Matthew 6:9-13 is the passage most Christians know as the Lord’s Prayer, the model prayer Jesus gave his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount. It teaches you to address God as Father, to put his name, kingdom and will first, and then to ask for daily provision, forgiveness and protection from evil.
Jesus gave this prayer during his teaching on how to pray and how to live before God rather than before an audience. It sits in the middle of his instruction on giving, praying and fasting, where he contrasts sincere devotion with showy religion.
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 acknowledging God as a Father who is in heaven and asking that his name be treated as holy. Then it asks that God’s kingdom arrive and his will be carried out on earth the way it already is in heaven. Only after those requests does it turn to the disciple’s own needs: bread for the day, forgiveness for sins as we forgive others, and rescue from temptation and the evil one.
The closing line, which affirms that the kingdom, power and glory belong to God forever, gathers the whole prayer back to its starting point. Your needs are placed inside a larger story in which God’s purposes come first.
Context of Matthew 6:9-13
Matthew’s Gospel was written for a community that included Jewish followers of Jesus, and it presents him as the teacher who explains God’s law with authority. Traditionally the book is attributed to Matthew, one of the twelve disciples. The Sermon on the Mount, in chapters 5 through 7, is addressed to disciples and to the crowds who gathered around them.
In the verses just before the prayer, Jesus warns against empty repetition and says that the Father already knows what you need. In the verses after it, he returns to forgiveness, insisting that a forgiven person must also forgive others. The prayer is therefore framed by teaching on sincerity and on mercy.
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 pairs worry with prayer and thanksgiving, echoing the Lord’s Prayer’s confidence that God hears and meets the requests of his people. The verse shows how bringing even small needs to God becomes a way of trusting him.
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
(WEB)
Paul connects kindness and forgiveness to the forgiveness believers have received in Christ. The verse reinforces the link in the prayer between being forgiven by God and forgiving others.
A Prayer Based on Matthew 6:9-13
Father in heaven, I come to you as your child and ask that your name be honored in my life and in this world. Let your kingdom come and your will be done here, as it is already done in heaven. Help me trust you today for the bread I need, without worrying about tomorrow. Forgive the wrongs I have done, as I work to forgive those who have wronged me. Keep me from temptation and rescue me from the evil one. Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Lord’s Prayer meant to be recited word for word?
Jesus introduces it with “pray like this,” which suggests a pattern for prayer rather than a fixed formula. Many Christians recite it together as a way of unity, and others use it as a guide for their own words.
What does “daily bread” mean in Matthew 6:11?
It refers to the food and provision a person needs for the day ahead. The request teaches dependence on God for each day rather than anxious accumulation for the future.
Does God lead people into temptation?
The prayer asks God not to lead the disciple into temptation, and the New Testament elsewhere teaches that God does not tempt anyone to sin. The petition expresses a desire for strength and protection in the face of trials.
