The Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is the prayer Jesus taught his followers, found in Matthew 6:9-13 and in a shorter form in Luke 11:2-4. It praises God, asks for his kingdom and will, daily needs, forgiveness and protection from evil. Christians of almost every tradition still pray it today.
So then, this is how you should pray: ‘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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
Matthew 6:9-13 (BSB)
Also called the Our Father, this is the one prayer Jesus gave his followers in his own words, and it has been prayed by Christians in every century since. It is short enough to learn by heart and deep enough to spend a lifetime in. Below is the prayer itself, followed by a gentle way to pray it slowly, one line at a time.
Praying it slowly, line by line
Start by calling God your Father, and pause to remember he is close and he is holy. Ask that his name be honoured in your life today. Ask for his kingdom and his will, here, in the ordinary places you will walk. Name what you actually need for today, nothing more, and trust him with tomorrow. Ask him to forgive you, then think of one person you need to forgive, and let it go before him. Ask him to keep you steady when you are tempted and to guard you from evil. Rest for a moment in silence before you say Amen.
A short prayer before praying the Lord's Prayer
Father, I have said these words so many times that sometimes they slip past without me noticing. Slow me down today. Help me mean each line as I say it, and hear it as an invitation rather than a routine. Teach me to pray the way Jesus taught his friends, honestly and with trust. Let this old prayer become new in my mouth again, and let it shape the way I live once I stand up and walk into the day. Amen.
A prayer after the Lord's Prayer
Thank you, Father, that I can come to you as your child. Thank you for bread for today, for forgiveness I did not earn, and for your protection that I do not always see. As I go into the rest of the day, help me live what I have just prayed. Make me quick to forgive, slow to worry and ready to do your will in small things, even when no one is watching. Amen.
Scripture to pray with
One day in a place where Jesus had just finished praying, one of His disciples requested, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” So Jesus told 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 also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
Luke 11:1-4 (BSB)
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Matthew 6:5-8 (BSB)
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.
Matthew 6:14-15 (BSB)
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.
Romans 8:26 (BSB)
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (BSB)
And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
1 John 5:14 (BSB)
Questions people ask
Where is the Lord's Prayer in the Bible?
The Lord's Prayer appears twice in the Bible. The longer and best-known version is in Matthew 6:9-13, as part of the Sermon on the Mount. A shorter version is in Luke 11:2-4, where Jesus gives it after one of his disciples asks him to teach them to pray.
Why do some versions end with "For thine is the kingdom"?
Many churches close the Lord's Prayer with a line of praise to God's kingdom, power and glory, known as the doxology. It does not appear in the oldest surviving manuscripts of Matthew, so many modern Bibles leave it out or place it in a footnote. It comes from early church worship and is still widely and reverently prayed.
Why is it called the Lord's Prayer?
It is called the Lord's Prayer because Jesus, the Lord, taught it to his followers himself. It is also known as the Our Father, after its opening words, and in Latin as the Pater Noster. Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians all pray it.
How do you pray the Lord's Prayer meaningfully?
Say it slowly and stop after each line. Use each petition as a doorway: after asking for daily bread, name what you need today; after asking for forgiveness, name what you are sorry for and who you need to forgive. The words become a framework for your own conversation with God.
Keep reading
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Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain.