1. Our Father - By referring to God as “Father”, we establish a personal relationship with God. More than just the Supreme Being, Creator and Ruler of the Universe, He is the Father of the one who truly believes in Him. Jesus wanted to demonstrate that we can go to God in prayer as His children - since we are His children, we can address Him in a personal way as “Father”. He loves us and He is always ready and eager to hear from us.

2. Which art in heaven - By acknowledging that our Father is in heaven, Jesus was displaying faith. We must pray with the faith that God who is in heaven is our Father and that He hears our prayers.

3. Hallowed by thy name - An important element of prayer is reverence to God for who He is. Prayer should include praise, worship and thankfulness to God.

4. Thy kingdom come - Expectation: we should pray for the coming of Jesus back to earth and for the setting up of God’s Kingdom.

5. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven - this part stresses obedience to God’s will. In other words, we should pray that just as the angels in heaven are obedient and pleasing to God, we should do the same in our lives (with the help of the Holy Spirit).

6. Give us this day our daily bread - Needs and concerns. Our Heavenly Father wants us to express our needs and concerns to Him, whatever they may be.

7. And forgive us our debts - Confession: when we pray we should confess our sins to God. In this prayer, “debts” refers to our sins. Our sins are impossible debts which can only be paid by Jesus.

8. As we forgive our debtors - Compassion: Jesus has stated that if we expect God to have mercy on us and forgive us our debts (sins), then we must do the same for others who ask for our forgiveness. God is compassionate, kind and merciful - He expects His children to follow in His footsteps.

9. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil - This part of the Lord’s prayer stresses our dependence on God. We depend on Him to keep us safe from the evil areas of our lives and to deliver us safely to heaven so that Satan will not claim our souls.

10. For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever - Acknowledgment of God for who He is. The pray ends with the acknowledgment that there is no one greater than God - only He is worthy of our worship. This is also a great comfort and peace of mind for the one who prays because it is a reminder that the prayer was delivered to the One who has the power to do all that we requested in faith.

CONSTRUCT A PRAYER

The following is an activity intended to teach you how to pray.

This activity is based on the Lord's Prayer as a model

Construct your own prayer by providing what is asked for at each point (*).

Dear Heavenly Father,

*In your own words, express your faith in Him and thank God for your blessings

*Praise God - say something nice about Him

*In your own words, thank God for His promise that He will accept you into His kingdom

*Ask God to help you to live as a Christian and to help you improve in your weak areas

*Tell God your needs and concerns

*Confess your sin/sins to God and ask His forgiveness

*Ask God to help you forgive those who has wronged you

*Ask God to keep you from the strong temptations in your life and to keep you safe from Satan

*End your prayer like this or in a similar way: to You are due glory and honor now and forever. Amen

Don't know who or what to pray for?

Here are some suggestions:

First of all, praise God and thank him for your blessings.

Then, pray for:

OUR GOVERNMENT LEADERS

FOR YOUR CHURCH

FOR OUR DIOCESE

FOR OUR CLERGY

FOR YOUR DER HAYR (Pastor)

FOR SPIRITUAL RENEWAL IN OUR PARISH

FOR YOUR LOVED ONES

FOR THE SICK

FOR YOURSELF & YOUR NEEDS

ETC. ETC.

These are just some suggestions.