Praying Like Jesus: Rediscovering the Lord's Prayer

You have probably recited the Lord's Prayer hundreds of times. At school, at home, at church, without even thinking about it. Loic Richard and pastor David Pothier return to the microphone of the Replica podcast for the second part of their discussion on prayer. This time, they sit at the feet of the Master to let Jesus teach them how to pray.

The disciples could have asked Jesus a thousand things. Teach us to perform miracles. Teach us to preach. Teach us to answer the Pharisees. No. They asked: "Teach us to pray." They had understood that everything else flowed from that. The power of Jesus, his heart, his life with the Father, all of it started with his prayer.

In this article, you will rediscover the Lord's Prayer not as a formula to recite as quickly as possible, but as a framework that will transform your prayer life.

Outline of the article

• Our Father: who God is, who I am, who we are
• Who art in heaven: greatness and closeness
• Hallowed be thy name: worship and the beauty of God
• Thy kingdom come, thy will be done: submission and partnership
• Give us, forgive us, deliver us: God enters your life

1. "Our Father": who God is, who I am, who we are

If you had to sum up prayer in a single word, you could say: Father. I am speaking to my Father. I am in relationship with my Father. Our Father who art in heaven.

Who is God? He is your Father

Today, it is deeply rooted in our psyche: God is a Father. But in Jesus' time, that was completely revolutionary. People did not even dare pronounce the name Yahweh, so holy was it. Jesus arrives and presents this closeness in a new, fresh way, one that overturns people's assumptions: "God is your Father."

Here we need an important aside. Not everyone is comfortable with the word "father." Some people had absent fathers. Physically present but emotionally somewhere else. Some had harsh, abusive fathers, in words, in actions. For these people, associating God with a father reopens deep wounds.

Jesus knew this when he said, "when you pray, say: Our Father." We have to learn to see God as a loving Father, not as our earthly father. And to discover who this Father is, we need to go to Luke 15, the story of the prodigal son. This father does not simply wait for his son's return, he longs for him. He runs to his son while he is still filthy, he embraces him, he gives him the ring, the robe, the sandals. That is what this Father is like. And through the Holy Spirit, there can be a process of healing for those whose image of a father is broken.

Who am I? A son, a daughter

"Our Father" also defines your identity. You are a son. You are a daughter. A child does not build complicated formulas to speak to their father. They say, "Dad, I'm hungry." They do not need to stack up degrees and accomplishments to justify their place in the house. They know who they are.

Pastor David Pothier says that on his social media, his bio reads: "Christian, husband, father, pastor, church planter," in that order. Why Christian first? Because that is his primary identity: child of God. Everything else comes after. Disciple and son or daughter are, in fact, the two identities that come up most often in the New Testament to describe a believer.

Who are we? A family

Jesus said "Our Father," not "my Father." We are so Western, so self-centered, that we forget that little word. There is a communal dimension right from the first word of the prayer. It is also through the Church that we discover our identity. When you do not feel like praying, ask someone: "Would you pray with me?" There is a power in the word "us."

2. "Who art in heaven": closeness and greatness

"Our Father" speaks of closeness. "Who art in heaven" speaks of greatness. This is the God above all false gods. The God who created the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. The Almighty to whom you have access in the throne room, twenty four hours a day.

Omnipotence and intimacy at the same time. Intimacy with someone we cannot fully measure or explain, whom we can only behold and try to know. Simply praying "Our Father who art in heaven" while understanding what you are praying changes the heart.

3. "Hallowed be thy name": worship

Hallowed means set apart, holy, pure. When you say to God, "hallowed be thy name," it is not because your words will make him more holy. It is so that you yourself realize that he is holy. He is the God who appeared to Isaiah, the one who sent a burning coal to touch the prophet's lips. The glorified Christ of Revelation, with the double edged sword and a voice like the roar of rushing waters. That God.

He is holy, pure, without sin, without stain. Not a shadow of sin in him, not a single microsecond of an evil thought, not a gram of malice throughout all eternity. He is in a class of his own. No one is in his league. He is beyond category. The enemy is not in the same league as God. God has no equal and opposite.

Start with worship, even when it is hard

Loic Richard admits it honestly: sometimes he finds it easier to watch a hockey game or a Netflix show than to pray. Why? Because he does not grasp the beauty of God. The more you grasp it, the more you delight in him. There is nothing more beautiful, nothing deeper on this earth than to stand before God and admire his beauty.

When you begin your prayer, you often feel like going straight to "forgive us our trespasses." You feel dirty, unworthy, and you want to fix that quickly. But God tells you, "No, start by worshiping me." It is the best remedy against our narcissism, and it is also a way of delighting in God.

4. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done"

This line says two powerful things. First, it says that your prayers make a difference. Otherwise, Jesus would not have told you to pray this way. In heaven, the kingdom of God is fully established. On earth, there are places where it still needs to be established, and God has chosen to make that happen through the prayers of his people.

God is looking for partners

Almost everything God has done in Scripture, he has done together with man. It was Adam who named the animals, not God. The work of redemption, he accomplished through a man, Jesus Christ. With every miracle, there is someone who has to pray, take an action, stand in the gap. In his sovereignty, God has chosen to limit his action to the prayers of his people. If you do not pray, there are things God will not do. Not for lack of power, but because he is looking for partners.

An act of submission

The second thing this line says: "let my kingdom come" is not the prayer. It is "thy kingdom come." Be honest. How many times have your spiritual sounding prayers actually hidden a well disguised "let my kingdom come"? Using God to fulfill yourself, for your ministry, for your own thing.

"Thy will be done" is an act of submission. It is Jesus in Gethsemane, who does not want to go through the cross, but who says, "Not my will, but yours." Before you even ask for anything, you ask that your heart submit. Because Jesus promised that God grants whatever we ask according to his will.

5. "Give us this day our daily bread": God enters your life

Here, the prayer changes direction. In the first part, you entered into the life of God. Now, you invite God to enter into yours.

"Give us": you acknowledge that everything you have comes from God. Not "I worked hard, I have talent." No. If you have bread, it is God who gives it to you. If you have the strength and ability to earn that bread, that too is from him.

"This day": God will give you what you need today. Not for 2039, not a Ferrari or a big house. Bread is your basic need. Often, we pray for what we want instead of praying for what we need.

David Pothier tells how his family wanted to buy a larger multi generational house. Everything seemed to line up. But it did not work out. They tried to sell their house twice, and it fell through twice after inspection. Five years later, he can see several reasons why God did not let it happen. God, your way is always the best.

Pray for others too

Notice: "give us." Not "give me." If your prayer list only contains things that concern you, there is somewhere to grow. God also wants you to carry other people's needs in your prayer. Otherwise, you become self sufficient, you fall into pride, and God resists the proud.

6. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive"

It is remarkable: God does not ask you to confess first. He tells you first to acknowledge him as Father, to worship him, to submit to him, to ask him for your bread. Then comes forgiveness. Like a father who does not ask his dirty child to wash up before coming home.

Then comes the part we do not like: "as we forgive those who have trespassed against us." Plenty of theological gymnastics have tried to soften this phrase. But Jesus is clear: if you do not forgive others, your Father in heaven will not forgive you either. The parable of the unmerciful servant says the same thing. When you realize just how impossible a debt you had, and that God cancelled it, you become able to cancel the debts of others.

7. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"

This phrase is sometimes misunderstood. Some blame God for their temptations. But the New Testament is clear: God tempts no one to sin. He allows trials, but he does not push anyone toward evil.

"Lead us not into temptation" is actually a declaration of dependence. I need you so I do not fall. I need you to keep me away from temptation. The New Testament repeats it: flee temptation. Acknowledge that you cannot resist on your own.

"Deliver us from evil": the enemy does not have the last word. May I not bring disgrace on your name. May I not hold your grace in contempt. If Jesus taught this prayer to first century Jews, how much more do you need it today, in a world where the intensity and frequency of temptation have exploded. The nature of temptation has not changed, but its volume and its reach are unprecedented. Thankfully, it is the same Holy Spirit, the same God, who delivers from the evil one.

Key takeaways

• The Lord's Prayer is not a formula to recite but a framework that structures your prayer.
• Prayer begins with God, not with you.
• There are two movements: you enter into the life of God, then you invite God into yours.
• God is looking for partners: your prayers make a real difference.
• The ultimate goal of prayer, as Tyler Staton reminds us, is not to get what you want, but to get God himself.

Personal application

1. When you think of the word "father," what image comes to mind first? Does God, your heavenly Father, resemble your earthly father or the father in Luke 15?
2. Are you able to begin your prayer with worship, or is your first instinct "forgive me" or "give me"?
3. When you pray "thy kingdom come," is it really his kingdom you want, or your own, well disguised?
4. Does your prayer list include needs that are not about you?
5. Is there someone you are refusing to forgive right now? What does Jesus say about that?

Verses cited

• Matthew 6:9-13 - The Lord's Prayer
• Luke 11:1-4 - Shorter version of the Lord's Prayer
• Luke 15:11-32 - The prodigal son
• Isaiah 6 - The burning coal on the prophet's lips
• Revelation 1:12-16 - The glorified Christ
• Genesis 2:19-20 - Adam names the animals
• Luke 22:39-46 - Jesus at Gethsemane
• Matthew 18:21-35 - The unmerciful servant

FAQ

Is reciting the Lord's Prayer from memory a bad thing?

No. What Jesus condemned was not recited prayer, it was empty words, spoken without the heart. Reciting the Lord's Prayer while fully engaged is a form of meditation on the word of God. But Jesus also wanted to give you a framework to go deeper.

Why start with worship rather than asking for forgiveness?

Because prayer begins with God, not with you. Seeing his beauty, realizing that he is your Father and the Creator of heaven, shifts your focus away from yourself. Then you can recognize yourself as a sinner, ask, confess. Otherwise, you stay centered on yourself.

If God is sovereign, what is the point of praying?

God is fully sovereign, but he has chosen to limit his action to the prayers of his people. Almost everything he has done in Scripture, he has done together with man. He is looking for partners. Your prayers do not change God, but they open the space for him to act according to his will, on earth as it is in heaven.