How to Pray Using the Lord’s Prayer – Part 4

We will continue to look at the Lord’s Prayer today, beginning with verse 11, “Give us this day, our daily bread.” Remember that the Lord’s Prayer is a series of index sentences used as an outline for praying. To learn more about this look at Parts 1-3 of this lesson series.

Verse 11 represents our personal prayer requests for daily provisions such as financial, health, family or anything that is burdening our hearts. These types of requests are often referred to as petitions.  These petitions are not limited to things we need, but the Bible says we can ask for more than that, “Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart” Psalms 37:4 (NKJV). Don’t be afraid to ask for big prayers here. God doesn’t always answer our prayers, but He won’t answer if we don’t ask. I have asked the Lord for furniture and He has given me furniture. He has helped me find my car keys, glasses, and even cell phones. Be careful and not ask for selfish desires, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” James 4:3 (NKJV).

I just recently read the book, Pray Big, by Will Davis Jr. He talks about praying pinpoint prayers. “There are two basic principles in effective pinpoint praying, and both are easy to master. The first is be specific…the second principle is be biblical” (pp. 15-16). He stresses the importance of praying back scripture to the Lord, because we need to pray according to the will of God. We also need to be specific in our prayers. Praying things like, “Lord, please bless Susie,” are vague. How do you want the Lord to bless Susie? Is Susie a Christian? If she is, then the Bible says she is already blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3). Be more specific with your prayers.

Another trap we fall into is praying temporal prayers (earthly prayers) rather than kingdom prayers (advancing God’s kingdom). This happens many times when people are giving prayer requests. We pray for Jane Doe’s surgery and Johnny Smith’s job loss. These are not bad requests, but they are only temporal or earthly prayers. To pray a kingdom prayer we would find out Jane’s spiritual condition. If she is lost, pray for her surgery and her salvation. If she is a Christian, pray that she will use this illness to witness to those around her in the hospital. Start asking the Lord to help you learn how to pray kingdom prayers.

When you gather together to pray for our nation according to the Lord’s Prayer, begin with praise (Part 2 of series), then pray intercessory prayer for our nation (see Part 3 of this series), your friends, and loved ones. Next pray petitions for you and your family. Tomorrow we will look at verse 12 of the Lord’s Prayer.

Remember to pray united prayer for America, because there is power in united prayer.

Will Davis Jr. Pray Big (Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 2007), 15-16.

To see the other posts on the Lord’s Prayer, please click below:
How to Pray Using the Lord’s Prayer – Part 1
How to Pray Using the Lord’s Prayer – Part 2
How to Pray Using the Lord’s Prayer – Part 3
How to Pray Using the Lord’s Prayer – Part 5
How to Pray Using the Lord’s Prayer – Final