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J.John on The World's Most Famous Prayer | Author Interview
J.John shares the heart behind his 40 day devotional on the world's most famous prayer - The Lord's Prayer.
By Anna Hockley – Eden Christian Books Specialist
Excellent4.8 out of 5
J.John shares the heart behind his 40 day devotional on the world's most famous prayer - The Lord's Prayer.
Estimated Read Time: 3 minutes
I’m an evangelist, which simply means I go around telling people the best news they’ll ever hear: that God loves them, Christ died for them, and there’s a way back home.
I’ve been doing that long enough to discover this - people aren’t looking for more noise, they’re looking for meaning.
As for TV. My wife Killy and I are currently enjoying All Creatures Great & Small. It’s gentle, life-affirming, and refreshingly kind. It proves you don’t need explosions to keep people engaged, just good stories and good people.
The Lord’s Prayer is probably the most prayed prayer in the world and yet often the least understood.
People know it, but they don’t always know it.
I wanted to slow it down, unpack it, and help people move from repetition to revelation. Because this prayer isn’t just something to recite, it’s something to live. Or to put it simply: It’s not just a prayer to get through, it’s a prayer to grow through.
Yes very much so.
In the Bible, forty is a number of preparation and transformation - Moses, Elijah, Jesus.
Lent offers a natural window for reflection, but this book isn’t just for a season, it’s for a lifetime. The 10 themes help break the prayer into manageable, meaningful sections. Because spiritually speaking, we don’t gulp, we sip.
It didn’t change it, it deepened it.
What stood out afresh is this: the prayer is God-centred before it is us-centred.
“Your name… your kingdom… your will…” comes before “Give us… forgive us… lead us…”
Which reminds us: When God is first in our prayers, everything else finds its place. Get the priority right—and the provision follows.
For everyone.
For the lifelong Christian and the spiritual beginner.
For the confident and the curious.
For the steady and the struggling.
I wrote it with real people in mind, busy lives, honest doubts, everyday pressures. Because prayer isn’t a performance for the polished, it’s a conversation for the ordinary.
Three things:
A deeper understanding of God
A more confident prayer life
A clearer sense of purpose
But above all, I hope they encounter God. Because the goal of prayer is not getting through a list, it’s getting close to God.
That’s like choosing a favourite pudding—very enjoyable, but slightly dangerous!
One that has stayed with me is Knowing God by J. I. Packer. It’s rich, readable, and deeply nourishing. It reminds us that Christianity is not just about knowing about God, but knowing Him personally.
Write clearly. Write honestly. Write for people.
Don’t try to impress - try to express.
Also, edit ruthlessly. Good writing isn’t written, it’s rewritten.
And write from overflow, not pressure. If God has spoken to you, others will want to hear it.
The Apostle Paul.
Because he combines depth with honesty.
He’s theological, but also transparent.
Brilliant, but very real. And I suspect if I wandered off track, he’d bring me back firmly but graciously… probably with a letter!
The mission hasn’t changed to tell as many people as possible about Jesus, in as many ways as possible.
There are always new opportunities, new conversations, and inevitably new books forming.
People can find me online at jjohn.com and on social media @jjohnglobal; all the usual places.
But more importantly, if they take this devotional seriously, they won’t just find me…
They’ll find God.
Because in the end, The Lord’s Prayer is not just words to be spoken, it’s a life to be lived.
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