November 12: The Prayer Jesus Taught

You want to pray more, but you don’t really know how. Where do you start?

Jesus’ own followers had the same question. They watched Him pray and said, “Lord, teach us.” And He didn’t give them a lecture on technique. He gave them words. A short prayer they could pray anywhere.

Many people learned the Lord’s Prayer as children and have said it so many times that it rolls off the tongue without meaning anything. Others have heard it closing meetings. Either way, it’s worth slowing down and actually praying it. Just the first lines are enough for today.

“Our Father.” Not “my.” You’re part of a family. You’re not praying alone, even when you pray alone. And God isn’t a distant force. He’s a Father. For people with painful fathers, that word can be hard. It’s worth sitting with. God is the Father your father couldn’t be.

“In heaven.” He’s above all of it. Bigger than your problems. Not limited by your circumstances.

“May Your name be kept holy.” Before you ask for anything, you honor Him. That puts things in order. He’s God. You’re not.

“Let Your Kingdom come.” You’re asking for His rule to show up. In the world, yes. And in your own heart, in your home, in your recovery.

“Let Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” There it is again. The heart of Step Eleven. His will, not yours. Here, in your real life, the way it’s already done in heaven.

You can pray these lines in a minute. Or you can take one phrase a day and stay with it. Either way, you’re praying the way Jesus taught. That’s a solid place to begin.

And there’s comfort in using words you didn’t have to come up with. On days when your own words run dry, these are always there. Millions of believers through history have leaned on them. You can lean on them too.

One thing today

Pray the first lines of the Lord’s Prayer very slowly, one phrase at a time. After each phrase, pause and say what it means to you today in your own words.

A prayer

Our Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy. Let Your Kingdom come in my life today. Let Your will be done in me, here on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.

Learning to pray is the heart of Step Eleven.

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