There must have been something compelling about the way Jesus prayed. After observing Him a disciple begged, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus’ response, while almost childlike in its simplicity, was profound. Each theme of the prayer directs our attention away from ourselves and onto God. It starts with an expression of worship before moving to a statement of trust in God’s providence. Confession and the forgiveness of others come next, not separate, but bound together. Finally, there is a plea for divine intervention in dealing with inevitable
temptations ahead.


Notice that The Lord’s Prayer does not include requests for the things we want. Does this mean that we should not pray for these things? On the contrary, as verses 5-11 show, Jesus expects petitions to be included.


Yet He knows we tend to focus excessively on our own desires. Our anxious hearts find the peace that passes understanding when we shift our focus away from ourselves and toward God. As always, Jesus knows our hearts better than we do.