In the previous post, I described how the Lord pulled me into a deeper life of prayer. I started it off by referencing Matthew 6:9-13, commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer.” In this post, we’ll explore the various phrases of this prayer to help you see it in a new light.

The Lord’s Prayer

“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as [it is] in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV)

Different Kinds of Prayer

Prayer is not one thing. There are lots of different kinds and styles of prayer.

One of the books I’m reading is called “Third Heaven Authority” by Mike Thompson. My beautiful wife bought this for me last Christmas. Mike Thompson lists out at least 7 types of prayers:

The prayer of petition and supplication – a formal request to God to meet a specific need.
The prayer of thanksgiving and praise – pretty self-explanatory
The prayer of binding and loosing – this type of prayer uses our spiritual authority to counter the works and strategies of the devil
The prayer of agreement – “if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in Heaven.” Matt. 18:18-19
The prayer of intercession – this is going before the Lord on behalf of someone or something else – another person or a city, nation, or cause
The prayer of dedication and direction – this is asking God for wisdom and direction when you don’t already know what His will is
Prayer in the Spirit (tongues) – this is praying in different languages as God gives you utterance, based on 1 Corinthians 14

Prayer is not just asking for things. And it’s not just talking to God nonchalantly, although these are part of it.

“I Hope Nobody Needs It”

In 2020 before we left a large church in town to support the startup church called Amazed full-time, I was volunteering on the prayer team. The church building had just been opened back up from the lock-downs, and I was checking in with a lady at a table, because that’s what you did in 2020.

She asked who I was. I told her my name and that I was there as part of the prayer team. She looked at me and, no joke, said these words, “Oh, I hope nobody needs it!” I was speechless! Not needing prayer? Is that even a thing? I was about to say, “Well, everyone needs prayer,” but she was already off doing something else. I looked around, blinked my eyes and shook my head. She obviously didn’t know what prayer was.

Teach Us to Pray

So this brings me back to the Lord’s Prayer. One of our favorite pastor friends named Bill Vanderbush says it should be called the Apostle’s Prayer, because they asked for it. He says, “Do you think He would have told it to us if they hadn’t asked?”

This question is based on Luke 11:1, which says,

“Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, [that] one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.’” (Luke 11:1 NKJV)

Aren’t you glad they asked? Here’s the prayer again from Matthew 6, in the NKJV.

Each of these phrases can be expanded out and used in prayer.

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Did you know God is our Father? He is a very good Father. He’s not abusive. And He’s in Heaven, and He’s in you, which means Heaven is in you, and you’re in Heaven. Christ is in you, and you’re in Christ. You are seated with Christ in Heavenly places. This is acknowledging who God is as well as yourself in Him.

His name is hallowed. That’s the same word typically translated as “sanctified” or “made holy.” God’s name is His identity.

Have you made God’s identity sacred in your life? Have you made your own sanctified identity or what I might call your true Heavenly identity sacred? God’s name is holy, and He has called you holy. You are to be holy as He is holy, because He has set you apart for His holiness through Jesus Christ.

You can praise God and give him the praise due his name! There are so many different Psalms you can use to bring praise and glory and admiration to God Himself. It starts with this (and ends with this too!)

God’s Names

God’s names all throughout Scripture reveal who He is. He is an infinite God, and the names given to Him tell us more about Him. We will be discovering who God is for eternity, and it’ll continue to fill us with wonder and awe as we discover more of who He is.

Some of His names that we’ve used in prayer:

Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord who Provides

Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord who Heals

Jehovah-Shammah: The Lord is There

Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord our Banner

Jehovah-Tsidkenu: The Lord our Righteousness

Jehovah-Makeddesh: The Lord who Sanctifies

Jehovah-Ra’ah: The Lord our Shepherd

Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord our Peace

Jehovah-Gibbowr: The Lord who is Mighty

Jehovah-Elohim: The Lord God

Jehovah-Sabbaoth: The Lord of Hosts

Jehovah-Issuwz: The Lord is Strong

Jehovah-Hoseenu: The Lord our Maker

El-Shaddai: God Almighty

El-Elyon: God Most High

El-Olam: God Everlasting

El-Roy: The God who Sees

Yeshuah Ha Mashiach: Jesus the Messiah

Each of these names of God are holy. Holy are your names, O Lord! Each of God’s names are to be honored and even explored! And this list is just a subset. Someone once told me that there are at least 365 names of God, one for every day of the year!

Bonus Name

I ran across an interesting name for God the other day as I was praying through Psalm 43.

“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.” Psalms 43:3-4 (ESV)

El Simkha Gil: God My Exceeding Joy

Do we think of God as our exceeding joy? Do we see God as an infinitely joyful Being? Well, He is!

May God show you one of His names that you can connect deeply with! That’s my prayer for you!

This topic of prayer deserves to be talked about thoroughly. So we are going to pause here and continue next week, and talk about the Kingdom of Heaven. I hope you will join me next week!

Part 1

Journey into a Life of Prayer Using The Lord’s Prayer: Part 2