Why did Jesus give this prayer to his followers?

Praying the Lord’s Prayer

You might have memorized this if you had a church memory. Jesus gave this prayer as a response to when his disciples asked him, “How then should we pray?” His response is much more revolutionary than a surface reading, and provides a template of living out the Good News entails.

Click each phrase for a summary, and go through the playlist to listen to the teaching series we did in Summer of 2024.

  • “Our Father”

    Not just prayer of intimacy, but praying for the revolution of the Kingdom of God. Just as he brought rescue and redemption to Israel from Egypt, we also ask for rescue and redemption for the world.

  • “Who Is In Heaven”

    Ancient cosmology put God "in the heavens" as much closer than we think, which was the skies above. This is not only a prayer of God's power (the highest heaven), but also a prayer acknowledging God's NEARNESS. The Temple is now in the hearts of believers through the Holy Spirit.

  • “May Your Name Be Honored”

    Commonly memorized as “Hallowed be Thy Name,” this is about "carrying" the Lord's Name (what hallowed refers to in Hebrew), connecting to the 10 Commandments. Carrying the Lord's Name is about living out his desires here and now, not about using particular language in God’s name. This is a prayer about living out the Good News 7-Days-A-Week

  • “Your Kingdom Come...”

    Asking God's rule and reign (that's what kingdom refers to) to happen here on earth as it is in heaven, where God's will is always happening. The question for Jesus is not, "How do I get to heaven," but, "How do I bring heaven here?" Shalom is the end goal of the story; salvation is the process of that happening.

  • “Give Us Today Our Daily Bread”

    It is not only a prayer for what I need vs. what I want, but the us/our suggests that we should seek out what OTHER people need for their daily bread. It is asking God for you to be the answer to OTHERS' prayers for daily bread as well.

  • “And forgive us...”

    Forgiveness is rooted in the story of Jubilee, where God tells his chosen people to cancel ALL debts to one another. Our posture should be to forgive others as God has forgiven us. Matthew 18 serves as a posture of forgiveness, establishing boundaries for those who've hurt us and seeking mediators, not allies.

  • “Lead Us Not Into Temptation”

    God doesn't tempt anyone to sin (James 1). Temptation is better translated as "test" or "trial," a huge theme in the Hebrew Bible. While we will ALWAYS be tempted and tested, we ask God for "bubble wrap" and not a "bubble" when asking for his mercy, grace, and protection. We seek opportunities to not put ourselves in temptful situations, which God always provides a way out (1 Cor. 10:13).

  • “But Deliver Us From the evil one”

    When we get in situations where we are tempted or tested, the biggest way the enemy works is to deceive us. We ask God to help us see what lies (which usually contain half-truths) we believe and ask God to help us bring others alongside us holding us accountable to living the salvation life.

  • “For Yours is the Kingdom...”

    The Empire's way of Kingdom, Power, and Glory is the opposite of what Jesus is teaching, living, and promoting. This was not part of the original prayer but was later put in by the early church as an appropriate doxology to what the entire Lord's prayer was communicating. It acknowledges that we will live into this prayer as part of our daily lives as followers of Jesus.