The Command
“And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”‘” (Luke 11:2-4)
What It Means
Most of us know a version of the Lord’s Prayer by heart, which makes it easy to say without really hearing it. Luke’s version is worded slightly different from the one I know by heart, and that helps: it breaks the rhythm and gives fresh eyes. The prayer moves from praising God and his kingdom to asking for what we need: daily bread, forgiveness, and help to stay on the right path. Asking for bread each day sounds a lot like abiding, and the line to slow down on is “for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.”
Try It Today
Pray the Lord’s Prayer slowly, one line at a time, and make each line your own by applying it to what’s going on in your life today. For example:
- “Father, hallowed be your name”: Thank him for one way you’ve seen his goodness lately.
- “Your kingdom come”: Name one decision or relationship where you want his way instead of yours.
- “Give us each day our daily bread”: Ask for one specific thing you need today.
- “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us”: Name something you need forgiven and anyone you need to forgive.
- “Lead us not into temptation”: Name where you expect to be tempted today and ask for help there.
Tonight’s Prayer
Father, thank you for teaching me how to pray. Give me what I need for tomorrow, forgive me where I fell short, and keep me close to you. Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.