Jesus intended to put words in our mouth by giving us the Lord's Prayer. Praying the Lord's Prayer—out loud or meditatively in our hearts—is a way that Jesus gives us to draw near to God and remind ourselves who he is, who we are, and that he is our greatest need.
The goal is not trying to get through this prayer as if it’s a ritualistic script. It’s intended to give you the major themes of prayer that God knows you need and that God wants to answer. The purpose is to let it guide your prayer—allowing each line to thematically move you through a personal conversation with God.
Our Father in heaven
You are my Father in Heaven
I am a child of Heaven
The Creator of this entire universe wants me to call him Father!
You are my Creator—my Maker
You intimately knit me together in my mother’s womb (Ps 139:13)
I exist because you wanted me to exist (Ps 139:16; Rev 4:11)
You care about every detail of my life (Ps 139:3; Matt 10:29-31; Lk 12:7)
You are my loving Father who is always with me (Ps 23:4; Ps 118:6-7; Ps 139:7)
As “our Father,” all your people are my brothers and sisters who are precious in your sight.
You give me my life and breath (Acts 17:25)
In you I live and move and have my being (Acts 17:28)
You love me just as you love Jesus! (Jn 17:23)
Hallowed be your name
You are Ultimate over everything else
May your name be glorified and honored in me
May your name be ultimate in my heart and mind and soul.
May my life bring glory to your name in my words, my relationships, my work, my…
Your kingdom come
Your kingdom is the true Shalom my heart longs for
I long for the coming of your kingdom as my greatest hope (Matt 6:33; 13:44-45)
May your kingdom come more and more in my heart and my desires and…
Your will be done (on earth as it is in heaven)
I exist by and for your will (Rev 4:11; Rom 11:36)
Only in your will is true life, true joy and satisfaction forever found
Your will is the only will that is my good and my glory forever
Not my will, but your will be done! (As Jesus prayed in Lk 22:42)
Give us this day our daily bread
Provide for me today everything I need for today—
And for tomorrow everything I need for tomorrow
I trust you that everything you provide is everything I need
Forgive us our sins…
Jesus assumes our need for forgiveness every time we pray. And giving us this prayer request means that God answers the prayers of sinners! Sometimes we can become paralyzed in our praying and afraid to approach God because of guilt. But we are alwayssinners completely saved by grace through Jesus Christ. And God does not turn away the prayers of sinners who pray like this.
Forgive me for all the ways I have turned away from you and your will—
The ways I sinned because I didn’t trust you or your word—
The ways my actions and words have offended and grieved you—
The ways I have not trusted in your wisdom, your love, your goodness, and your glory for my life
As we forgive those who have sinned against us
I forgive those who have offended me and sinned against me, because you have forgiven me of so much more
I forgive those who have hurt me and acted against me
I release to you my bitterness, resentment, and anger toward them
I will let go of my unforgiveness and let you deal with them
Lead us not into temptation
Help me overcome every temptation by believing your promises of true Life in Christ are greater than sin’s false promises—
By trusting that your promises are always far more satisfying and rewarding than the false promises of sin
By trusting that your will for me is my only true good forever
Deliver us from evil
Deliver me from the evil one—
Who is seeking and desiring only to destroy me—
To rob and destroy your good for my life
Deliver me from all evil and bring me safely into your kingdom (2 Tim 4:18)
Because yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
If you found this guided prayer helpful, tune in to Christian Meditation for a Bigger Life. In each podcast episode, Dave will guide you through prayer as you meditate on scripture and connect your life to God's bigger story.
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