How to Pray

And what are we to pray for? To begin with, we are to ask for God’s name to be rightly honored, for Him to bring His kingdom in us and around us, and for Him to supply our daily needs. We are to admit our need for daily repentance, the necessity of extending forgiveness to others, and our dependence on God for dealing with temptation. In our prayers, Jesus explained, we are to seek and ask to see God’s glory and grace in the midst of everyday life. In our Christian pilgrimage, there is arguably nothing more important—or more difficult to maintain—than a meaningful prayer life. But here is help. If Jesus, the divine Son of God, needed to pray, then so do you and I. That humbling thought should drive us to our knees. And once there, we can freely employ the Lord’s Prayer as an aid in our own prayer. God has given you the great privilege of approaching Him in prayer and addressing Him as Father. He stands ready to listen and to help. Be sure to treat prayer as a holy habit and never as an optional extra.” —Alistair Begg, Truth for Life

The Lord’s Prayer, found in Matthew 6:9-13, is a powerful example of how we should approach God in prayer. Jesus begins by addressing God as “Our Father,” reminding us of the intimate relationship we have with Him. He then exalts God’s holiness, teaching us that prayer should begin with worship and reverence. As the prayer continues, Jesus instructs us to pray for God’s kingdom and will to be done, aligning our hearts with His divine purpose rather than our own desires. Beyond worship and submission, the Lord’s Prayer teaches us to rely on God for our daily needs, seek His forgiveness while extending grace to others, and ask for His guidance and protection. This model prayer encompasses every aspect of our spiritual lives—dependence on God, confession, intercession, and trust. As we follow this pattern in our prayers, we draw closer to God, shaping our hearts to reflect His will and deepening our faith in His provision and grace. The Lord’s Prayer is a model for How to Pray.—DH