Matthew 6:9-13 is the passage most Christians know as the Lord’s Prayer, the model prayer Jesus gave his disciples when they asked how to pray. It shows that prayer is addressed to a Father who is near, that its first concerns are God’s name, kingdom and will, and that its requests for daily bread, forgiveness and protection are honest and simple.
These verses sit in the Sermon on the Mount, the long teaching Jesus gave to crowds and disciples in Galilee. In the middle of a section about how to live before God in private, he steps away from empty religious habits and gives a short, ordered prayer that anyone can carry into an ordinary day.
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 two directions. It opens by turning toward God: his name should be honored, his kingdom should arrive, and his will should be done on earth as it already is in heaven. Only after that does it turn toward human need, asking for bread for the day, forgiveness for wrongs, and rescue from testing and from the evil one.
The closing line, which reminds the one praying that the kingdom, power and glory belong to God forever, returns the whole prayer to its source. The pattern is a reminder that human requests are made within God’s larger purposes, not in competition with them.
Context of Matthew 6:9-13
Matthew’s Gospel was written for a community that included Jewish followers of Jesus and was concerned with showing how his teaching fulfills and deepens the story of Israel. Traditionally the author is identified as Matthew, one of the twelve disciples, though scholars debate the details. The original readers would have heard this prayer as a guide for the church’s life of devotion.
The verses just before the prayer warn against “vain repetitions” and show that the Father already knows what we need. The verses just after it connect forgiving others with being forgiven by God. So the prayer is placed inside a teaching about sincerity, trust and the kind of forgiveness that shapes a disciple’s relationships.
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 anxiety with prayer and thanksgiving, showing the same trust in a Father who hears. Like the Lord’s Prayer, it turns worry into a request made to God rather than kept in the mind alone.
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
(WEB)
This verse links kindness and forgiveness to the forgiveness believers have already received in Christ. It echoes the petition in the Lord’s Prayer by grounding forgiving others in God’s own generosity.
A Prayer Based on Matthew 6:9-13
Father in heaven, you are near enough to hear me and holy enough to deserve my deepest respect. Let your name be honored in my life today, and let your kingdom and your will take shape in my home, my work and my conversations. Give me what I need for this day, and teach me to trust you for tomorrow. Forgive the wrongs I have done, and help me forgive those who have wronged me. Keep me from temptation and rescue me from evil. Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Matthew 6:9-13 meant to be prayed word for word?
Jesus introduces it with “Pray like this,” which suggests a pattern rather than a fixed script. Many Christians pray the words exactly, while others use the pattern to shape their own prayers.
Why does the prayer ask for daily bread instead of wealth?
The request is for what is needed for one day, which teaches dependence on God and freedom from constant worry. It reflects trust rather than a desire to store up resources.
What does it mean that forgiveness is linked to forgiving others?
The prayer connects the two because people who have received mercy from God are called to extend it to others. The verses that follow in Matthew 6 make this link explicit.
