While a simple and straightforward prayer, the Jesus Prayer holds a great deal of theological insight and acts as a profound spiritual profession of faith for the one who recites it.

Lord Jesus Christ

In proclaiming Jesus as Lord, we are professing faith in Him, acknowledging that He really is who He says He is. The name Jesus translates to the “salvation of Yahweh” or “Yahweh is salvation.”* We see the angel tell Joseph this in scripture, where Jesus is foretold to save His people from their sins (Matt. 1.21), and that this fulfills the prophecy of the virgin’s son, who shall be called Emanuel, that is, God is with us (Matt. 1.23).

The term Christ, translating to “the Messiah, the Anointed One of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,”* is also a title of proclamation. The Old Testament speaks of the one who is anointed, whom the Spirit of God is upon, who will proclaim good news to the captive, and set free those bound in prison (Is. 61.1). This very scripture is read by Jesus in the synagogue, where He concludes by declaring that the scripture has been fulfilled (Lk. 4.18-21).

Son of God

In proclaiming Jesus as the Son of the living God, (Matt.16.15-16) Simon, renamed Peter, declares the Divinity of Jesus, not by flesh and blood, but by revelation of the Father (Matt. 16.17). In claiming God as His Father, Jesus is claiming His Divinity (Jhn 5.16-18), that He and the Father are one (Jhn. 10.27-33), and in professing Jesus as the Son of God, Scripture assures us that God lives in us and we in Him. (Jhn. 4.15).

have mercy on me, a sinner

Professing who Jesus is, the One who saves from sin, the Son of God, God Himself, we now call out in hope and trust, (Lk. 5.21, 17.13, 18.13, Mk. 10.47) for He has the authority to forgive sin. In declaring this, we also acknowledge our need for God’s forgiveness. We realize His profound love for us, that He died for us while we were still sinners, and that we are reconciled with God and saved by the giving of His life (Rom. 5.6-11).

Declaring the prayer in its most common formulation, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner, contains this powerful proclamation of faith and hope in Jesus. One may also pray a variation of the prayer, such as “Lord have mercy on me”, “Jesus, have mercy”, “Lord have mercy”, etc. We are reminded that even just the recitation of the Name of Jesus by itself is sufficient to practice the Jesus Prayer.* It is, however, important to maintain the formula of prayer once you have decided it.

The Jesus prayer is one of confidence in God, a profession of faith that does not call us to move from “one thought to another,” but places us face to face with God.* We profess all our life is in His Will, and we abandon ourselves entirely to His Will* as we live out the moments of our daily lives.

Finally, as you begin to pray the Jesus Prayer, remember that you are developing a relationship with a person who loves you. You are calling upon the help of your dearest friend, who cares for you. When you pray, you invite Him into the situation you are in. Don’t be afraid to, whatever the situation may be!