“What is the Lord’s prayer and should we pray it?”……The Lord's Prayer is a prayer the Lord Jesus taught His disciples

Luke 11:2-4…Jesus said, "This is how you should pray: "Father, may your name be kept holy.… May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation."…Matthew 6:9-13…Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.… May your Kingdom come soon.May your will be done on earth,…as it is in heaven.… Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.… And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.(Some manuscripts add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.)

Many people misunderstand the Lord's Prayer to be a prayer we are supposed to recite word for word. Some people treat the Lord's Prayer as a magic formula, as if the words themselves have some specific power or influence with God.……The Bible teaches the opposite. God is far more interested in our hearts when we pray than He is in our words.

Matthew 6:6-7… But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.

In prayer, we are to pour out our hearts to God, not simply recite memorized words to God.…Philippians 4:6-7

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

The Lord's Prayer should be understood as an example, a pattern, of how to pray. It gives us the "ingredients" that should go into prayer. Here is how it breaks down.

"Our Father in heaven"

is teaching us whom to address our prayers to-the Father.

"Hallowed be your name"

is telling us to worship God, and to praise Him for who He is.

"your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"

is a reminder to us that we are to pray for God's plan in our lives and the world, not our own plan. We are to pray for God's will to be done, not for our desires.

"give us today our daily bread."

We are encouraged to ask God for the things we need

"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors"

reminds us to confess our sins to God and to turn from them, and also to forgive others as God has forgiven us.

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one"

The conclusion of the Lord's Prayer,is a plea for help in achieving victory over sin and a request for protection from the attacks of the devil.……So, again, the Lord's Prayer is not a prayer we are to memorize and recite back to God. It is only an example of how we should be praying.

Is there anything wrong with memorizing the Lord's Prayer? Of course not!

Is there anything wrong with praying the Lord's Prayer back to God? Not if your heart is in it and you truly mean the words you say.

Remember, in prayer, God is far more interested in our communicating with Him and speaking from our hearts than He is in the specific words we use.

Philippians 4:6-7

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.