I’m certain that I probably received accolades from a lovely Sunday School teacher with the first memorized recital of this prayer aloud. I can also remember learning it at home during my childhood bedtime routine. And I have no doubt that you’ve likely recited it as well, either privately, or at the very least, spoken it aloud communally.  What is it?  The Lord’s Prayer.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name. 

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:9-13

As I recently reread this The Lord’s Prayer in the book of Matthew, I found myself slowing down and really digesting it (Matthew 6: 9-13), line by line, word for word, over and over again. In a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives specific instructions on how to pray.  Can it be recited verbatim? Sure!  But what I found most interesting was the framework Jesus modeled when giving instructions on how to pray. It’s what I’ll call the ‘anatomy’ of The Lord’s Prayer.  In other words, the part that make up the whole of the prayer.  

I’ve seen The Lord’s Prayer broken down and studied in as little as four parts, and as many as seven.  In my reading of it, I quite like five! Like the fingers of a hand, I found five significant parts to The Lord’s Prayer. Let’s take a look.  

I. Adoration

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 

It is made clear whom we are addressing our prayers to, God, and God alone.  Hallowed means holy or sanctified.  God is all that and more.  As such, we should address Him in a way that is sacred and giving praise!

II.  Surrender

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

Recognition is given to the significance of His will for us on earth. Jesus leaves no doubt on the importance of posturing ourselves with a desire to fulfill God’s will for our life to the best of our ability. 

III. Provision

Give us this day our daily bread,

Our daily needs…they look different for all of us, but none-the-less we all have them!  Asking God to give us what we need when we need it is an essential part of our prayer life. 

IV. Forgiveness

and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

Jesus knew that much like the forgiveness needed for the debt of our own sin, that we too should offer forgiveness to others. 

V. Protection

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Last, but certainly not least, we are instructed to ask for protection from evil and the temptations that surround us daily.  

And there you have it. I love how simple yet complete The Lord’s Prayer is when broken down into these five parts.  After having spent time dissecting this prayer, I found it to be a fantastic model for my own everyday prayers.  Generally, my prayers come naturally and are made up of what is at the forefront of my mind.  However, there are times that having a guide for my prayers in incredibly helpful; times when perhaps I cannot find the words to pray or my scattered and emotional thoughts shut me down.  It is in these times that applying the framework of The Lord’s Prayer to my individual needs is incredibly helpful. 

The next time you find yourself struggling to put words to your prayers, try emulating the anatomy of The Lord’s Prayer.  Begin with adoration, surrender yourself to Him, petition for provision, offer forgiveness as needed, and solicit His protection.  

It might look something like this:

Father God, (Adoration)

Holy and awesome are you. Help me to give myself and all that I do to your plan for me.  Help me to be a shining light for You to those around me. (Surrender)

I need help with my child right now.  He is struggling in school and with friendships.  Please give me the wisdom to know where to step in.  Give me the wisdom to find additional resources that will be helpful to him.  And finally, help me to continue to plant seeds of You in his heart. (Provision)

Help me to choose grace and forgiveness with my colleague at work.  She has been incredibly difficult to tolerate, but I choose to give that to you to handle.  When emotions overwhelm me, help me to stay calm and redirect my thoughts to your Word.   (Forgiveness)

Lastly, protect my family.  Give us protection as we travel this weekend to visit with friends.  Also help me to combat temptation by staying close to you and surrounding myself with the right people.  (Protection)

I love you, in Jesus’ name, amen.

It’s that easy!

The Lord’s Prayer is one of the most well-know and well-loved prayers in the world. It transcends all denominations of Christianity. What a unifying thought!  It is a simple yet elegant prayer, but also serves as the template for bringing our uniquely individual concerns to God.

How might you use this same template in your own prayer life? I pray that it might be helpful in bringing depth to your prayer life.