A Model Prayer

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 

“Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is 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 do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] (Matthew 6:7-13 NASB1995)

Based on the context of this passage of Scripture, this is not teaching us that we need to repeat this prayer word for word by memory, saying the same words over and over again, in a ritualistic fashion. That is not what is intended here. What this does is give us a model of the kinds of things we should be praying, and the kind of attitude we should have toward God in our prayers. 

Now when I was younger I learned that a model prayer should include four things: 1. Adoration, 2. Confession, 3. Thanksgiving, and 4. Supplication, for which the abbreviation is ACTS or A.C.T.S. And I believe this may have been modeled after the “Lord’s Prayer,” as it is commonly referred to. But is it true that every time that we pray that we need to include all four of these items? I don’t believe so. Again, I believe that is a model prayer.

So, what is the danger of us reciting the “Lord’s Prayer,” over and over again? It can become just words that we recite without us even meaning the words that we speak. It can become a ritualistic religious practice, but not anything that we are applying to our daily lives, in practice, and not anything that we genuinely mean from the depths of our hearts. And it can end up superseding the rest of the teachings of the Scriptures with regard to the things that we should be doing and saying, as followers of Jesus Christ.

So, should we be thanking and praising the Lord Jesus every day of our lives? I believe that we should. But we need to be more specific in our expressions of praise and thanksgiving, as applied to whatever it is we are going through on any particular day and with regard to what the Lord is doing in our lives today. Like I will thank the Lord for a good night of sleep and/or for another day of life to serve him. And I will thank him even for opponents, for through opposition I am strengthened in my walk of faith.

And I pray for the salvation of all people and that my loved ones will all surrender their lives to Jesus Christ. And I pray for the prayer needs of other people. And I pray for physical and mental strength just to make it through each day, because I am growing old and some of my mental and physical agility is beginning to decline, which often happens to people as they age. And in prayer I choose to forgive those who have sinned against me, and I pray that I may love my enemies as my Lord loves and forgives me.

And I do pray that the will of God will be done in my life and that God will use me for his purposes and for his glory. I pray that he will guide me in what I am to write each day, that he will put the thoughts in my mind that he wants me to have and to share. And I pray that I will have the right attitude in my life’s situations and that the will of God will be accomplished in my life each day. For my goal in life is to serve the Lord Jesus with my life in being who he created me to be and for his purposes.

And then if we are to pray and to ask the Lord for forgiveness, I believe that we need to be more specific in what we ask forgiveness for and that we understand what all the Scriptures teach on that subject. For they teach that if we claim to be in fellowship with God but while we walk (in conduct, in practice) in darkness (sin), we are liars, and that if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to God, that we will not receive forgiveness of sins and we will not inherit eternal life with God (1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Romans 6:1-23; Galatians 5:16-21).

So, the Lord’s prayer is a good model for us to follow with regard to the things we should be praying about each day, but we should guard against making that our only prayer and against being ritualistic about it to the point that it has no meaning in our lives, or to the point to where we neglect to pray for other people and their needs, or where we fail to pray more specifically about the things going on in our lives each day. For our prayers to the Lord need to be current and specific and relative to our lives today.

When in The Stillness  

An Original Work / September 26, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When in the stillness of this moment,

Speak to me, Lord, I humbly pray.

Be my desire, set me on fire,

Teach me to love always.

Help me to walk in fellowship with You,

Listening to You; sit at Your feet.

Whisper Your words to me, 

Oh, how gently, guiding me in Your truth. 

While we are waiting for Your blessing,

Lord, in our hearts be King today.

Help us to live for you ev’ry moment,

List’ning to what You say.

May we not stray from your word within us,

Help us obey You, Lord, in all things,

Walking each moment, Lord, in Your presence,

Our offerings to You bring.

Help us to love You, Lord, our master;

Be an example of Your love,

Helping the hurting, lift up the fallen,

Showing them Your great love.

Teach them to love You, follow You always,

Bearing their cross and turning from sin;

Walking in daily fellowship with You,

Making You Lord and King.

https://vimeo.com/126984144

A Model Prayer

An Original Work / March 30, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love