Matthew 6:9-13 is the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, often called the Lord’s Prayer. It shows what a believer should pray for: that God’s name be honored, that his kingdom and will come, and that daily needs, forgiveness, and protection from evil be entrusted to him. The passage sits in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus is teaching ordinary followers how to live and pray in a way that reflects God’s character.
9 Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. 13 Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
Matthew 6:9-13 (WEB)
Matthew 6:9-13 Summary
Jesus begins by addressing God as “Our Father in heaven,” which sets the tone for everything that follows. The first petitions are all about God himself: that his name be treated as holy, that his kingdom arrive, and that his will be carried out on earth the way it already is in heaven. Only after that does the prayer turn to human needs, asking for daily bread, for forgiveness of debts, and for protection from temptation and the evil one.
The order matters. The prayer starts with God’s glory and moves outward to the believer’s ordinary life. It teaches that asking for bread and forgiveness is not separate from caring about God’s reign, but rooted in it. A person who has learned to pray this way has already been reoriented toward trusting God with the basics.
Context of Matthew 6:9-13
Matthew’s Gospel was written for a largely Jewish-Christian community, and this prayer appears in the Sermon on the Mount, one of Jesus’s longest recorded teaching sections. Just before it, Jesus warns his hearers against praying like the Gentiles, who pile up empty words, and reminds them that the Father already knows what they need. The prayer is presented as a model in contrast to showy or repetitive religious speech.
The verses that follow in Matthew 6:14-15 tie forgiveness directly to the petition in verse 12. Jesus makes the connection explicit: those who receive God’s forgiveness are expected to extend it to others. So the surrounding passage gives the prayer its moral weight, linking private prayer with the way believers treat one another.
Matthew 6:9-13 Verse by Verse
Philippians 4:6
In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
(WEB)
Paul encourages believers to bring every concern to God in prayer and petition, which echoes the Lord’s Prayer’s pattern of trusting God with specific needs.
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
(WEB)
This verse pairs kindness and forgiveness with God’s forgiveness in Christ, reinforcing the link between being forgiven and forgiving others.
A Prayer Based on Matthew 6:9-13
Father in heaven, I come to you as your child. Let your name be honored in my life today, in the way I speak, work, and treat the people around me. Let your kingdom come and your will be done here, in my home, my work, and my heart, just as it is done in heaven. Give me what I need for today, and help me trust you for tomorrow. Forgive the ways I have fallen short of you, and give me grace to forgive those who have wronged me. Keep me from temptation, and deliver me from the evil one. Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Matthew 6:9-13 the same as the Lord’s Prayer?
Yes, this passage is the version of the prayer found in Matthew’s Gospel, and it is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Luke 11 contains a shorter version of the same teaching. Many churches use the Matthew form in worship.
Why does the prayer include the phrase “for yours is the kingdom”?
That closing line, known as a doxology, is not found in the earliest manuscripts of Matthew, and many translations place it in a note. Churches have used it for centuries as a closing affirmation of God’s rule and glory.
What does “daily bread” mean in Matthew 6:11?
It refers to the food and necessities a person needs for a single day. The request reflects dependence on God for ordinary provision. It also echoes the way God provided manna to Israel one day at a time.
