Do you know how to pray?
The Prayer of Jesus – John 171 After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began. 6 “I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, 8 for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me. 9 “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. 11 Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name;[b] now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. 12 During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. 13 “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. 20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. 22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! 25 “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”
Footnotes: The Lord's Prayer: Our Father Which Art in Heaven (KJV) by Ryan Hart. Updated on March 23, 2021.
In this article you’ll learn the Lord’s Prayer (also known as the Our Father Prayer) and why it’s so powerful. Ready to learn the Lord’s Prayer? Let’s get started!
Where is the Lord's Prayer Found in the Bible?
You may be familiar with this prayer because it appears in the books of Matthew and Luke in the Bible. More specifically, the Lord’s Prayer is found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. Here is the King James Version of the prayer:
The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13 Version (KJV)
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer: Luke 11:2-4 Version (KJV)
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
What is the Lord’s Prayer?
The Lord’s Prayer is a short yet powerful prayer. It is one of the best-known and most repeated Christian prayers. According to Christian scripture, the Lord’s Prayer was given by Jesus Christ to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9–13). This classic piece of scripture can be recited as part of personal devotion or during religious services. It is also often the subject of academic study or discussion for its literary structure and content. The prayer comprises six requests made to God by Jesus from Matthew 6:9 through 13 in the New Testament. Its existence is attested to by epigraphy and other ancient documents, but it was probably first recorded in the fourth century. Each phrase of the prayer offers a glimpse into the heart of our heavenly Father and serves as an opportunity to embrace His touch, His protection, and His provision in our everyday life. The start of the Lord’s Prayer always begins with “Our Father which art in heaven…” In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus teaches his disciples the correct way to pray. He says when you pray you should go into your room, closet, or private place, close the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen. If you pray like this you will be rewarded. Jesus reminds his disciples that you do not need to say much in your prayers. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. In other words, keep your prayers short and sweet. Finally, Jesus explains that if you want your sins forgiven, you must forgive others for their sins (or trespasses). (Source: https://www.ryanhart.org/the-lords-prayer/)
Footnote: The Lord's Prayer Meaning (Explained Verse by Verse) by Ryan Hart. Updated on December 10, 2019.
In the book of Matthew, Jesus used the Lord’s Prayer as a simple example of how to pray to God. However, the old English phrases used in the King James Version (KJV) of the prayer can be difficult to understand. Afterall, we no longer use some of the words in the KJV translation such as “art,” “thy”, and “thine.” So what does the Lord’s Prayer mean verse by verse? That’s what I set out to learn and was surprised by what I discovered. I’ve included some of my own commentary on the Lord’s Prayer as well.
The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13 Version (KJV)
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
What Does the Lord's Prayer Mean (Verse by Verse)?
Here is Ryan Harts interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father which art in heaven
The Lord’s prayer begins with “Our Father” because we are all children of God. We pray for His mercy or forgiveness on all of us, not just for ourselves. The prayer continues with “which art in heaven.” In Old English, “art” means to be or to exist. This is a reminder that we pray to a God that lives in Heaven, and we do not pray to objects on Earth. Hallowed be thy name. In simple terms, “hallowed be thy name” means we respect God and are loyal to Him only. This phrase is like our pledge of allegiance to God. I will admit that in my high school social studies classes I did not enjoy reading Shakespeare. No matter how many times I read his plays or poems, I just couldn’t understand all of the Old English words he used. However, when I started to break down his writing, word-by-word, it became easier to read. The same can be done with the Lord’s Prayer. For example:
- Hallowed means: holy or respected
- Be thy means: your
- Name means: what we call you
If we put these words together in simple English, this phrase could be understood as “we respect you.”
Thy kingdom come,
When Jesus prays “thy kingdom come” he is simply saying that God will be in control forever or until the end of time.
- Thy means: yours
- Kingdom means: an area controlled by a king
- Come means: to happen
Putting these words together we might translate this sentence to say that God is currently in charge and always will be.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
To understand what this verse of the Lord’s Prayer means, we must read it very carefully. The verse uses very basic words, but they hold a very important meaning.
- Thy means: yours
- Will means: desire or wish
- Done means: completed
After analyzing this verse of the Lord’s prayer, it is clear that we are making a promise to God that we will obey his desires or wishes on Earth. The verse simply says, “your wishes will be completed on Earth, just like they are in Heaven.”
Give us this day our daily bread.
If you read other commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, the verse “give us this day our daily bread” is often interpreted in many different ways. In Exodus 16:4 God tells Moses that each morning bread will rain down from heaven to feed the children of Israel who are hungry. They are to only collect as much bread as they need for that day and keep none of it for the next day. This is the daily bread Jesus is referring to. I believe the real meaning of this verse is that we must always rely on God to provide for us. As we grow spiritually, we do not become independent and no longer need God to provide for us. As we grow closer to God we actually need him more than ever.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
The King James Version of the Lord’s Prayer asks God to forgive our “debts,” as we forgive our “debtors” (the people that owe us something). When we think of the word debt today, the first thing that probably comes to mind is a loan or borrowing money. However, the verse is not referring to financial debts. Instead it symbolizes righteous or moral debts. More simply put, Jesus is referring to our past sins. In the Lord’s prayer we are asking God to forgive our sins after we forgive the sins of others. Remember, we must first forgive others for their sins or mistakes. Then, we can ask God to forgive our sins. Not the other way around.
And lead us not into temptation,
This verse of the Lord’s Prayer asks God not lead us to do something wrong or into temptation. We need God’s help because we are often tricked by the devil into making the wrong choices in life. We are asking God to help us avoid making more bad decisions.
But deliver us from evil:
The word “deliver” in this verse does not mean what it seems. We are not asking God to deliver us like a pizza from point A to point B. God is not our Uber driver. Instead, we are asking God to rescue us and set us free from sin and evil in our lives.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
The final verse of the Lord’s Prayer is our acknowledgement of God’s power.
- Thine means:something that belongs to you
- Kingdom means: an area controlled by a king (heaven and earth)
- Power means: ability to act
- Glory means: to give respect or praise
By saying this line of the prayer we are telling God that we will not forget that everything belongs to Him. He is in control of Heaven and Earth, He has the power to have mercy on us or punish us, and He deserves all of the praise or recognition.
The Lord’s Prayer Summary (Plain English)
Now that we have uncovered the meaning of each verse of the Lord’s Prayer, it’s much easier to understand, right? Based on Hart’s research, this is how the Lord’s Prayer would be broken down into plain English: Lord, we are loyal to you in heaven. You are in charge and we will do exactly what you say. Thank you for what you give us each day. I will forgive others for their mistakes. Please forgive my mistakes. Help me avoid making bad decisions. Set me free from my sins. You have all the power and deserve all the praise. Amen.
