Jesus‘ disciples saw that prayer was an important part of his life and work. They realized he prayed in a new and fresh way, not the stale and ritualistic way they had been taught.
Though the prayer that Jesus taught to them is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer (or the “Our Father”), a more accurate label would be “the disciple’s prayer,” since it was a prayer for the disciples, not Jesus, to pray.
Some people recite the prayer as it is recorded in the Bible, whereas others use it as a template for prayer or illustrative example.
The prayer is simple and succinct; it is:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, you will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
The Lord’s Prayer is recorded in Matthew 6:9-13; an alternate version is in Luke 11:2-4.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
