How Jesus Teaches Us to Pray
How are we to pray? Here's a suggestion from Christ Himself.
Before Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer, He offered a unique warning:
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the pagans do, for they think they will be heard for their many words.” Matthew 6:7
Christian prayer is not meaningless repetition. It’s not a chant, a performance, or a formula. It is a thoughtful, relational engagement with the living God.
The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 is a blueprint for shaping your heart.
1. Begin With Praising God
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.”
Begin prayer not by rushing into what you need but by acknowledging who God is. Praise resets the heart. It recenters the mind on God’s character, power, and kindness.
John Stott once wrote:
“The purpose of prayer is not to inform God, but to adore Him and align our hearts with His.”
Take time to tell God what you see in His goodness and greatness today. Remind yourself who God is, what He has done, and what He promises to do in the future.
2. Recognize the Hope of Christ’s Return
“Your kingdom come.”
Christian prayer is forward-looking. We are not just surviving the present; we are anticipating the Kingdom that is coming. As 1 John 3:2–3 tells us, fixing our hope on Christ’s return reshapes the way we live right now.
Tim Keller put it this way:
“Only hope in the future world gives you strength to live faithfully in this one.”
When you pray, let your heart stretch beyond today into eternity. This is precisely how the Bible ends, Revelation 22:20 states, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” This is the Greek word Maranatha, which means “Come, O Lord.”
3. Surrender Your Will
“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
This is the moment of surrender. Prayer is not an attempt to pull God toward our desires; it is where we let God reshape our desires toward His.
D.A. Carson captures this well:
“It is impossible to imagine genuine prayer that does not seek conformity to God’s will.”
Ask God to align your wants with His.
4. Bring Your Requests
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Now bring your needs; your responsibilities, worries, challenges, and hopes, to the Father. This part of the prayer reminds us that God cares about our daily lives.
Psalm 5:3 declares:
“In the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation.”
Daily bread includes everything necessary for faithful living today.
5. Confess Your Sins
“Forgive us our debts…”
Healthy prayer requires a clear conscience. Confession is not shame; it’s freedom. Invite the Spirit to search your heart.
Psalm 139:23–24 remains the essential companion:
“Search me, O God… see if there be any wicked way in me.”
Confession is how we can return to the right path of our sanctifying growth.
6. Ask for a Forgiving Heart
“…as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Forgiveness is evidence that the gospel has penetrated the heart.
As John Piper writes:
“A forgiven heart becomes a forgiving heart.”
Pray for the grace to release those who have wronged you. Forgiveness is not natural; it is supernatural.
7. Pray for a Holy Life
“And lead us not into temptation…”
Ask God to guide your steps away from sin and toward righteousness. Few requests align more closely with Jesus' purposes than the desire to be like Him.
Paul models this in 1 Corinthians 11:1 where he states,
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
8. Seek God’s Protection
“…but deliver us from evil.”
Holiness is impossible without God’s protection. Ask Him to guard your heart, mind, home, and relationships. Pray for strength to resist the schemes that seek to pull you away from His glory.
This is actually promised in scripture in 2 Thessalonians 3:3,
“But the Lord is faithful. He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”
Epilogue
Prayer isn’t a ritual.
It’s the daily reshaping of the soul.
Follow the pattern Jesus gave, and watch your heart, your habits, and your hope align with the Kingdom that truly is coming.
Thank you.
This is how children are taught to pray in the UK:
British children are being indoctrinated into Islam
https://hellish2050.substack.com/p/british-children-are-being-indoctrinated