Matthew 6:9-13 is the passage most Christians know as the Lord’s Prayer, the model Jesus gave his disciples for how to pray. In it he teaches that prayer begins with honoring God’s name and kingdom, then brings daily needs, forgiveness and protection honestly before him.
Jesus gives this prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, in the middle of his teaching about true devotion versus religious show. It follows his warning against empty, repetitive speech in prayer, so the words are offered as a pattern for sincere, trusting conversation with the Father rather than a formula to recite.
9 Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. 13 Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
Matthew 6:9-13 (WEB)
Matthew 6:9-13 Summary
The prayer moves in a clear order. It opens by addressing God as Father in heaven and asking that his name be honored, then asks that God’s kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it already is in heaven. Only after these larger concerns does it turn to the praying person’s own needs: bread for today, forgiveness for wrongs done, and protection from testing and evil.
The structure matters. Jesus teaches that our everyday requests belong inside a larger desire for God’s glory and rule. The prayer ends by returning to God’s kingdom, power and glory forever, which frames the whole request in praise.
Context of Matthew 6:9-13
Matthew’s Gospel was written for a community steeped in Jewish practice and likely shaped by the tension between that heritage and the new life of following Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount, of which this passage is a part, presents Jesus as the teacher who reinterprets the heart of the law. Its audience is the crowds and disciples who are being taught how to live in God’s kingdom.
The verses just before this section warn against praying to be seen or using many words as if God needs persuading. Verse 8 gives the reason: your Father already knows what you need. The verses after it connect forgiving others with receiving God’s forgiveness, so the prayer’s central requests are set within a wider picture of a grace-shaped life.
Matthew 6:9-13 Verse by Verse
Philippians 4:6
In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
(WEB)
Paul’s counsel to bring every request to God with thanksgiving echoes the confidence of the Lord’s Prayer. It shows that the habit of presenting needs before the Father is part of a peaceful, grateful life.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(WEB)
John assures believers that God is faithful and just to forgive sins when we confess them. This promise supports the request for forgiveness that Jesus taught his disciples to pray.
A Prayer Based on Matthew 6:9-13
Our Father in heaven, I come to you as your child and ask that your name be held holy in my life today. Let your kingdom come in my home, my work and my relationships, and help me to desire your will above my own plans. I trust you to give me what I need for this day, and I ask you to forgive the wrongs I have done, just as I am choosing by your help to forgive those who have hurt me.
Keep me from the testing that would pull me away from you, and deliver me from the evil one. You alone hold the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Matthew 6:9-13 called the Lord’s Prayer?
Jesus gave these words to his disciples as a model for prayer, so the church has long called them the Lord’s Prayer. Some Christians also refer to it as the Our Father. The name reflects that Jesus himself taught it.
Is this prayer meant to be repeated word for word?
Many Christians pray it exactly as written, and that practice is a faithful one. Jesus also presented it as a pattern, so it can shape the content and order of your own prayers as well.
What does “daily bread” mean in verse 11?
The phrase points to the food and provision needed for the day ahead. It teaches trust in God for what we need one day at a time. It is not a request for excess or a reason for anxiety about tomorrow.
