Jesus instructed his disciples to pray in a specific way after one of them asked, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples"1 .Jesus told them, "When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation’"1 .The source also notes that some manuscripts include additional phrases in this prayer. These variations include "Our Father in heaven" at the beginning, "come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" after "your kingdom come", and "temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" at the end1 .Following this model prayer, Jesus used the parable of the friend asking for bread at midnight to encourage persistence in prayer1 . He then directly instructed them, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened"1 . This emphasises the importance of asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer, with the assurance that God will respond1 .Jesus further illustrated God's responsiveness by comparing it to a father's natural inclination to give good gifts to his children. He stated that if earthly fathers, who are "evil," know how to give good gifts, "how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"1 . This suggests that while the model prayer provides specific content, Jesus also emphasised the importance of persistently asking God for good things, particularly the Holy Spirit, with the expectation of receiving1 .
