Jesus did give us an example of how to pray in Matthew 6:5-15:
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;
but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Breakdown of The Lord's Prayer
Jesus starts by telling us to be authentic in prayer. It’s not about putting on a show or saying the right words. Prayer is about genuinely entering conversation with God in an intimate space. He then teaches us what we now refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer.” In this prayer, Jesus covers multiple topics for us to meditate on in our time with God.
- God is holy and sacred
- Our desire is for God’s kingdom to be present with us
- We will trust in God’s will
- Our sustenance is a gift from God and we are grateful
- Please forgive us and help us to forgive others
- Save us from our tendency to mess things up