In Matthew 6:6, Jesus says, “Go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.” This is contrasted with the hypocrites who pray that they may be seen by others.
Verse 7 says, Do not heap up empty phrases. Instead pray like this:
Our Father who art 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 have forgiven our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
What a great road map for prayer Jesus gave us, because in addition to praying this word for word, we can use it as a blueprint to expand upon.
The first two lines reminds us to start out our prayer by praising God. This is a time of worship and adoration. For example, “Lord, thank you that you are Holy and on your throne. Thank you for sending your son Jesus to earth to take on the sins of the world. Thank you that I can come to you in prayer. Your name is Holy and matchless. Thank you that you are the creator of the universe.”
During the next two lines, I am reminded to pray for any kingdom concerns that God has put on my heart. As humanity journeys toward the day when Jesus will return, what things can you pray for according to God’s will?
Daily bread is a good reminder to thank the Lord for all of his provisions. And the word “us” reminds me to thank him for provisions that he has blessed my friends and family with, as well. And I thank Him for answering prayers. Then I can pray for provision that others and I might be needing. God provides everything we need. (James 1:17, Matthew 6:26)
We know from the Bible that we have to forgive everyone in our hearts that have sinned against us. We can search our hearts and see if there is someone we haven’t forgiven. We can ask God to remind us of anyone we still need to forgive. The Holy Spirt may bring someone to mind. It may be someone we need to forgive again. Matthew 18:21-22 says we may have to forgive someone many times.
Finally, we can ask the Lord to protect us from evil. We may be praying for ourselves or for others. “Lord, please protect me and everyone here in mind, body, and spirit. I pray that none of these children would stumble and none of the adults would cause them to. That not a hair on their heads be harmed.” Or we may be praying for ourselves and others regarding a specific situation. We may need to pray for a specific body part in need of healing. We may need to pray for a specific relationship or personal situation, because 1 Peter 5:8 tells us that the evil one prowls like a lion looking for someone to destroy.
I hope this has helped you to expand upon your daily prayer life by using the Lord’s prayer as a guide.
If you’re reading this and would like to have a personal relationship with your Creator, invite Jesus into your heart right now. Pray to accept Jesus as your savior, acknowledging that he died for your sins. Ask the Lord to forgive you for the sins that have separated you from Him and be brought into right relationship with our Lord and Savior. Read your Bible each day and join a Bible believing church.