Do you say this prayer once a week in church? Do you say it every day? It was never meant to be used like that. It is a pattern from which we can make our own prayers. There is no virtue in repeating the same words over and over again. Jesus said that the pharisees thought they would be heard by God because they said long prayers and used "vain repetition." The Lord's prayer is a pattern of how to set about praying to God. Always we need to start with God, not ourselves and realise that he is our Father and is holy. Then we speak of what he wants our world to be like, his kingdom coming to earth and his will being done. We then pray for our practical needs, recognising that we are totally dependent on him. Next we acknowledge our sin and ask for forgiveness and agree to forgive our neighbour also. We ask for God's protection against temptation and the evil one. To end we again acknowledge how great God is and end there. Try setting the Lord's prayer out in...