Praying The Lord's Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer, elaborated in 8 parts

based on the Westminster Larger Catechism #178-196

1. Our Father who is in heaven

Heavenly Father, we draw near to You our God with confidence of Your fatherly goodness towards us in Your Son Jesus Christ. With reverence and affection, we express our total dependence on You. Acknowledging Your sovereign power and majesty, by Your Holy Spirit, we are grateful for Your condescending to hear and answer us as we pray according to Your will.

2. Hallowed be Your name

We confess our utter inability and unwillingness of ourselves to honor You rightly. So we pray that You would, by Your grace, enable and incline us to know, love, and glorify You as You have revealed Yourself in Your Word and all Your works. And in all our thinking, speaking, and doing, we pray that by Your Spirit You would prevent and remove our unbelief, ignorance, and disobedience. We pray that by Your providence You would continue to direct all things to Your own glory.

3. May Your kingdom come

We confess that through our own fault we are by nature under the dominion of sin and Satan. So we pray that You would destroy the kingdom of darkness, conquering all Your and our spiritual enemies. We pray that You would advance Your kingdom in this age by the propagation of the gospel everywhere, saving the full number of those You have chosen from among all peoples. Equip Your church with qualified officers, we pray, that Christ’s ordinances would be purely administered and effective in converting unbelievers and strengthening Your people. We pray that You would enable Your church to live peaceably and to patiently endure through all hardships.  Come again soon, we pray, to consummate Your kingdom in the resurrection and new creation, having us reign with You forever.

4. May Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven

We confess that of ourselves we are prone to rebel against Your Word, to complain against Your providence, and wholly inclined to our own sinful will. So we pray that You would take away all our sinful unwillingness, ignorance, weakness, and our heart’s corruption. We pray that by Your grace You would make us able and willing to know and do Your revealed will in all things. As holy angels obey You, enable us, we pray, to walk according to Your Spirit in all the good works You have prepared for us in a manner that pleases You.

5. Give us this day our daily bread

We confess that because of our sinfulness we do not deserve and cannot earn any of the outward blessings You give in this life. We acknowledge that of themselves they cannot sustain us, and that of ourselves we are prone to use them unlawfully. So we pray that by Your wisdom and tender care, You would provide for our temporal needs. Enable us each day, we pray, in the use of lawful means to enjoy Your free and generous gifts with contentment and gratitude to Your glory.

6. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

We confess that we are guilty both of original and actual sin, and are debtors to Your justice. We acknowledge that we cannot make the least satisfaction for that debt. So we pray that of Your free grace, through the obedience and satisfaction of Christ, applied by faith alone, You would acquit us from our guilt and due punishment, and accept us in Your Beloved Son. Continue Your grace to us we pray, grant us repentance, pardon our daily sins, and fill us with peace and joy, giving us each day more and more assurance of Your forgiveness. We pray that You would embolden us to ask for, and encourage us to expect Your forgiveness, while You enable us sincerely to forgive others their offenses.

7. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

We confess that of ourselves we would seek temptation, and are unable and unwilling to resist or be delivered. Even after Your renewing our hearts, and pardoning our sins, we are still subject to temptations of every sort. So we pray that You would strengthen us against temptation through all means of grace; in Your providence keep us from being tempted to sin; when we are tempted, enable us to resist by Your Spirit; and if we sin, bring us quickly to repentance and greater sanctification. Give us assurance, we pray, of Your guidance and Your promise to soon crush Satan under our feet, perfecting in everlasting glory our deliverance from sin, death, and all evil.

8.  For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever

We acknowledge, our God, that all sovereignty, glorious excellence, and all highest praise is eternally Yours alone. So we are emboldened by Your Holy Spirit to ask these things of You in faith, trusting that You are willing and able to help us. We offer our requests, relying on Your grace to us in the Lord Jesus Christ, praying in His name.
Amen.