The Everyday Use of the Lord's Prayer [Paperback]

Jesus did not intend these words to be used just as a prayer. He also gave them as a pattern for prayer. Used in this way they offer a liberating structure around which our own prayer can develop.

This book is not another exposition of the Lord’s Prayer, but a practical resource to help you develop your own prayer based on the pattern that Jesus has given us. It is full of scriptures, hymns, songs, prayers - and space! Room for you to write down words that help you in your time with God

His interest in the Lord’s Prayer arose out of preaching. Although there are many books giving a detailed exposition of the Lord’s Prayer, there seemed to be a lack of material that helps in its daily use and as a result the best known prayer in the world is in danger of losing its power through over familiarity. Neil feels that because Jesus gave the words not just as a prayer but more importantly as a pattern it can liberate us, not only to discover its own riches, but to build a library of resources to enhance our daily prayer.

Neil is married to Ann who is also ordained and they have 6 daughters and 6 grandchildren and he enjoys anything to do with water - especially windsurfing.

Do you find it easy to pray regularly? Most of us feel we ought to, most of us want to, but often regular prayer seems such hard work that all our good intentions founder. It is easier to call on God in a crisis, but using him like the emergency services - a 999 God, so to speak, can make us feel guilty and we come back to that inner nudge, that if we had practised a bit more when things were normal, we would know better how to pray when things go seriously wrong.
So why do we hang back? How do we overcome our feelings of inadequacy? Where do we begin? What words do we use? Do we need to confess our sins first? What is the right pattern for prayer to follow? This book aims to help you get started.
When I first became a Christian the pattern I was encouraged to use was based on the word ACTS standing for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.
Later, I discovered that Jesus HIMSELF had given us a pattern for prayer, for although on one occasion (Luke 11:2) he said to his disciples, When you pray, say ‘Our Father in Heaven . . .’ which suggests that he meant them to use these words as a prayer, on another occasion he said, ‘This then is how you should pray,’ or ‘pray then like this,’ (Matthew 6:9) suggesting not so much a prayer to use, as a pattern to follow. He seems to be saying, ‘here is an outline and these are a list of topics. Follow this pattern, using your own words.’
In the following pages we look at the Lord’s prayer as a pattern that we might use in our regular prayer time. It has nine or more phrases, which might seem a formidable list, but a closer look will show that there are actually only three or four main sections. The first has to do with praise: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name . . .’ The second is about asking for things or what we normally think of as prayer: ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.’ The third is admitting that we have ‘messed up’ and are likely to do so again and we therefore need to come to God in penitence. ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.’ The final section returns us to praise: ‘For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever.’
Praise, prayer, penitence and final praise - a simple but profound pattern for us whenever we pray. We will look in turn at each of these topics in the following chapters followed by two main sections. The first section provides a week of scriptures, hymns, songs and prayers to help you develop this pattern of prayer. Then the final section has a further 31 days of material just concerned with praise. There are many hymns and worship songs as well as psalms and other passages in the Bible that can help us to praise, so that we need never become stale or over familiar with the material we use. It is good to get into the habit of writing down anything you find helpful and have it to hand when you draw near to God.
Finally, to encourage prayer for more than just personal needs, each day has a different area of concern. So during the course of a week you can pray for the coming of the Kingdom:-

through sharing the Good News . . . . Monday
in the affairs of the world . . . . . . . . . Tuesday
amongst the sick and needy . . . . . Wednesday
through the church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thursday
in bringing justice into the world .. . . . Friday
amongst family and friends . . . . . . . Saturday
in your own heart and life . . . . . . . . . . Sunday

You may be more familiar with the traditional version of the Lord’s Prayer and this is printed on page 152. Please use whichever form you find most helpful.