In Matthew 6:9-13, our Lord gives us a model prayer as an example of how we should pray. This prayer, popularly known as the “Lord’s Prayer,” contains ten clauses.

1. “Our Father which art in heaven” 

2. “Hallowed be thy name”

3. “Thy kingdom come”

4. “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”

5. “Give us this day our daily bread”

6. “And forgive us of our trespasses”

7. “As we forgive those who have trespassed against us”

8. “And lead us not into temptation”

9. “But deliver us from evil”

10. “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

Just as the Ten Commandments contain all that is necessary for us to have a proper Christian life, the ten clauses of the “Lord’s Prayer” contain all that is necessary for us to have a proper prayer life. Frustrating prayer lives can be turned into fruitful ones by simply following these keys to powerful prayer in our prayer closets and prayer meetings.

• THE KEY OF RELATIONSHIP — “Our Father which art in heaven.”  We can’t pray unless God is our Father and we are His child. (Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:2)

• THE KEY OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING — “Hallowed be thy name.” We must “enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.” (Psalm 100:4)

• THE KEY OF SUBMISSION — “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” We must pray according to God’s will, not our own. (1 John 5:14-15)

• THE KEY OF PETITION — “Give us this day our daily bread.” We should pray for our needs, not our “greeds.” (Philippians 4:19)

• THE KEY OF FORGIVENESS — “And forgive us of our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” We must pray for our forgiveness with the understanding that God forgives us as we forgive others. (1 John 1:9; Matthew 6:14-15)

• THE KEY OF DELIVERANCE — “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We should pray to be delivered from temptation and the tempter. (Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8)

• THE KEY OF REVERENCE — “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” We should never cease from being reverential in our prayers. (Psalm 34:9)