we pray, we should ask the Lord to give us the boldness to speak His word to someone new each day.
This is an acknowledgment that we have heard the King’s word and will speak it to others.
And the word is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he died for our sins. He rose from the dead and he is alive forever.
Our Christian prayer is the latent power of God. And through praying, we learn, in part, how to unleash its mighty force.
Step Five – Pray for the Will of God in Every Christian Prayer
- Pray that on earth all peoples or nations will do the will of the Lord God.
This is what this verse means, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:10 (b) & Luke 11:2).
What is the manifestation of the will of God in heaven right now? Worship!
All the beings in heaven are worshipping God right now. In heaven, the angels, the seraphims, the cherubims, and all other heavenly creatures all they do is worship God continually, (Isaiah 6:1-3; Genesis 3:24 & Revelation 8:1).
And the Lord desires to see His will manifest in the earth too. Every creation of God is created for that one purpose—worship.
Therefore, a synonym for “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”, is to pray that all people of the earth will worship the Lord God as all heaven is doing right now; however, He does not impose on our free will. We must choose to worship Him!
Consequently, as you pray that God’s will for both heaven and earth would manifest in the earth. It’s a prayer for all nations. It’s a prayer that people of all religious persuasions will worship the one true and living God, Christ Jesus our Lord.
Step Six – Every Christian Prayer Contains This Task
- Asking. Ask the Lord God for all that you need.
Asking God to hear and grant our petitions is a very important stage in our prayers. The Lord knows what we need even before we ask Him for them, (Matthew 6:8).
Yet, He wants us to ask Him because that is true worship. As a result, if we don’t ask Him we never will receive from Him. Many have not because they ask not (James 4:2).
On the other hand, many Believers ask, but they don’t receive. Why?
At this stage in your prayer, make all your personal requests to God, (Romans 1:10; Philippians 1:4 & 4:6).
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In Your Christian Prayer Make all Your Requests to God
Ask for:
- Food – “Give us this day our daily bread,” (Matthew 6:11).
- Forgiveness – “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” (Matthew 6:12).
- Deliverance – “And lead us not into temptation” (Matthew 6:13a).
- Protection – “but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13b).
- Pray for others: like a spouse, relatives, friends, and
- Children.
- Holy Ghost.
- Job.
- And others have made supplications for release from prison, etc.,
Step Seven – Any Christian Prayer Without This Feature Receives No Answer
- Forgive others and receive forgiveness from God. Utter your forgiveness of others. Therefore, say their names (Matthew 6:14-5).
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them,” (Mark 11:24).
The Lord gives us the things we request in prayer even as we pray. If we can receive it as we pray we will have it. It doesn’t manifest then, but we must see it, at the time of prayer, to receive it.
Therefore, as you pray visualize receiving what you are making a request to God for and you will have it. How long we wait to manifest what God gives, while we were praying, depends on how long it takes us to believe our words and see ourselves with the object of our prayers.
As you are praying, if you are believing and seeing, you are receiving. This is not new, for this is how the Lord God operates. He acts similarly with Abraham, Joshua, and even Solomon. He gives Jericho to Joshua before his first day’s march around the city.
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If You Can See It You Will Have It!
“And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.” (Joshua 6:2).
At that point, Joshua had nothing. Naturally, he had received nothing yet, but spiritually, God had already given him the city.
Create a picture, in your mind, of you receiving the things you pray for and you shall have them. We receive them at the time of prayer, but they manifest later. Then, we must thank God for those things we desire and have received while praying.
Step Eight – How Releasing in Your Christian Petition Ensures This
- Releasing.
“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses,” (Matthew 11:25-26).
Jesus, in the scripture above, says, “stand praying” because he was speaking to his disciples and they usually pray in the synagogue while standing.
Release the people you have in your heart because of unforgiveness. Forgive them. While you pray vocalize their names. For example say, Karen, I forgive you. And Chad, I forgive you too.
Say their names every time you pray until you believe, for that is when forgiveness really comes. Releasing them is realizing you. If you never forgive others the Lord will not forgive your sins.
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Step Nine – Worship The Lord
- Repeat steps two through eight. Therefore, begin to worship the name of Jesus Christ again.
“For thine is the
Worship Him again.
Step Ten – If You Do This – You Will Never Learn How to Pray
- Finally, pray until you begin to pray.
Do all of the above until your words flow not just from your lips, but also from your heart like hot oil. Genuine Christian prayers to God only emanate from the heart.
When you really start to pray, you will stop thinking about all your problems in life and begin to pour out your heart to the Lord God.
For that reason, prayer in general, and the “Lord’s Prayer” in particular cannot be word-for-word or written. Christian prayer is speaking from our hearts to the Lord God.
However, power is when God listens to our words. And this occurs in prayers or conversations. If God is silent or non-responsive to us we are powerless. We possess no power with Him!!
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Could My Christian Supplication be Silent?
To summarize, a Christian prayer to the Lord God is not strict and does not follow any specific sequence. Nevertheless, it should include worshiping, asking (Matthew 21:22), believing (Matthew 21:22 & Mark 11:24), receiving (Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24), thanking, releasing, and worshiping again.
A Christian prayer does not have to be vocal. We could pray in our hearts without making a sound. The Lord God still hears it. But speaking our prayer is powerful. If we believe the word of our own prayers we will receive the things that we asked Him for. So, faith in God comes also by believing that we will receive the request that we make of Him.
“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” (Mark 11:23).
Your Christian Prayers Should Never Be Written
Consequently, your prayer shouldn’t be something someone else wrote and requested that you read or repeat. That is not biblical.
Obey God even in praying. Your prayers should flow from your own heart.
Jesus Christ knows that people would attempt this; therefore, he cautions his twelve leaders (apostles).
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
(Matthew 6:7)
Is The Lord’s Prayer a Christian Prayer?
As a result, using the format that Jesus uses to teach his disciples, it is not verbatim but a guide.
According to Apostle Luke, Jesus in teaching his disciples how to pray, says, “When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven” (Luke 11:2). Nevertheless, Matthew explains what Jesus means by this. He informs us, “After this manner
Above, Jesus by saying “after this manner” he modifies “says” in Luke 11:2.
Consequently, you should never pray
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Conclusion
In conclusion, if we should say the “Lord’s Prayer” word-for-word, how could we pray about the various and diverse issues of our lives? We couldn’t.
Similarly, if we were to pray the “Our Father Prayer” word-for-word, how could we pray for others? We couldn’t, for we would repeat the same words for all our prayers.
Consequently, our hearts would never enter into any of our petitions. As a result, we would be powerless, frustrated, depressed, and overwhelmed because we fail to approach God.
Christian prayer engages our hearts. We only start to pray when we do so from our hearts and we are not just saying words.
Therefore, pray until you pray. In other words, “Pray without ceasing“,(Acts 12:5; Romans 1:9 & 1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Even after you rise from kneeling, you should be praying still. Never stop praying. While you are going about your daily activities: pray. Walking, driving, jogging: pray! Pray until you receive!
Finally, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God”, (Colossians 4:12 & James 5:16).
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Updated:-2022-11-21
