Have you ever uttered those words when you have felt unable to pray?  The barber of Martin Luther asked Luther for that help.  Luther’s response was to use the example prayer that Jesus provided to His disciples in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 6.  It is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer.  

In his letter to the barber, Luther separated the prayer into seven petitions.

1. Hallowed be thy name.
2. Your Kingdom come.
3. Your will be done on earth, as it is heaven.
4. Give us today our daily bread.
5. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
6. Lead us not into temptation.
7. And deliver us from the evil one.

The first petition is one of praise.  Petition two and three are kingdom prayers, asking God’s plan to be fulfilled.  The fourth is a supplication, asking for our daily needs.  The fifth is a prayer of confession and a call to forgive others.  Petition six asks God to maintain peace in our lives always pointing to Him.  Petition 7 acknowledges that there is evil in the world and that we need God’s protection.

Although Jesus doesn’t specifically say that these are in order of priority, it is interesting that the first three petitions are prayers of praise and kingdom prayers.  These petitions come before asking for our needs.

Luther asked his barber not to recite the petitions, but to use them as a starting point to pray.  Each petition can be expanded to wherever the Spirit leads you in your time of prayer.

Many books have been written over the centuries on prayer.  Why not use the template that our Lord Jesus gave us?  I think God would be pleased that we used His example.

Heavenly Father, You are perfect and Your words are perfect too.  Thank You for giving us an example to communicate with You.  I pray that I would use it in a way that is pleasing to You.  I pray this in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God.