Pray Like Jesus: Five Stops of the Lord's Prayer

Jesus gives the Lord’s Prayer not as a forty-seven-second item to check off a spiritual to-do list, but as a pathway that can get down inside a person and change them. The disciples, though they had grown up with plenty of Jewish prayers, saw something in Jesus’ prayer life that made them ask, “Teach us to pray.” Jesus answers with a model that begins not with a list of needs, but with God Himself.

“ Our Father” brings closeness and belonging. God is not merely a distant deity, but a Father who loves, protects, provides, corrects, heals, and cares for His sons and daughters. “Who art in heaven” also keeps that closeness from becoming casual. God is near, but He is still seated in the highest place of power, wisdom, authority, and glory.

“Hallowed be thy name” calls a person to stop treating God flippantly. God’s name is already holy, so this prayer asks for eyes to see Him as He really is. The little peephole only gives a small view, but worship asks God for a bigger vision of His greatness and for a life that causes others to honor His name.

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done” becomes surrender. Every person has a little kingdom made up of time, people, possessions, plans, and preferences. God’s kingdom means God’s presence, rule, and reign, and surrender says His purposes matter more than personal control. Ancient doors, old agreements, faulty beliefs, idols, and generational patterns must be opened up so that the King of Glory might come in.

“Give us this day our daily bread” exposes real dependence. God holds all things together, and daily needs can never finally be secured by personal strength or preparation. Daily bread includes physical provision, but it also includes God’s Word as nourishment, Jesus as the Bread of Life, and the Holy Spirit’s filling, forming, and leading.

“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” brings confession and release. Repentance names sin honestly because grace does not make sin unimportant. Forgiveness releases the right to repay, even when wisdom, boundaries, justice, and consequences still remain necessary. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” becomes resistance, asking God to lead a life into righteousness and rescue it from the evil one.

Jesus’ own words become powerful when they are prayed slowly and personally. The Lord’s Prayer turns worship, surrender, dependence, release, and resistance into a daily pattern of transformation.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Worship starts with who God is God’s fatherhood brings real closeness, especially where earthly fatherhood has been absent, cruel, or broken. God’s heavenly throne also reminds the heart that His nearness never reduces His authority. Worship brings a person’s small view of God back into alignment with who He actually is. [47:12]
• 2. Surrender opens ancient doors to God God’s kingdom cannot be treated as an accessory to a person’s own kingdom. Surrender names the old agreements, idols, deceptions, and patterns that resist God’s rule. God’s presence is welcomed where the ancient gates are lifted up and the King of Glory is given free reign. [52:01]
• 3. Daily bread means real dependence God’s provision reaches further than food on the table or money in an account. God’s Word nourishes the mind, Jesus sustains the soul, and the Holy Spirit leads and forms daily life. Dependence becomes freedom when control is recognized for the illusion it often is. [56:05]
• 4. Forgiveness releases the right to repay Forgiveness does not call evil good, erase consequences, or require restored trust. Forgiveness places repayment in God’s hands and refuses to let bitterness keep hijacking the mind. Repentance also becomes more honest when sin is named specifically rather than brushed past quickly. [60:47]
• 5. Jesus’ prayer reshapes stubborn habits The Lord’s Prayer becomes transformative when it is prayed slowly rather than rattled off. Jesus’ words redirect desire, expose competing kingdoms, and strengthen resistance in moments of temptation. God can break the hold of patterns that have seemed stronger than a person’s resolve.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [32:40] - Pray Like Jesus
• [34:53] - The Disciples Ask Jesus to Pray
• [36:21] - The Lord’s Prayer as a Pathway
• [37:46] - First Stop: Worship
• [39:23] - Our Father in Heaven
• [43:59] - Hallowed Be Your Name
• [48:06] - Second Stop: Surrender
• [52:37] - Third Stop: Depend
• [56:47] - Fourth Stop: Release
• [61:15] - Fifth Stop: Resist
• [63:17] - A Prayer That Breaks Strongholds
• [66:10] - Jesus Offers Forgiveness and New Life
• [69:41] - Prayer, Next Steps, and Closing

Bible Reading

Matthew 6:9-13
“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father 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 also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’” [36:21]

Luke 11:1-4
“Now Jesus 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.’ And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’” [34:53]

Psalm 24:7-10
“Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!” [51:10]

Deuteronomy 8:3
“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” [54:47]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 6, what comes before personal needs like daily bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from evil? What does the order of the prayer show? [47:44]
2. What words in both Matthew 6 and Luke 11 show that prayer begins with God as Father and with God’s name being holy?
3. In Psalm 24, what are the “ancient doors” commanded to do, and who is invited to come in? [51:10]
4. According to Deuteronomy 8:3, what does God use manna and hunger to teach His people about their need for Him? [55:03]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven.” How can God’s fatherhood bring both comfort and reverence, especially for a believer whose experience with an earthly father has been painful or broken? [42:45]
2. When believers pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done,” what parts of their own “kingdom”—time, plans, relationships, possessions, or preferences—are being placed under God’s rule? [48:23]
3. Psalm 24 connects welcoming the King of Glory with clean hands, a pure heart, and turning away from idols and falsehood. What kinds of old beliefs, agreements, or patterns can keep a believer from fully welcoming God’s rule? [51:25]
4. Jesus connects receiving forgiveness with forgiving others. What does it mean to release the right to repay someone while still keeping wise boundaries and seeking justice when needed? [01:00:17]

Application questions

1. Which part of “Our Father in heaven” is easiest for you to believe right now: that God is close as Father, or that He is powerful and reigning in heaven? Which part do you need to pray more honestly? [43:13]
2. When you pray, do you tend to begin with a list of needs, worries, or problems? What might change if you spent a few minutes first naming who God is and honoring His name? [47:44]
3. What is one area where you are most tempted to protect your own kingdom—your schedule, money, future plans, family, comfort, or reputation? What could surrender to God’s will look like in that area this week? [48:44]
4. Is there an “ancient door” in your life—an old hurt, repeated pattern, false belief, hidden idol, or family pattern—that may be resisting God’s freedom? What would it look like to bring that honestly before the King of Glory? [51:50]
5. What specific “daily bread” do you need from God today—not only physically, but in His Word, the presence of Jesus, or the leading of the Holy Spirit? [56:05]
6. Is there a sin you have been too quick or vague in confessing before God? What would it look like to name it honestly, receive God’s forgiveness, and turn from it? [58:26]
7. Is there someone whose actions still hijack your thoughts or stir up bitterness in you? How might releasing that person to God affect your heart, while still allowing for healthy boundaries and wisdom? [59:48]