Anthony Delgado 12/10/25 Anthony Delgado 12/10/25

A Theology and Practice of the Lord’s Prayer

Prayer is presented as a grace-driven practice shaped by the structure and theology of the Lord’s Prayer. It begins with adoration, recognizing God’s holiness, transcendence, and fatherly nearness, which reorients the heart away from self toward divine character. Confession is described as honest acknowledgment of specific sins, not for shame but for healing and transformation. Thanksgiving arises from the reality that Christ’s reign is already inaugurated in heaven and awaited in fullness on earth, forming the foundation for gratitude. Supplication is framed through the request for “daily bread,” which challenges inflated ideas of need and calls for trust in God’s faithful provision. Throughout, prayer is portrayed as communion with God that shapes the whole life in humility, dependence, and hope.

Talking Prayer with Jon Dillon, The Two Trees Podcast

Biblical prayer is a God-shaped practice as taught in the Lord’s Prayer, where the primary purpose is not persuading God to act but allowing him to transform the one who prays. True prayer begins with adoration, hallowing God’s name by beholding his holiness through Scripture, song, and thoughtful words that shape both private and corporate worship. Confession follows as specific, situational honesty that leads to sanctification and real change, moving naturally into thanksgiving for the gospel—Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and reign—through which all other blessings flow. Supplication is framed as daily reliance on God’s provision, training the heart to trust him with necessities so that when greater trials come, faith endures. Whether asking for bread, interceding for others, or seeking strength in hardship, prayer is shown to be less about securing outcomes and more about communion with God, forming believers into the likeness of Christ.

Learn to Pray Like Jesus [Ring Them Bells Interview, re: God-Shaped Prayer]

This interview on Ring Them Bells brings Jason Bostow together with Anthony Delgado to discuss Delgado’s book God-Shaped Prayer: A Theology and Practice of the Lord’s Prayer. While framed as a book conversation, the heart of the exchange explores what prayer is meant to accomplish in the Christian life. Delgado explains that prayer is not about manipulating God to act but about God shaping his people through communion with him. Together, they unpack the Lord’s Prayer line by line, emphasizing its Old Testament backdrop, its communal nature, and its role in spiritual warfare. Delgado highlights the depth in every word of the prayer—“Our Father” as both intimate and communal, “hallowed be your name” as active participation in God’s holiness, and “your kingdom come” as a hopeful, not fearful, anticipation of God’s reign. The discussion discusses themes of confession, forgiveness, and deliverance, connecting these practices to personal transformation and the church’s corporate life. Drawing from biblical theology, Second Temple insights, and even historic liturgical practices, Delgado insists that prayer forms us into the likeness of Christ and equips us for the mission of God’s kingdom. The interview is both pastoral and practical, urging believers to establish a rule of prayer and to see the Lord’s Prayer as both a model and a lived reality