Praying the Lord’s Prayer

Our Southern Kent campus is beginning a weekly prayer time next week. The elders, who will be leading the prayer time, are going to lead the congregation through a corporate praying of the Lord’s Prayer. At their request, I put together a phrase by phrase breakdown of how to pray the Lord’s prayer that I thought I would pass along to you. I hope you can use in your personal prayer time and will be blessed as you pray the prayer Jesus taught us…

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Our Father, who art in heaven

• Our Father – title used in Bible to refer to God
• Prayer point - Highlight corporate nature of our faith
• Who art in heaven – God is separate from us, above and beyond us
• Prayer point – reflect on God’s separatenes

Hallowed be thy name

• Hallow – means to honor
• Prayer point – prayer of honor and blessings to God

Thy kingdom come

• According to Rev 21, when Christ brings his kingdom to its fulfillment, there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more death and no more mourning
• Prayer point – pray for sick and hurting friends and family that they would experience the healing that will come in the fulfillment of the kingdom
• God’s kingdom is expanding throughout the earth – evangelism is a primary means by which the kingdom grows today
• Prayer point – pray for our family and friends that we want to come to know Christ

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

• In heaven, God’s will is done perfectly – everything God wills is done completely, totally and perfectly
• One day, the same will be true here on earth
• Prayer point – pray that this world would grow in obedience to Christ and fulfill his will and purpose on the earth
• Aside – I know the Reformed position on the will of God – everything he wills is done perfectly – but this is where the different “wills” of God is relevant

Give us this day our daily bread

• God has not promised us everything we need – he is Jehovah Jireh, the God who Provides
• Prayer point – pray for God’s provision for our needs

Forgive us our sins (trespasses, debts)

• Prayer point – time of confession

As we forgive those who have sinned against us

• Other people have wronged us and we are called to forgive them
• Prayer point – ask God to give us forgiving hearts

Lead us not into temptation

• James 1 promises that “God is not tempted by evil nor does he tempt anyone”
• We can hold to the promise the God does not want us to fall into sin
• Prayer point – thank God that he will not tempt us with sin and acknowledge that we are powerless to flee sin apart from God

But deliver us from evil

• Prayer point - Pray for strength and deliverance to stand up under temptation and to resist “the sin that so easily entangles”

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

• Prayer point – maybe just make this phrase the close of the night, almost like a benediction