When I counsel Christians facing various challenges, I often find struggling prayer lives.
In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus provides His disciples with a blueprint for effective prayer. This is not a spiritual formula to answered prayer or a nice little speech to gain God’s ear. Rather, Jesus provides a simple example for the kind of prayer that God loves to hear. This instruction can be a lifeline for our counselees to help them draw near to God as they face various sin and suffering in this life.
We’ll explore six building blocks from Matthew 6 that will help us pursue a godlier prayer life.1I am indebted to the ministry of Compass Bible Church, Aliso Viejo for shaping my personal application of this passage.
First, Focus on Your Relationship (v. 9a)
“Pray then like this. . . Our Father in heaven.” Like a good father, God invites His children into a genuine relationship. He wants Christians to come to Him, trusting that He is loving and accessible. We can be tempted to pray for the wrong reasons. We may be tempted to follow a prayer routine where we say the right things to manipulate God and guarantee we get our requests (v. 7). Such motives do not please God. Instead, God wants you to be motivated to come to Him like a child trusting in their strong and caring father who listens and gives to his family.
Second, Celebrate God’s Character (v. 9b)
“Hallowed be your name.” The beginning of Christ’s prayer focuses on God’s unique worth. God is holy. This means He is set apart, above all, and worthy of highest praise. This is instructive for us. Prayer is first about God, not about you. So, your prayers should include an intentional focus on celebrating God. For example, “God, above everything else I pray, make your name great!” I tend to pray with burdens and requests in the front of my mind. There is a place for this (1 Peter 5:7), but the practice of praising God sets our daily circumstances within the bigger picture of God’s rule and reign. When all we focus on is a mountain of issues before us, we miss out on the sunshine of the greatness of God.
Here are some ways that you can build this rhythm of praising God:
Identify God’s hand in a current challenge. Take a current difficulty and force yourself to identify God’s hand in your situation. Maybe you find yourself in a hard work environment. You can acknowledge God’s wisdom, care, and timing in where He has placed you. You can entrust that God will purposefully use your placement for His glory and your good. You can lay hold of the promise that all God’s ways are loving to you or that God promises to strengthen you today to be faithful.
Make a gratitude list. Itemizing a list can help you remember God’s past faithfulness (e.g., Psalm 136). You can start here: “I thank you that you are. . .”.
Play worship music. Play music that renews your thought life and awakens you to praise God. Build a playlist for your commute or keep a hymnal close by your study.
Third, Refocus Your Priorities (v. 10)
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We tend to wake up focused on our own plans. “My kingdom come; my will be done.” This often bears the fruit of anxiety or irritability in our day as we seek to control our little kingdoms. The focus of this prayer is on God’s reign and His purposes being accomplished in the world. This helps us press pause on our desires and agendas, humbly submit them to God, and then refocus our priorities on God’s agenda. He is the boss of our day. Consider the example of Jesus on His path to the cross, as He fell on His face and prayed, “Let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).
Fourth, Make Requests (v. 11)
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Jesus cares about our requests and invites us to bring the daily concerns of our earthly lives to God. What do you need God’s help with today? It could be a spiritual or physical need. Maybe it is patience with a teething baby, wisdom in a relationship with a difficult coworker down the hall, God’s provision after multiple car problems, or boldness in sharing the gospel with your Jewish neighbor. We need God’s help and power in our daily lives. He invites us to ask.
Fifth, Confess Your Sins (v. 12a)
“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” We should consistently confess our sins. Christians are called to walk in the light and continually kill the lingering sinful desires and habits in our lives. We can do this in hope, knowing that because of the blood of Christ, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Cultivate a rhythm of turning to God by confessing your sin, asking for His forgiveness in faith, and requesting grace for change. Continually bringing our sins into the light cultivates a closeness in our relationship with God. You can pray:
I’ve done wrong by . . .
I’ve been misruled by my love of . . .
Please forgive me for . . .
This model prayer from Jesus assumes that when you approach God for forgiveness, you have assessed your relationships with other people to see if you need to forgive someone. The Bible is clear that when we truly understand God’s immeasurable forgiveness of us in Christ, we will be motivated to extend immeasurable forgiveness to others (Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 18:21-35).
Sixth, Talk to God about Your Difficulties (v. 13)
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Does this mean God would entice you to sin? No. God never allures someone to sin (James 1:13). But He does test Christians (1 Peter 1:6-7). This prayer recognizes the sinful tendencies of our hearts and the schemes of the devil, and then comes before our powerful God for help to obey. We need to talk to God about our difficulties. Consider these questions as you share your burdens with God:
What situations are you facing?
How are you tempted to react sinfully?
Where do you struggle to obey?
What desires can master you?
Identify these items and make them a matter of consistent prayer. See your temptations and trials as an opportunity to learn how to turn to God for mercy and grace in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
How This Framework Has Helped Me
I have personally benefited from using this list as a reference to remind me where to focus my prayers. It reminds me what prayers reflect the type of communication Jesus wants me to have with God.
So, come. Ask. Knock. Share. Cast your burdens. Your heavenly Father wants to hear from you.
Additional Resource:
Homework Assignment on Matthew 6:9-13
#1: Focus on Your Relationship
“Our Father in heaven.”
God is a person to talk to, not a theory to contemplate. He invites you to come to him in faith like a child. Talk out loud or write out your conversation.
“I love you because ________. I trust that you are _________.”
#2: Celebrate God’s Character
“Hallowed be your name.”
Prayer is first about God, not about you. Where do you see God’s greatness on display? Acknowledge His wisdom, grace, power, and justice in your life. Identify God’s hand in your challenges. Voice gratitude. “I thank you that you are _______.”
#3: Refocus Your Priorities
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
God rules and reigns to accomplish His purposes in the world.
Humbly submit your desires to God, confess any selfish motives you see,
and then ask for God’s help in focusing today on what pleases Him.
#4: Make Requests
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
What do you need God’s help with today? It could be spiritual or physical needs.
We need God’s help and power in our daily lives. He invites us to ask.
#5: Confess Your Sins
“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Confess any known sin. Ask for forgiveness in faith. Request grace for change. “I’ve done wrong by _____. I’ve been misruled by my love of _______. Please forgive me for ______.
#6: Talk to God about Your Difficulties
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
You need God’s help. So cast your burdens on Him. What situations are you facing? How are you tempted to react sinfully? Where do you struggle to obey? What desires can master you?
