He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.”’” (Luke 11:2-4)
“Lord, teach us to pray.”
We have already learned that when the disciples asked this all-important question, they wanted to understand the secret of Jesus’ ability to perform miracles. They were looking for a magical formula, one that they could use over and over again whenever they needed it. But what they received was a model of prayer.
In Luke 11, Jesus gave the disciples a model that would serve as an outline of what was important for them to remember when addressing their Heavenly Father. Since we don’t have the privilege of walking and talking with Jesus face to face as the disciples did, this outline is even more essential for us today. Let’s take a closer look at the various parts of Jesus’ model.d