Teach Us to Pray

July 24, 2025

Today we’re starting a new series focused on the Lord’s Prayer. If you're interested in joining one of the prayer calls I lead, email me at jay@jayjohnston.org and I will send you the call information so you can join us as we pray together through various forms of technology. 

I thank you for taking the time to read this blog. 

“Lord, teach us to pray.”

This simple request from Jesus' disciples (Luke 11:1) echoes in the hearts of believers today. 

In response, Jesus didn't give a specific formula for prayer; instead, He provided a framework. A powerful pattern of prayer. A pathway to a deeper relationship with God. 

We call it The Lord's Prayer.

In Matthew 6:9–15, Jesus invites us to connect with the Father not just through words but with our entire lives. Each part of this prayer is rich with meaning and spiritual insight. It touches on every aspect of our lifelong journey to become fully devoted followers of Jesus: our need for identity, provision, guidance, forgiveness, and transformation.

This series will explore the Lord's Prayer verse by verse. I pray that the Lord will use this to encourage you, renew your heart for God, and give you a fresh sense of God's power in your life and in the lives of others. 

I hope that as you join the calls each week to pray with people across the USA and Canada, the Lord will lead you into a deeper relationship with Him. Friends, I pray these writings will serve as an encouragement and a reminder to pray with purpose and power. I pray it will also rekindle or nurture your passion and zeal for prayer.

Each weekly post will include a life application and prayer to encourage you to walk daily in the truth of what Jesus taught.

Here’s what you can expect in this series:

  • Reclaim the heart of the loving Father who loves and hears you.
  • Learn to pray beyond requests—into surrender, worship, and trust.
  • Embrace forgiveness as part of your lifestyle, not a one-time event.
  • Be equipped to resist temptation and walk in spiritual strength.
  • Close every prayer with worship, anchored in God's eternal glory.

Finally, as we move through this time of learning and prayer together, I pray that you ask the Lord to make the Lord’s Prayer more than a rote set of words that you recite, but rather to make it the rhythm of your life.

I encourage you to do something that Dr. Elmer Towns encouraged me to do many years ago: commit the Lord's Prayer to memory and recite it for at least forty-five days every morning before getting out of bed, and let it be the last words said at the end of the day. If you haven't read his book, "Praying the Lord's Prayer for Spiritual Breakthrough," I encourage you to get a copy and read it. 

I am looking forward to the weeks ahead as we pray and share how God is using the Lord's Prayer in our lives.