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The Language of the Home

  • Pastor Josh Smith
Do you ever feel like your prayers are just going through the motions? What if prayer wasn’t about getting what you want, but about depending on God’s Spirit in every moment? Discover how the Lord’s Prayer is actually a plea for a Spirit-filled life that changes everything—from how you handle spontaneous chaos to how you forgive the people who’ve hurt you most.

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The Language of the Home

Message Summary
Do you ever feel like your prayers are just going through the motions? What if prayer wasn’t about getting what you want, but about depending on God’s Spirit in every moment? Discover how the Lord’s Prayer is actually a plea for a Spirit-filled life that changes everything—from how you handle spontaneous chaos to how you forgive the people who’ve hurt you most.
Key Scripture
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: ‘Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.'” Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not. So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Luke 11:1-13
Additional Scriptures

5 Day Devotional

Day 1

Day 1: Starting with “Father”

Scripture

Luke 11:1-2

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: ‘Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon.’”

Devotional

The disciples watched Jesus pray and recognized something profoundly different about His prayer life. They didn’t ask Him to teach them how to preach or perform miracles—they asked Him to teach them to pray. What they witnessed in Jesus’ rhythm of prayer moved them to want that same intimacy.

Notice Jesus doesn’t begin with “Almighty God” or “Lord of Hosts.” He starts with “Father.” In a culture where God was known as Elohim—the distant, self-existing, eternal One—Jesus invites us into shocking closeness. He’s not asking us to be less reverent, but to understand that reverence and intimacy aren’t opposites. The God of the universe wants to be called Father by you.

This isn’t casual familiarity that breeds disrespect. This is the intimacy of a child who knows they are fully loved, fully known, and fully welcomed into their Father’s presence at any moment. Before we ask for anything, before we confess anything, before we present our requests—we remember whose children we are. It’s only by the Holy Spirit that we can even call Him “Abba, Father.” Our prayers begin with relationship, not religion.

Response Questions

  1. When you think about God, do you naturally picture Him as distant and formal, or close and personal? What experiences have shaped this view?
  2. What would change about your prayer life if you truly believed God wants the same closeness with you that Jesus has with Him?
  3. How does knowing that only the Holy Spirit enables you to call God “Father” change your understanding of prayer?

Prayer Points

  • Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a deeper revelation of God as your Father—not just in concept, but in experiential reality.
  • Pray for a rhythm of prayer to develop in your life that flows from intimacy rather than obligation.

Day 2

Day 2: Keeping His Name Holy

Scripture

Ezekiel 36:20-23

But when they were scattered among the nations, they brought shame on my holy name. For the nations said, ‘These are the people of the Lord, but he couldn’t keep them safe in his own land.’ Then I was concerned for my holy name, on which my people brought shame among the nations. Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord.

Devotional

God cares deeply about His name. Not because He’s insecure or on a power trip, but because His name represents His character, His nature, His holiness. When we pray “may your name be kept holy,” we’re not asking God to maintain His holiness on His own—we’re asking Him to so work in our hearts that our lives display His holiness to a watching world.

The sobering truth is that we are proficient at dirtying up the holiness of His name. The way we handle our relationships, our finances, our frustrations, our disappointments—all of it either honors His name or brings shame to it. Israel was scattered among the nations because they were careless with God’s name, treating it as common rather than holy.

But here’s the hope: God doesn’t just call us to keep His name holy and leave us to figure it out. He promises to put His Spirit within us so that we will follow His ways. When we pray “may your name be kept holy,” we’re inviting the Holy Spirit to reveal the idols in our lives—the things that compete for God’s rightful place in our hearts. What we give the majority of our time and attention to becomes our functional god. Is His name kept holy in how you spend your days?

Response Questions

  1. In what area of your life are you most tempted to be careless with God’s name (relationships, finances, work ethics, entertainment choices)?
  2. What currently receives the majority of your time and attention? How does that reality align with keeping God’s name holy?
  3. When others observe your life, do they see evidence that God’s name is holy to you? What might need to change?

Prayer Points

  • Confess the ways you’ve been careless with God’s holy name and ask for His forgiveness and transformation.
  • Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any idols in your life—anything that competes with God for your time, attention, and worship.

Day 3

Day 3: Your Kingdom Come Now

Scripture

Luke 11:2-4

Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: ‘Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.’”

Devotional

“May your Kingdom come” isn’t just about the second coming of Jesus—though it certainly includes that hope. Some of the earliest manuscripts word this line as “May your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us.” God’s kingdom rule is exercised and enforced through His Spirit. When we cry out “Your kingdom come,” we’re asking for the Spirit of God to be poured out right here, right now.

Think about your bumpy situations—the chaos, the frustration, the unmet expectations, the hurt that stings. How often do you cry out for the kingdom of God in those moments? Most of us resort to our own thinking first. We sit and spin in our own understanding, trying to wrap our heads around the situation, rather than immediately inviting God’s kingdom reality into our chaos.

Life is full of spontaneous moments where we think, “How did we get here? I didn’t ask for this.” Rather than sitting there spinning, your kingdom come now. Spirit of God, I need you now. This is hard. This is confusing. This is hurtful. I’m not equipped for this. I’m in over my head. The kingdom of heaven isn’t just a future hope—it’s a present reality available to you through the Holy Spirit right now in your hardest moments.

Response Questions

  1. What current situation in your life needs you to pray “Your kingdom come now” rather than trying to figure it out on your own?
  2. How quickly do you resort to your own understanding versus inviting God’s Spirit into your confusion or pain?
  3. What would it look like practically to invite God’s kingdom rule into your everyday frustrations and disappointments?

Prayer Points

  • Pray “Your kingdom come” over specific chaotic or confusing situations you’re currently facing—invite the Holy Spirit into those spaces.
  • Ask God to train you to turn to Him first rather than spinning in your own understanding when challenges arise.

Day 4

Day 4: Shameless Persistence

Scripture

Luke 11:5-10

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Devotional

Jesus tells this story not to compare God to the grumpy friend, but to contrast them. God is not sleeping, annoyed by your prayers, or reluctantly responding because you’ve bothered Him enough.The point Jesus is making is about our shameless persistence. The friend in the story had another friend show up spontaneously, and he wasn’t prepared. That’s life—full of unexpected moments where we find ourselves in over our heads. The question is: what do we do in those moments?

Jesus says keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. This isn’t about wearing God down or convincing Him to care. It’s about keeping our dependency on Him fresh and active. If we’re merely limping along with our prayers, then our spiritual health will limp along too. So will the depth of our relationships. So will our ability to handle life’s spontaneous chaos with grace.

Here’s the challenge: some of us have very apathetic prayer lives. We pray when things fall apart, but we don’t establish a rhythm of desperate dependence. Jesus makes an absolute promise here: “Everyone who seeks finds.” If you don’t believe that statement, you’re calling Jesus a liar. There is certainty on the backside of prayer. We must be open-handed about how that response looks, but we can be certain God responds to persistent prayer. Your dependency on Him should be kept as fresh today as it was yesterday.

Response Questions

  1. Would you describe your prayer life as apathetic, sporadic, or persistently dependent? What does your honest answer reveal?
  2. What area of your life needs shameless persistence in prayer right now—where do you need to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking?
  3. Do you truly believe that “everyone who seeks finds”? What doubts or past disappointments make it hard to believe Jesus’ promise?

Prayer Points

  • Confess any apathy in your prayer life and ask God to ignite a holy desperation and persistence in seeking Him.
  • Identify one specific area where you need to pray with shameless persistence this week and commit to bringing it before God daily.

Day 5

Day 5: Filled with the Spirit

Scripture

Luke 11:11-13

You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not. So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.

Devotional

This is how Jesus concludes His teaching on prayer—not with a promise of material blessings or answered requests, but with the promise of the Holy Spirit to those who ask. The entire Lord’s Prayer is a plea for a Spirit-filled, Spirit-formed, Spirit-empowered life.

You cannot call God “Father” apart from the help of the Holy Spirit. His name being kept holy in your life is a matter of the Spirit living within you. His kingdom coming is a matter of the Spirit’s movement. His provision is an overflow of the Spirit’s work. Being compelled to ask for forgiveness comes only when the Spirit reveals your true heart. Not yielding to temptation is obviously a matter of being led and guarded by the Holy Spirit.

Every line of the Lord’s Prayer brings you to a place of dependency on the Spirit of God. And here’s the stunning reality: your Heavenly Father is more willing to give you His Spirit than earthly fathers are willing to give good gifts to their children. He’s not withholding. He’s not reluctant. He’s generous and eager to fill you.

The question is: are you asking? Your life lived for Him is dependent upon the Spirit of the living God living in you. And the Spirit of the living God living in you is dependent upon you asking for the Spirit of God to live in you. If you’re frustrated that you can’t forgive someone, if you’re frustrated by your lack of understanding, ask to be filled with the Spirit of God. Don’t just pray the Lord’s Prayer as a religious routine—pray it as a desperate plea for the Spirit to fill, form, and empower every moment of your day.

Response Questions

  1. Have you asked God to fill you with His Holy Spirit? If not, what has kept you from asking?
  2. Which line of the Lord’s Prayer do you most need the Holy Spirit’s help with today (calling Him Father, keeping His name holy, seeing His kingdom come, trusting His provision, forgiving others, resisting temptation)?
  3. How would your daily life look different if you truly lived Spirit-filled, Spirit-formed, and Spirit-empowered?

Prayer Points

  • Ask your Heavenly Father to fill you completely with His Holy Spirit—to fill every area of your life that needs His presence, power, and direction.
  • Pray through the Lord’s Prayer slowly, asking the Holy Spirit to show you which line He wants you to focus on today, and then carry that with you throughout your day.

GrowGroup Guide

A weekly guide to carry the conversation beyond Sunday morning.

Opening Prayer (2 minutes)

Begin by praying the Lord’s Prayer together as a group. Invite the Holy Spirit to guide your discussion and reveal areas where each person needs greater trust and surrender.

Icebreaker (5-8 minutes)

Question: What’s the most persistent you’ve ever been about something you really wanted or needed?

This connects to Jesus’ teaching about shameless persistence in prayer and helps people share lightheartedly before diving deeper.

Discussion Questions

1. Jesus teaches us to begin prayer with “Father.” Why is this significant?

Context from the sermon: The pastor explained that calling God “Father” was radical in Jesus’ culture—God was known as Elohim, the self-existing one who is grand and distant. Jesus wants us to share the same closeness He has with God. The pastor emphasized, “There is a closeness that Jesus is always trying to bring us to between us and our heavenly Father.”

Leader tip: Allow space for people to share how they typically view God—as distant or close, formal or intimate.

2. What does it mean to pray “may your name be kept holy” in our everyday lives?

Context from the sermon: The pastor shared from Ezekiel 36 that God’s people brought shame on His holy name through their actions. The sermon emphasized: “When Jesus is saying, may your name be kept holy, may your name be so evident in humanity…God, would you keep moving in my heart in such a way that it is evident that your name is kept holy in this life?”

The pastor listed practical ways we can tarnish God’s name: how we handle relationships, view finances, or go about any slice of life. He also addressed modern idols: “What you give the majority of your time to is an idol. What you give the majority of your attention to is an idol.”

Leader tip: This might convict people. Create a safe space for honest confession about where idols have crept in.

3. The pastor said, “Give us each day the food we need” comes before “forgive us our sins.” What does this teach us about how Jesus understands us?

Context from the sermon: The pastor humorously pointed out: “He places the priority food over forgiveness…You really need to forgive that person. I need to eat first. Like, how good is that? Don’t forgive someone on an empty stomach is what he’s saying.”

But then he got serious: “Give implies that we are people who are needy…And God, you gave to me yesterday what I needed. But you’re so good that you don’t want to provide leftovers. You want to keep your provision fresh. Why is that important? Because our dependency of him should be kept fresh.”

Leader tip: Discuss how daily dependence on God keeps our relationship with Him fresh versus relying on past experiences.

4. How does the story of the persistent friend at midnight challenge the way we typically pray?

Context from the sermon: The pastor emphasized that Jesus is contrasting God with the begrudging friend—God is NOT like the friend who’s annoyed. The point is our shameless persistence. Jesus taught: “Everyone who seeks finds. If you don’t believe that statement, you’re calling Jesus a liar.”

The pastor challenged: “Some of us have a very apathetic prayer life. And Jesus is saying, this is so crucial to you…If we are merely limping along with our prayers, then so also is our spiritual health going to limp along. So also is the depth of your friendship with others going to limp along.”

Leader tip: Ask people to honestly assess their prayer life. Is it apathetic or persistent? What’s one area where they need to be more persistent?

5. The sermon ended by connecting the Lord’s Prayer entirely to the Holy Spirit. Why is this connection so important?

Context from the sermon: The pastor was “shook” by this realization: “The Lord’s Prayer is dependent upon a move of the Spirit of God.” He broke it down:

  • “I can’t call out to Father, my Father in Heaven, apart from the help of the Holy Spirit”
  • “His name kept holy is a matter of the Spirit of God living within me”
  • “His kingdom coming is a matter of a move of the Holy Spirit”
  • “His provision…is an overflow of the work of the Holy Spirit”
  • Forgiveness only comes through the Spirit’s revealing of our true heart
  • Not yielding to temptation is “obviously a matter of being led, guarded, led and guided by the Holy Spirit”

The sermon concluded: “This teaching on prayer is so good. It’s a plea. The Lord’s Prayer is a plea for a spirit filled, spirit formed, spirit empowered life.”

Leader tip: This might be new theology for some. Discuss how viewing the Lord’s Prayer as Spirit-dependent changes how they’ll pray it this week.

Personal Application (10-15 minutes)

GrowCard Question: What is one area in your life where Jesus is inviting you to pray with greater trust and surrender?

Context from the sermon: The pastor explained, “This is a prayer where we are going to him, trusting him in a greater sense and more surrender.”

He also shared practical spontaneous moments: “There are so many spontaneous moments of like, ah ha, how did we get here? I didn’t ask for this, but here we are.” Instead of spinning in our own understanding, we should pray: “Your kingdom come now. Spirit of God, I need you now. This is hard. This is confusing. This is hurtful. This stings. I’m not equipped for this. I’m in over my head. I’m lost. I don’t have much hope right now. Spirit of God, I need you now.”

Leader tip: Give people time to write or think silently. Then invite (but don’t pressure) sharing. Pray specifically for the areas people mention.

This Week’s Practice

The daily practice for this week is praying the Lord’s Prayer daily and asking which line God wants you to focus on for the day. Let that guide your week.

Challenge: Pray the Lord’s Prayer every morning this week. After praying it, ask the Holy Spirit, “Which line do You want me to focus on today?” Then carry that line with you throughout your day—whether it’s keeping His name holy, asking for daily provision, extending forgiveness, or resisting temptation.

Closing Prayer (5 minutes)

Pray the Lord’s Prayer together again, but this time slowly, pausing after each line to let it sink in. Close by praying for shameless persistence in each person’s prayer life this week.

Family Table Talk

A weekly practice you can do beyond Sunday morning.

📖 Scripture

Matthew 6:9

❓Family Question

How should we talk to God as our Father?

💬 Parent Prompt:

Pray part of the Lord’s Prayer together. Ask: “What does it mean to trust God instead of trying to impress Him?”

Weekly Practice

A weekly practice you can do beyond Sunday morning.

Challenge: Pray the Lord’s Prayer Daily

The Challenge: Pray the Lord’s Prayer once a day for 7 days, slowly and intentionally.

Concrete Action:

  • Emphasize one line each day
  • Let it reorder priorities (His Kingdom first)

Leader Line: “Citizens learn the language of home.”