What is the meaning of the Lord's Prayer, step-by-step?

The Devotional Answer

The devotional answer is that the Lord's Prayer is not just a list of requests, but a master template for aligning your heart with God's will. It’s a beautifully concise pathway from personal need to cosmic purpose. When you pray this prayer, you are not reciting a magical formula; you are deliberately shifting your focus from your kingdom to God's Kingdom (Question 116).

Jesus gave this prayer as a gift, teaching you to approach God with both reverence and intimacy. The whole prayer is a reminder that the Christian life begins and ends with giving glory to God (Question 118) and trusting Him for all things.

The Simple Answer

The Lord's Prayer is a seven-part model that divides into two sections:

1. Focus on God (The Vertical): The first three petitions prioritize God's Name, Kingdom, and Will.

2. Focus on Man (The Horizontal): The next four petitions address man's fundamental needs: Provision (daily bread), Pardon (forgiveness), and Protection (deliverance from evil).

It teaches us to seek God's glory before seeking our own comfort.

The Deeper Dive: A Step-by-Step Breakdown

Here is a breakdown of the prayer (from Matthew 6:9-13), explaining the meaning of each phrase:

Part I: Adoration and Allegiance (Focus on God)

1. "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."

   • Meaning: This is the intimate address. "Father" acknowledges God's loving, personal relationship with us as His children (Question 97). "Hallowed be your name" means "may your name be made holy." This is the primary request: that God be recognized, worshiped, and glorified above all things (Question 109). It sets the tone for reverence.

2. "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

   • Meaning: This is the commitment to God's reign (Question 108). We are asking for the full, final establishment of God's Kingdom (Question 93) and for His righteous will to be perfectly obeyed here on earth—in our lives, our churches, and our world—just as perfectly as it is obeyed by the angels in heaven. This is the prayer of the surrendered life (Question 117).

Part II: Petition and Dependence (Focus on Man)

1. "Give us today our daily bread."

   • Meaning: This is the petition for physical provision. We are asking God to provide our basic, essential needs (food, shelter, health) for this day (Question 90). It teaches us to live a life of moment-by-moment dependence and trust, avoiding anxiety about the distant future.

2. "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

   • Meaning: This is the request for spiritual pardon. "Debts" refers to our sins against God (Question 107). We ask for forgiveness based on the work of Christ (Question 49). The crucial parallel ("as we also have forgiven...") means we cannot expect God to forgive our serious offenses if we are unwilling to forgive the minor offenses committed against us (Question 80).

3. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

   • Meaning: This is the request for spiritual protection. We pray that God would steer us away from circumstances that would severely test our faith (temptation) and that He would rescue us from the power and influence of the Devil (the evil one). This recognizes our weakness and our dependence on God’s strength.

4. "For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (The Doxology)

   • Meaning: This is the closing statement of praise (Doxology), common in early church tradition. It affirms that God alone possesses all the authority (kingdom), all the ability (power), and all the worship (glory) necessary to answer the prayer. It is a triumphant, faithful conclusion.

God's Assurance

God assures you that He is always ready to hear the simple, humble prayers of His children, especially when those prayers reflect the pattern His Son taught.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” — 1 John 5:14 (NIV)

You are assured that praying according to the Lord's Prayer is always praying according to God's will.

Your Takeaway Thought

Do not let the Lord's Prayer become a routine recitation. Use it as a framework for your daily conversation with God. Before you list your needs, start with worship. Before you ask for forgiveness, check your heart for unforgiveness toward others. Let the simple structure guide your entire prayer life.