How to Pray

In Luke 11, Jesus’ disciples ask Him to teach them how to pray. Jesus responds with an answer through Matthew 6. In these verses we find the Lord’s prayer. Jesus says, “This, then, is how you should pray.” 

Jesus taught this prayer as the model prayer. It’s the way to pray. Breaking down the principles of what made this prayer great and following each one can teach us what’s important to God. 

There are 7 keys to prayer that follow this model:

1. Person - “Our Father” - We approach God as our Father. God wants to teach you what a true Father is supposed to be. He wants to love you and let you know that you’ve been adopted into His family.
2. Position - “In heaven” - We need to be reminded that our Father is in heaven. He’s above us, He’s bigger than us, and He’s the one with a higher perspective. 
3. Praise - “Hallowed be Your name” - To hallow something is to set it apart, to make it off limits from anything else other than that noble purpose it was created for. This principle is about getting in God’s presence and giving Him the praise and glory every day.
4. Purpose - “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done” - The kingdom of God is the ways of God in our lives. Jesus came to establish His kingdom. Pray for God’s way to be established in your life. 
5. Provision - “Give us this day our daily bread” - It doesn’t matter how much you pray for tomorrow, daily bread means praying for today. We gotta pray every day. Our daily needs come from God.
6. Pardon - “Forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors” - The amount of forgiveness that it’s possible for you to receive from heaven is fully predicated on the amount of forgiveness that you are willing to release on earth.
7. Protection - “Lead us not into temptation” - You’re gonna be tempted every day. When we ask, Jesus helps us to overcome.

If you pray these seven things daily, just 15 seconds for each one, it’ll change your life and transform your relationship with Jesus.