In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers important lessons about following God and living a rich devotional life. One of the most famous passages in Matthew’s gospel comes out of this sermon. Most people, Christian or not, are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. Ask someone to finish the sentence, “Our Father…” and chances are fairly high that they’ll respond with, “who art in heaven.”
So, what can we learn about prayer from the Lord’s Prayer? Let’s take a look.
Don’t pray to get attention from others
Jesus gives us the Lord’s Prayer in response to previous teachings about prayer. He starts off this section by offering His listeners a couple of warnings:
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:5-6, New International Version).
Prayer is a discipline through which we speak directly to God. Jesus warns His followers not to use prayer to demonstrate how spiritual they are to the people around them. The reward of legitimate prayer is communion with God and His attention to our pleas, but when we misuse prayer, the reward becomes the approval and attention of others.
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7-8, NIV).
As twenty-first-century English readers, it can be easy to misunderstand this point. Since we think of babbling as talking too much, we might read Jesus’ words and think He is telling us to keep our prayers short. But the Greek word being used here is βαττολογήσητε (battologēsēte), which means to speak using vain repetitions or to stammer.
This speaks toward the prayer practice some had of repeating the same words over and over, sometimes working themselves into a frenzy. They believed this behavior would get God’s attention. But Jesus wanted His followers to pray thoughtfully, trusting they already had God’s attention and He knew what they needed.
Examining the Lord’s Prayer
Jesus goes into the Lord’s Prayer with these words, “This, then, is how you should pray…” (Matthew 6:9, NIV).
In contrast to the previous bad examples, He gives us a model for prayer. And while we can pray this prayer exactly as He gives it, it’s helpful to think of it as a model with all the elements of powerful prayer.
Worshipping our Father
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,’”
(Matthew 6:9, NIV)
It begins with remembering the object of our prayers. We pray to a God whose name is hallowed, meaning it’s sacred and revered. We come with respect and awe, remembering our place in the grand scheme of things. But He’s also our Father, which signifies that our relationship with God is personal and familial.
Praying to God means carrying the tension of two (seemingly) opposing ideas. God is powerful and venerated; we don’t come to Him as peers. But He also loves and cares for us individually, and we can trust that we have His attention, care, and concern.
Aligning with God’s work
“your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven”
(Matthew 6:10, NIV).
We worship God and acknowledge His character and care, and then we align ourselves with His work. This is important for a couple of reasons:
- It helps focus the rest of our prayer time
Instead of focusing on ourselves and our laundry list of desires and wants, we remember what it means to be His followers. Our focus is ultimately on His will, His plan, and the Great Commission. - It reminds us of the scope of the work
Our goal isn’t just to fill heaven with believers. It’s about carrying God’s will and character into our daily lives so that the earth can look as much like heaven as possible. When we pray, we should ask ourselves, “What would it look like if my area of influence looked a little more like God’s paradise?”
Praying for our needs
“Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11, NIV).
Many of us don’t understand what it’s like to scramble daily for what we need. We go to the grocery store and shop for a couple of weeks’ worth of food at a time. So it’s easy to misunderstand the idea behind “daily bread.” Our lifestyle can prevent us from really understanding the depth of this prayer.
It’s not just about asking for the food we need today but more about recognizing our dependence on God daily. When we ask God to give us “today” our “daily bread,” we ask for the providence necessary to make it through another day. When we learn to live in that kind of daily reliance, we have a better chance of seeing God’s hand in our lives and recognizing divine opportunities.
Praying for forgiveness
“And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12, NIV).
Part of a healthy spiritual life is having self-awareness of our failures and a desire to keep an unblemished walk with God. But this section of the Lord’s Prayer makes a point that we can’t afford to miss.
Jesus links the forgiveness we receive with the forgiveness we extend, and this isn’t the only time He does so. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus says, “And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25, NIV).
In the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, Jesus uses a story to make this same point.
When we pray, we need to be sensitive to the things we need forgiveness for, but we need to be just as sensitive to the places where we’re harboring unforgiveness toward others.
Leaning into God’s protection
“And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13, NIV)
This is a prayer for guidance. While God doesn’t tempt us, He guides our steps, and Jesus tells us it’s OK to pray to avoid trials. It doesn’t mean we will, but God wants us to talk to Him about the road we’re on and the temptations we may face.
He also wants us to recognize our dependence on Him to rescue us from the evil one. It’s not by our own cunning or power that we avoid the devil’s schemes; it’s through God’s sovereign deliverance. We don’t need to get better at wrestling with the enemy; we must draw nearer to our protector.
Prayer is one of the most significant things we can do to improve our relationship with God and ensure that His will is done in our lives.
Pray with us for the least-reached nations
We believe prayer is critical to Jesus Film Project’s ministry, ensuring we remain focused on fulfilling the Great Commission and doing it as effectively as possible. In 2025, we’re once again focused on praying for the 12 least-reached nations on Earth. Every month, we choose a new country to focus on.
If you’re interested in interceding with us for countries that need access to the gospel, visit the prayer page at jesusfilm.org to learn about the specific country we’re praying for each month, download a family prayer packet or an individual prayer guide, and pray for worldwide transformation.
