There’s nothing more important in life than our relationship with God through Christ.

This is, of course, true for our eternal life. It is also true for our daily life. This is why Jesus taught his disciples—and us—how to pray, how to talk to God.

The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4 

Both Matthew and Luke record Jesus teaching us how to pray. Known by many as “The Lord’s Prayer,” I also like to call it “The Prayer of Jesus.” For all eternity, the Father, Son, and Spirit communed together and communicated (John 1:1-18; John 17).

So…when Jesus teaches us how to talk to God, we need to listen.

A Memory Aid: “CHRIST” 

If you’ve heard me teach or read any of my writings, you know I like memory aids. Sometimes, I use alliteration—starting each point with the same letter. Sometimes, like today, I like to use acrostics—using each letter in a word as a teaching devise. We use it to learn how to pray in Christ’s school of prayer.

I’m doing that today with the Lord’s Prayer, or The Prayer of Jesus, using our Savior’s title—Christ—as our memory aid. You see it outlined below.

For a one-sheet, front/back Word document version, go here: The Prayer of Jesus: How to Talk to God.

For a one-sheet, front/back PDF version, go here: The Prayer of Jesus: How to Talk to God.

The Prayer of Jesus: How to Talk to God 

Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4

Your Daily Prayer Guide: “CHRIST”

Prepare to Pray: Meditation—“Our Father Which Art in Heaven”

C   Commune with God: Adoration—“Hallowed Be Thy Name”

H   Honor the King: Intercession—“Thy Kingdom Come”

R   Radically Commit: Submission—“Thy Will Be Done”

I   Invite God-Rescue: Supplication—“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”

S   Savor the Savior’s Grace: Confession—“Forgive Us Our Sins”

T   Triumph Over Temptation: Petition—“Lead Us Not Into Temptation”

Confidently Trust God: Glorification—“For Thine Is the Kingdom”

Learning How to Pray in Christ’s School of Prayer

• Prepare to Pray: Meditation—“Our Father Which Art in Heaven”

1. Meditate on the perfect fatherly character of God: Our Father in heaven.
2. Contemplate the nature of God’s fatherhood: Our Father of holy love.
3. Reflect on the Body of Christ: Our Father, not only my Father.
4. Enjoy God the Father’s full attention and acceptance in Christ: Bask in His fatherly grace.

• Commune with God: Adoration—“Hallowed Be Thy Name”

1. Praise God for Who He is: Worship, magnify, exalt, and glorify your heavenly Father.
2. Thank God for what He does: Express your gratitude for all His grace-gifts, for His works.
3. Pray that the whole world would be in awe of God: All the earth grasping, enjoying, and        exalting the character (name) of God.
4. Set apart God as the supreme desire of your heart: Let your daily mission statement be to exalt God by enjoying God.

• Honor the King: Intercession—“Thy Kingdom Come”

1. Pray for a deepening of God’s rule in your heart: Surrender to God’s governance.
2. Pray for a widening of God’s rule in all people’s hearts: Salvation.
3. Pray for a deepening of God’s rule on planet Earth: Christian living (make a difference).
4. Pray for the soon return of Christ: Second Coming.
5. Pray that you will live for God’s kingdom and not for your own: Total allegiance. 

• Radically Commit: Submission/Direction—“Thy Will Be Done”

1. Pray for the right purpose: That all you do is motivated by the desire to glorify God.
2. Pray for calm assurance: The understanding that God’s glory and your good are inseparable, that the Father’s will is always good and best.
3. Pray for clear discernment: That you will know God’s will for your personal life, family, church, work, community, country, and world.
4. Pray for radical obedience: That God would grant you the courage to do His will.
5. Pray for supernatural power: That God would empower you to obey His will.
6. Pray with brutal honesty: Share the desires of your heart, any confusion, doubts, and perplexity with your heavenly Father.
7. Pray with other-centered focus: That family, church, community, national, and world leaders would know and do God’s will.

• Invite God-Rescue: Supplication—“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”

1. Confess humbly (Give): Acknowledge your spiritual poverty, admitting that without God you are and have nothing. Pray for the faith to believe that all you need is God and what He chooses to provide.
2. Asks unselfishly (Us, Our): Pray for others and for yourself.
3. Request wisely (This Day, Daily): Pray for today’s needs. Trust God for today’s supply. Ask God to give you nothing more and nothing less than exactly what you need and can handle.
4. Entreat practically (Bread): Pray for physical, material, emotional, mental, relational, and spiritual needs. Pray for freedom from worry as you trust God to supply your every need.

• Savor the Savior’s Grace: Confession—“Forgive Us Our Sins As We Forgive Those Who Have Sinned Against Us”

1. Acknowledge Sin: Confess known sins and ask God to reveal hidden sins.
2. Repent humbly: Your debt is immeasurable; His grace is infinite.
3. Enjoy forgiveness: Claim Christ’s forgiveness and acceptance. Your slate is wiped clean!
4. Grant forgiveness: Forgive those who have hurt you and sinned against you physically,      emotionally, mentally, relationally, and spiritually.
5. Seek reconciliation: Go to those you have sinned against to restore the relationship.

• Triumph Over Temptation: Petition—“Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil”

1. Seek protection: Ask God not to allow Satan even to tempt you to sin.
2. Seek boundaries: Ask God to keep you from situations where you are most prone to sin—your besetting sins, areas of vulnerability, temptations, etc.
3. Seek victory: Ask God to defeat sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil in your life.
4. Seek faith: Ask God to help you to trust His awesome power as your only hope for triumph.

• Confidently Trust God: Glorification—“For Thine Is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory Forever, Amen”

1. Trust God (For): Believe that since God is the Almighty, Eternal King that He can answer.
2. Glorify God (Thine): Pray that God will be glorified by your prayers.