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Apr 28, 2026 06:00am

Walking Through Luke: The Lord’s Prayer

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I grew up in an environment that taught me to appreciate the value of a dollar. My family lived paycheck to paycheck, but God blessed us, and we never went without any necessities. I never felt like I was poor, and I never went to bed wondering where the next morning’s breakfast would come from. Through the generosity of others and the providence of God, we always had exactly what we needed.

When my parents did have extra, they were generous with us. I remember when I was eight years old, my dad came home from work one day and surprised me with a Luke Skywalker action figure. I remember times when he would take my brothers and me to Hastings or GameStop and buy us a new Xbox game. My parents loved to do things for us when they could because they loved us and wanted to give us the things we wanted. Even if it was just a candy bar for each of us and a shared soda on the drive back from the store, they gave us what they could when they had it.

And now, as a parent myself, I understand that more deeply. I learned a bit about what it must have felt like for them during a recent season of financial hardship. Before that, I loved to get things for my three-year-old daughter all the time. When we were at the store, I would regularly take her to the toy section and see what she liked. Even if I didn’t always get her something that day, it gave me ideas for what she might like in the future. But money had gotten tight, so I stopped taking her to the toy section altogether to prevent her from asking for things it would break my heart to say no to.

Still, there was one time during that season, as we walked into the grocery store, she saw a display of pastries right up front—little pies, cakes, and things like that. She saw a lemon bundt cake, grabbed it off the shelf, and said, “Can we get this?” It was only about a dollar, so I said yes. Why? Because when I am able, I love to bless my daughter—now both of them—with the things they love.

In Luke 11:1–13, Jesus went somewhere private with His disciples. He would often get away to find solitude and pray. At times, He brought His disciples with Him; at other times, He preferred complete privacy. In this case, the disciples were either with Him or close by, because when He finished praying, one of them asked Him if He would teach them how to pray.

Some might read that and wonder: who doesn’t know how to pray? But if you’ve never been taught, it can be difficult to figure out what to say. One Sunday night, I was putting my older daughter to bed, and I prayed with her, like I do every night. But this time, she said, “Dada, I want to pray now.” I said okay, and she began, “Dear Jesus, thank you… I don’t know the words.”

So I told her she could say whatever she wanted when she prayed. Then she said the sweetest prayer I have ever heard:

“Dear Jesus… I pray to God, I had a good day at church. And I had fun in the nursery. And I had fun at the library. I pray to God, I love Mommy, and I love [sister]. And I love [best friend]. And I love [two other friends]. I love them too. And I pray to God… I play with my toys. And I go to the park. And I pray to God, Amen.”

It was such a sweet moment. I didn’t have to tell her exactly what to say; I just encouraged her to pray, and she beautifully communicated with God in a way many of us struggle to do. We often use prayer as a wish list when it should be a conversation.

But when the disciples asked Jesus this question, they probably weren’t asking because they didn’t know how to pray. It was actually traditional in those days for a rabbi to compose pre-written prayers for their disciples to recite. Maybe the disciples wanted Jesus to do this for them. Or maybe they had noticed that He prayed differently than other rabbis and wanted to be sure they were following His example.

Jesus broke down the model prayer into several sections: adoration, petitions, and repentance. The petitions can be further divided into spiritual needs and physical needs.

He began with magnifying God: “Hallowed be Your name.” As we pray, we should recognize God’s goodness and glory. This is not about trying to flatter Him before asking for things. Instead, it is a deep acknowledgment of who He is. A spirit of worship and gratitude is an essential part of prayer.

Next: “Your kingdom come.” This is a spiritual petition and is often misunderstood. It is not simply a request for the end times to come quickly. Rather, it is an invitation for God’s kingdom to be revealed through our lives. In Matthew’s version, Jesus adds, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” In other words, we are asking God to work through us to bring His purposes into the world.

“Give us this day our daily bread” is a prayer for physical provision. It reflects Jesus’ heart for our needs—that we would have enough for each day. He did not instruct them to pray for wealth or excess, but for daily sustenance. It is both a prayer of trust and a reminder to focus on today rather than worry about tomorrow.

The final section includes repentance and spiritual growth: “Forgive us our sins… and lead us not into temptation.” We acknowledge our need for forgiveness and extend that same forgiveness to others. It would be contradictory to ask for forgiveness while refusing to forgive. Jesus is clear: if we desire forgiveness, we must also have a forgiving heart.

After giving this model, Jesus taught something powerful about prayer—God’s generosity. He described a man who was awakened at midnight by a friend asking for bread. Though reluctant, the man would eventually respond because of persistence. If even a reluctant person will respond, how much more willing is a loving God to give?

Jesus continues by explaining that a good parent does not give harmful things to their child. If earthly parents, despite their flaws, give good gifts, how much more will God? And He highlights the greatest gift of all: the Holy Spirit.

This connects back to “Your kingdom come.” God’s generosity is not always seen in material blessings but in spiritual ones. However, Jesus makes one thing clear: we must ask.

Do you want to be closer to God? Do you want to understand Scripture more deeply? Do you want to grow in compassion, generosity, and wisdom? These things come through the work of the Holy Spirit.

So if you want them—ask. God gives generously.