How to pray the Lord's Prayer

By How To (/journals/how-to)

The Lord's Prayer is the set of petitions Jesus gave his followers for talking with God. Saying it phrase by phrase keeps your mind on praise, daily needs, forgiveness, and protection in turn.

Have the full wording written out or memorized and a quiet seat or clear floor space where you can speak without rush.

1: CHOOSE a quiet corner where you can speak without being overheard or interrupted.

A chair facing a blank wall works well. The place is right when you can finish a full sentence out loud and still hear every word. If footsteps or voices reach you, move one room farther from the noise.

2: SIT with feet flat on the floor, back upright, and hands open or folded in your lap.

Let your shoulders drop away from your ears. You feel steady when breathing comes easy and your hands stay still. If your back rounds, scoot farther back until the chair supports you.

3: BOW your head slightly and close your eyes or rest them on one plain spot.

This marks the start for yourself. The posture holds when your neck feels loose rather than pushed forward. If closing your eyes makes you unsteady, open them and look down instead.

4: SPEAK the opening lines at a walking pace: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Pause at each comma. The pace is good when you finish a line and still recall what it asked. If the words run together, stop, take one breath, and repeat only the line you rushed.

5: ASK for provision and pardon with Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Keep the same unhurried rhythm. The shift lands when you notice the move from bread to mercy. If a grudge surfaces, quietly name the person after the line and continue.

6: FINISH with And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Let the final word rest a moment before you raise your head. The prayer is complete when silence follows the Amen. If you skipped any phrase, return to it now instead of starting over.

The most common mistake

Rushing the phrases so each one loses its meaning is the single most common mistake. Speak every line as its own thought and put a short breath between them.

Pro tip

Whisper the whole prayer if a normal voice feels too exposed; the words carry the same way.

Say it every time

Father, kingdom, bread, forgive, deliver, amen