Praying the Lord’s Prayer, line by line

The prayer Jesus taught

One day, after watching Jesus pray, one of His disciples asked, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Jesus answered with a short prayer that Christians all over the world still pray today. In Matthew’s Gospel it appears in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount.

Just before this, Jesus warned against “vain repetitions” (Matthew 6:7), meaning words piled up without thought. The goal isn’t to say this prayer faster or more often, but to mean it. Here’s one way to pray it slowly.

Praying it line by line

Take each line in turn. Read it, think about what it means, then pray it in your own words. The suggestions below are only starting points.

1. 1
   “Our Father which art in heaven”Jesus begins with family language. You’re not addressing a distant force but a Father who knows and loves you. “Which art in heaven” is older English for “who is in heaven”: He is near, and He is also far greater than anything you face. And it’s “our” Father, not “my” Father. Even alone, you pray as part of a family. Pray it: “Father, thank You that I can come to You as Your child today.”
2. 2
   “Hallowed be thy name”Hallowed means honored as holy. This line is a request: may Your name be treated as holy, in my life and in the world. It puts God at the center before we mention a single need. Pray it: “Lord, let my words and actions today bring honor to Your name.” Add a few things you love about Him, like His patience or faithfulness.
3. 3
   “Thy kingdom come”God’s kingdom is wherever He reigns: wherever His love, justice and peace are real. Praying this line means asking Him to bring a little more of heaven into the places where you see brokenness, starting with your own heart. Pray it: “Bring Your kingdom into my home, my work and my town. Show me where You want to use me.”
4. 4
   “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”This may be the hardest line to mean, because it hands control to God. Jesus prayed this way Himself the night before the cross: “not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). Pray it: “Here are my plans, Lord. I hold them loosely. Where my will and Yours are different, change mine.”
5. 5
   “Give us this day our daily bread”Only now do we turn to our own needs, starting with the most basic one: food. Nothing is too ordinary to pray about. The line echoes the manna God gave Israel in the desert, enough for each day and no more (Exodus 16). Daily bread covers whatever you need today: groceries, rent, patience, strength for a hard conversation. Pray it: “Father, here’s what I need today,” and name it.
6. 6
   “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”Sin is pictured here as a debt we can’t repay, and Jesus invites us to ask for it to be cancelled. Luke’s version says “sins” (Luke 11:4), and many churches say “trespasses.” The second half is a challenge: we ask to be forgiven as we forgive others, a point Jesus repeats right after the prayer (Matthew 6:14–15). Pray it: Confess what’s on your heart, receive His forgiveness, then name anyone you need to forgive.
7. 7
   “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”God doesn’t tempt anyone to do wrong (James 1:13), so this is a humble request: keep me away from what would pull me under, and rescue me when I’m in it. Some translations say “the evil one.” Pray it: “Lord, You know where I’m likely to stumble today. Keep me close, show me the way out, and protect me and the people I love.”
8. 8
   “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”The prayer ends where it began, with God. This closing line isn’t found in some of the oldest manuscripts of Matthew, so some modern Bibles put it in a footnote, but Christians have prayed it for many centuries. Amen is a Hebrew word meaning “truly” or “so be it.” Pray it: Finish with praise, and agree with everything you’ve just prayed.

Notice the shape

Step back and you’ll see a pattern. The first half of the prayer is about God: His name, His kingdom, His will. The second half is about us: our bread, our sins, our protection. Jesus teaches us to look up before we look in.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

That order isn’t a rule that you must praise for ten minutes before you’re allowed to ask for help. God welcomes desperate one-line prayers. But when you have time, starting with who God is puts your needs in perspective. It’s the same idea behind the ACTS model of prayer.

Notice, too, how much of the prayer is plural: “our,” “us,” “we.” It was made to be prayed together, and it widens naturally into praying for other people.

Making it your own

There’s no single right way to use the Lord’s Prayer. Here are a few to try:

• Say it slowly once. Pause for a breath after each line. It takes about a minute.
• Linger on one line. Spend a whole prayer time on daily bread, or on forgiveness.
• Use it as an outline. Pray each line, then add your own words underneath, as in the steps above.
• Pray it with others. At meals, at bedtime with your children, or with a friend over the phone.

Common questions

Scripture quotations from the King James Version (public domain).