The Lord’s Prayer Curriculum | Personal or Small Group Study

above: “Sending Out” | Elmer Yazzie

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Q&A 118
Q. What did God command us to pray for? 
A. Everything we need, spiritually and physically, as embraced in the prayer Christ our Lord himself taught us.

Q&A 119
Q. What is this prayer? 
A. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.
For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever. Amen.

Following the Heidelberg Catechism we have divided the Lord’s Prayer into its six petitions.

Each time you return to this page, re-read the entire prayer. Do so slowly, reading it aloud, savoring the words Jesus gave us; asking the Holy Spirit to be present with you.

Proceed then to the questions, maybe journaling if you’re alone, or talking through them if you’re in a small group. Let each week’s psalm be a kind of foil to Jesus’ words, brightening them and drawing your attention back to God.

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1. Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name

1. What do you think about calling God “our Father?” Is it too familiar? Does it bring up positive or negative connotations? 
2. What does being so familiar with God suggest about prayer and our relationship with Him?
3. In what way does the phrase “in heaven” shape our prayer?
4. When you hear “hallowed be your name,” what do you imagine? What is this calling us to do?

Psalm 103

Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness

Of David.

¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name.
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and do not forget all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the Pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵ who satisfies you with good as long as you live
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord works vindication
    and justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
    his acts to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far he removes our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father has compassion for his children,
    so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows how we were made;
    he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for mortals, their days are like grass;
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
    and its place knows it no more.
¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
    on those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to children’s children,
¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant
    and remember to do his commandments.

¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
    and his kingdom rules over all.
²⁰ Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    obedient to his spoken word.
²¹ Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
    his ministers that do his will.
²² Bless the Lord, all his works,
    in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.

5. Where do you see the Father acting in Psalm 103?

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of Lords: Mercifully grant that the people of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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2. Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

1. Imagine the kingdom of God is on earth – what does it look like?
2. What does it look like in your everyday for God’s will to be done…on earth as it is in Heaven?
3. If God asked you to pray for something, what do you think he would ask you to pray for? 
4. Why might you be hesitant to pray this prayer?
5. How do you know if God’s will is being done in your life? 

Psalm 67

The Nations Called to Praise God

To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

¹ May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
² that your way may be known upon earth,
    your saving power among all nations.
³ Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

⁴ Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
⁵ Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

⁶ The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, has blessed us.
⁷ May God continue to bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth revere him.

6. How does Psalm 67 paint the Kingdom of God?

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of Lords: Mercifully grant that the people of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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3. Give us this day our daily bread

1. What are we asking God to give us? What is the meaning of daily bread?
2. What requests might be considered “daily bread?” Can you think of examples in your life, past or present?
3. Can we pray for bread and dessert?
4. How do you feel about depending on God as your daily provider? When have you found your dependence on God waxing or waning?

Psalm 121

Assurance of God’s Protection

A Song of Ascents.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
    from where will my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ He who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time on and forevermore.

5. How does this psalm depict daily bread?

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of Lords: Mercifully grant that the people of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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4. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors

1. Why is it important for us to confess our sins to God in prayer when He already knows them?
2. Has there been a time in your life when it has seemed impossible to forgive someone? Would you be willing to share that experience with your group?
3. Why can forgiveness be so hard to extend to others?
4. Why can forgiveness be so hard to accept for yourself?

Psalm 130

Waiting for Divine Redemption

A Song of Ascents.

¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
²     Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
    to the voice of my supplications!

³ If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
    Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But there is forgiveness with you,
    so that you may be revered.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord
    more than those who watch for the morning,
    more than those who watch for the morning.

⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord!
    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
    and with him is great power to redeem.
⁸ It is he who will redeem Israel
    from all its iniquities.

5. How does this psalm illustrate repentance and forgiveness?

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of Lords: Mercifully grant that the people of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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5. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

1. Are you more quick to pray for physical needs and protection than spiritual? How do you ask God to protect you?
2. Is talk about the devil and the powers of evil something you’re comfortable with? Is it something the church seems comfortable with? Why or why not?
3. We often talk about evil as a vague notion, an abstract concept. How might we connect evil to concrete things as we pray? As you journal, list some concrete evils you can name before God.
4. In the same way, we can easily talk about deliverance in an abstract way. What would it mean to ask God for deliverance in a or more concrete or tangible way?

Psalm 23

The Divine Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
³     he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
    for his name’s sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
    I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    my whole life long.

5. How has God been with you in the valley?

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of Lords: Mercifully grant that the people of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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6. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

1. How does this final line interact with the rest of the Lord’s Prayer? With the holiness of God’s name; with the coming Kingdom; with daily bread; with the reality of evil; with forgiveness?
2. Has your understanding of the Kingdom of God changed as a result of this study?
3. This line of the prayer is called the “Doxology”, stemming from the Latin word for praise. Why is it important that the prayer would end with praise?  What is Jesus teaching us by ending the prayer this way?

Psalm 146

Praise for God’s Help

¹ Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
² I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

³ Do not put your trust in princes,
    in mortals, in whom there is no help.
⁴ When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
    on that very day their plans perish.

⁵ Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God,
⁶ who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
⁷     who executes justice for the oppressed;
    who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
⁸     the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.
⁹ The Lord watches over the strangers;
    he upholds the orphan and the widow,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

¹⁰ The Lord will reign forever,
    your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

4. How can we live our lives as an act of praise to God?

Closing prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of Lords: Mercifully grant that the people of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.