Some prayers begin with demand or flattery; this one begins with family: "Our Father." In a few simple lines Jesus hands us a rhythm for the deep longings of the soul—for belonging, for daily provision, for forgiveness, for guidance. If you ever worry God is distant, or that prayer is only a last resort, come back to this prayer: it reshapes our wants into the shape of God's kingdom.
In Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:1–4 Jesus teaches what we now call the Lord’s Prayer. Both open with address to God as Father, call God’s name holy, ask for God’s kingdom and daily bread, seek forgiveness as we forgive others, and request deliverance from temptation. Luke’s version is shorter and is given when a disciple asks, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Matthew places it in the Sermon on the Mount amid warnings against showy piety. The familiar closing doxology (“for thine is the kingdom…”) appears in many later worship traditions and some manuscripts of Matthew but is not in Luke and is absent from the earliest Matthew texts. It is not recorded in Mark or John.
This prayer reveals Jesus as teacher of intimate, kingdom-shaped dependence. He invites us not to recite formulas but to name God as Father—intimacy that carries responsibility: if God is Father, our hearts and relationships must reflect that mercy. The petition “your kingdom come” reframes prayer from private wish-list to participation in God’s rule; it unsettles comfortable agendas and renews hope that God’s justice and healing will break in. Don’t miss the weight here: Jesus is inviting you into a family ethic, not merely a spiritual practice.
Yet there is grace: the prayer trusts God for daily bread and forgiveness day by day, not once-and-done perfection. It’s a small, steady discipline that shapes us.
Practical step for today: at breakfast or before work, read the prayer slowly, one line at a time. After “forgive us,” name one person you need to forgive or one offense you need to release. After “give us this day our daily bread,” name one concrete need you’ll trust God with today. Spend five minutes in this rhythm—let it reorder one choice, one conversation, one small act of mercy.
In Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:1–4 Jesus teaches what we now call the Lord’s Prayer. Both open with address to God as Father, call God’s name holy, ask for God’s kingdom and daily bread, seek forgiveness as we forgive others, and request deliverance from temptation. Luke’s version is shorter and is given when a disciple asks, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Matthew places it in the Sermon on the Mount amid warnings against showy piety. The familiar closing doxology (“for thine is the kingdom…”) appears in many later worship traditions and some manuscripts of Matthew but is not in Luke and is absent from the earliest Matthew texts. It is not recorded in Mark or John.
This prayer reveals Jesus as teacher of intimate, kingdom-shaped dependence. He invites us not to recite formulas but to name God as Father—intimacy that carries responsibility: if God is Father, our hearts and relationships must reflect that mercy. The petition “your kingdom come” reframes prayer from private wish-list to participation in God’s rule; it unsettles comfortable agendas and renews hope that God’s justice and healing will break in. Don’t miss the weight here: Jesus is inviting you into a family ethic, not merely a spiritual practice.
Yet there is grace: the prayer trusts God for daily bread and forgiveness day by day, not once-and-done perfection. It’s a small, steady discipline that shapes us.
Practical step for today: at breakfast or before work, read the prayer slowly, one line at a time. After “forgive us,” name one person you need to forgive or one offense you need to release. After “give us this day our daily bread,” name one concrete need you’ll trust God with today. Spend five minutes in this rhythm—let it reorder one choice, one conversation, one small act of mercy.
Matthew: 6:9-13
In this passage Jesus gives a model prayer that addresses God as Father, honors his name, and asks for his kingdom and will to be done. It also requests daily provision, forgiveness (as we forgive others), and guidance away from temptation and deliverance from evil.
Open VerseLuke: 11:1-4
When the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray, he gives them a model prayer addressing God as Father and asking that his name be honored and his kingdom come. The prayer also petitions God for daily provision, forgiveness (with a call to forgive others), and protection from temptation/evil.
Open Verse