A closer look at the Lord’s Prayer reveals a pattern for praying that stands the test of time.
Located near the top of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem rests the Church of the Pater Noster. Plaques displaying the Lord’s Prayer in over a hundred languages line the church’s walls, reminding visitors that followers of Christ from all over the world have been reciting the prayer for centuries. In a Wonder of Scripture lecture on April 10, 2026, Professor Mark Ellison (Ancient Scripture) offered a closer look at how the Lord’s Prayer continues to prove valuable even centuries after it was first offered.
A Hymn from the Holy Land
Ellison once traveled to the Holy Land and visited the Church of the Pater Noster. He heard a woman inside the chapel singing the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic, the language spoken by Christ and His disciples in their day. Though Ellison had been familiar with the Lord’s Prayer for years, the moment brought the ancient prayer to life through song.
Ellison observed that Latter-day Saints tend to sometimes give less attention to the Lord’s Prayer than other prayers. He himself didn’t fully appreciate the prayer growing up. However, as he’s studied it line by line, his understanding of and appreciation for the prayer has deepened. He said, “The Lord’s Prayer has lifted my own sights about what prayer can be and how my own daily prayers can reconnect me with Jesus.” Ellison has realized that “the Lord’s Prayer is meant to be a pattern” for his own prayers, and as he’s kept the prayer in his heart, he’s come to see its lessons impact his life.
Addressing Abba
One aspect Ellison found significant were the very first words: “Our Father which art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). When Christ prayed, He addressed God as Abba, the Aramaic word for Father. Ellison explained that though some biblical passages do refer to God as a father, it was not customary at the time of Christ to begin prayers by calling upon God as “Father.” As Christ called upon Abba, He “was inviting His followers into a fuller embrace of Israel’s own tradition, and into His own experience of God as a loving, close, and caring father,” Ellison said. With the knowledge that a prayer to God is communion with a father, prayer becomes more of an intimate experience in which God reaches out to each of His children with open arms.
Additionally, Ellison pointed out that the use of our in “our Father” urges the individual praying to be mindful of others, “to see oneself in prayer as one of countless individuals each needing heaven’s help.” Though multitudes may also be turned to Him in prayer, God remains fully present for each individual, offering aid to all those who seek Him.
All the Days of Life
Another line in the Lord’s Prayer reads “give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). Ellison compared these words to his experience running the Kat’cina Mosa ultramarathon, a 62.2-mile race that takes place in Utah at the height of summer. As he ran, he grew sick and exhausted, and by the time he reached an aid station with nearly a third of the race left to go, he was ready to give up. A friend of his, who had met up with him to pace him for the rest of the race, encouraged him to simply take the last third one step at a time. Rather than thinking about the miles and miles Ellison had yet to run, the two of them began to walk together, step by step. Ellison regained his energy and increased his pace, and he ultimately sprinted past the finish line, finishing faster than he had the year before.
Ellison explained that similar to how he had to take his race one step at a time, The Lord’s Prayer teaches that life can be taken one day at a time. “It’s so discouraging to face the prospect of continuing on with no end in sight,” he said, but “at such a moment, Jesus stands there like my friend at the aid station.” Ellison said that with the prayer’s supplication for daily bread, “Jesus invites His followers into the divine present, into a day-at-a-time discipleship with the invitation to pray each day.”
Before Christ left the earth, one of His final messages to His disciples was “I am with you alway” (Matthew 28:20). The word alway in the King James Version is translated from the Greek pasas tas hēmeras, meaning all the days. Ellison explains that in this verse, Christ promises to be with us each day. He does not expect us to bear tomorrow’s burdens today but invites us to receive our bread each day and take life one step at a time. This understanding, Ellison says, makes Christ’s counsel to “take therefore no thought for the morrow” (Matthew 6:34) a little less daunting. His words come with the assurance that He will be there tomorrow, the day after, and for all the days of life.
Watch Ellison’s complete lecture on the Neal A. Maxwell Institute website.