Jesus Christ gave the model prayer—a.k.a. the Lord’s prayer (Luke 11, Matthew 6)—showing how to pray effectively. Watch as we go through the Lord’s prayer line by line to learn who, what, when, where, and how to pray.
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00:00 How to Pray | 5 Steps from the Lord’s Prayer (Line by Line)
00:47 1. Who Should We Pray to?
02:09 2. What Should We Pray for?
03:42 3. When Should We Pray?
04:50 4. Where Should We Pray?
06:00 5. How Should We Pray?
In Jesus’s model prayer, 5 essential keys teach us how to pray effectively.
When Jesus’ disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1)
He provided an answer in what is called “The Model Prayer” (Luke 11:2-4 and Matthew 6:9-13). This prayer shows 5 easy keys: to whom we pray, what to pray, when to pray, where to pray, and how to pray. These are important because, as the Bible also explains, there are wrong ways to pray, and even superficial forms of prayer we need to avoid. So this is something every Christian needs to know. Let’s go over all 5 keys to show how Jesus taught us to pray.
1) Who should we pray to?
In Luke 11:2, Jesus said, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.”
Jesus told His disciples to follow His example in praying to God the Father, just as He did (Luke 10:21, 22:42, 23:34, John 17:1). Jesus directs us to pray to the Father because, as He said, “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28) and “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.” (John 12:44) The Apostle John also explained, “truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3)
Jesus taught His followers to pray to the Father in His name. He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23–24).
The first key is to acknowledge our Father in heaven. He is the greatest being in the universe, and we are to primarily direct our prayers to Him. We pray to the Father in Jesus’ name.The apostle Paul followed this example. “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14–15). And in Romans 1:8, he says, “I thank my God through Jesus Christ.”
2) What should we pray?
Luke 11:2 goes on to say, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Jesus taught His disciples to pray for God’s will to be done and for His Kingdom to come. This statement is significant because it pinpoints where His disciples’ main focus should be. God wants His followers to sincerely desire God’s Kingdom to come to earth as soon as possible. He also wants them to live by the Laws of that Kingdom now. Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
In praying for God’s will to be done on earth, Jesus teaches His followers to align their will with God’s. This means studying His Word, and making sure that any request in prayer agrees with His will. As it says in the book of James, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:3) And 1 John 5:14 says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” And… putting God’s will first means being willing to yield to whatever answer He provides, even if our loving Father answers a prayer with a, “No,” or “Not right now.” (Luke 22:42) So when we pray, we should first seek God’s will in our lives, and always be looking toward His Kingdom. We pray with this in mind first, and then we can make requests for daily needs, forgiveness, deliverance from temptation, and other important concerns. (Luke 11:4 and Matthew 6:12-13)
3) When should we pray?
Luke 11:3 goes on to say, “Give us day by day our daily bread.”
This shows that Jesus wants His followers to be praying daily. But does it matter how many times we pray each day? Well, the Bible provides examples of other faithful individuals and their prayer habits.
For example, it was Daniel’s custom to pray and give thanks before his God three times a day (Daniel 6:10) David, also, writing in Psalm 55 says, “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray….” (Psalm 55:16-17) Jesus “often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” (uke 5:16) And the Apostle Paul encouraged Christians to “pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).
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