LUKE 11:1-4

Luke 11:1–4

11 Now Jesus[a] was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowedbe your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,[b]
4 and forgive us our sins,
    for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”

Practicing Prayer: The Lord’s Prayer

Introduction

In Luke 11 the disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In response, Jesus gives them what we know as the Lord’s Prayer. Rather than just words to repeat, it provides a pattern that shapes the priorities of our prayers. Left to ourselves, we can easily turn prayer into a shopping list of requests or focus mainly on our immediate concerns. But in this prayer Jesus guides us to pray for things that might not come to our mind as immediately, God’s glory, God’s kingdom, our daily needs, forgiveness, and spiritual protection. Tonight we’ll use this prayer as a guide and spend time praying through each section together.

1. Father, Hallowed Be Your Name

Jesus begins his with relationship and reverence.

God invites us to come to him as Father, with the closeness and security of children. But he is also the one whose name is hallowed. To “hallow” God’s name means to honour and treat him as holy.

We will begin our time by reflecting on these realities

Spend some time in open prayer:

  • Thank God that we can know him as Father

  • Praise him for who he is

  • Ask that his name would be honoured in our lives, church, and city

(Choose someone to close after roughly 5 minutes.)

2. Your kingdom come

God’s kingdom refers to his rule and reign breaking into the world.

When we pray “Your kingdom come”, we ask for people to come to know Jesus and for God’s will to be done on earth.


Pray in open prayer

Pray for:

  • The Davies as they work towards going to Ireland

  • Claire in the Basque region

  • The Renews in Dubai

  • The City of Sydney, that many would come to know the gospel

  • Places where God’s kingdom seems distant (e.g the current middle east conflict)

  • Any other situations where you long to see God’s rule break through

(Choose someone to close after roughly 5 minutes)

3. Give us each day our daily bread

Jesus reminds us that God cares about our everyday needs.

“Daily bread” refers to the things we depend on God for each day, health, provision, work, and sustainace.

Have each person share briefly (break into smaller groups if the group is large):

Are there areas where you need God’s provision? (health, housing, work, finances, etc.)

Pray for the person on your left

4. Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

Prayer also involves confession and forgiveness.

Spend 5 minutes alone.

  • Confessing sin before God, think back over your last week, and bring before god the times when your thoughts and actions were not honouring to God.

  • Receiving his forgiveness

  • Considering whether there is someone you need to forgive and prayign for God’s help in this.

(Have the leader close in prayer after 5 minutes)

5. Lead Us Not Into Temptation.

Jesus finishes by teaching us to pray for spiritual protection.

We recognise our weakness and ask for God’s help to remain faithful.

Share briefly:

What temptations might threaten to pull you away from Jesus in the coming weeks?

Pray for one another — asking God for strength, protection, and perseverance.

(Leader close the time in prayer.)