Since the beginning, Jesus’ followers have memorized the Lord’s Prayer and used it in their worship. And with good reason, because He gave it to His disciples as an example or model for them to follow. (You can find it recorded in the Bible, in Matthew 6:9-13.)

At the same time, simply saying a memorized prayer doesn’t accomplish anything if we aren’t paying attention to its meaning and saying it from our hearts. In fact, such a “prayer” isn’t even a prayer in God’s sight, because we are only repeating empty words. Just before He gave the Lord’s Prayer to His disciples, Jesus warned them against this: “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:7, NKJV).

Before you go to church this week, take a few minutes to read through the Lord’s Prayer, and ask God to help you make its truth part of your life. You will note that it begins with praise—and praise should be part of our prayers. It also asks for God’s will to be done on earth—and we should be seeking God’s will for our lives. It concludes by asking God to meet our needs and keep us from evil. These requests should also be part of our prayer life.

The Lord’s Prayer is a good place to start—but don’t end there! You can come to God every moment of the day, because He loves you and has opened heaven’s door for you through Christ’s death and resurrection. Have you opened your heart to Him?