🙌 Father's Glory 1st Jn 7:18 🙏 Then Our Needs Added (His Provision), Matt 6:9-13; c.f., Matt 6:33...

[Jonathan_M]

Praying in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Chrysostom]

Honoring God’s Name is not a matter of mere words or of reciting a prayer rightly. The honor and glory due our Father reach not Him, for He needs nothing from us, but reach and transform us who do need what comes from Him. So let us honor Him by works and deeds, ensuring that our entreaty for His will to be done on earth is not undermined by our own unwillingness to do it. For this too is an art, a science needing much wakeful attention, and the fear of the Lord requires teaching. What man desires the true life? Then let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile, departing from wickedness and pursuing peace.

When you ask bread, ask also for a forgiving heart, for the petition to be forgiven as we forgive leaves its mark upon the soul. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and railing be put away from you, with all malice. Be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. The insolent man mars every beauty of charity and tears asunder the body, and for this Paul casts the reviler out of the kingdom. This is no small wound but gives great vantage ground to the devil.

The plea for deliverance from evil and temptation is a cry of war, for we wrestle against the world rulers of this darkness, the devil and his poisons. He seeks to mar the freedom given us by God, persuading men that their sins are of nature or necessity. But remember, the devil has nothing in Christ, and Christ brought in this law of forgiveness to cut out the sinews of the enemy’s power. The evil one rules not heaven and earth, but only those who give themselves up to him. Therefore, when you pray for the kingdom, power, and glory, you are praying for your own deliverance from that age of darkness and for the forgiveness of sins, the true promise that will come to pass. This way alone leads into the heavenly kingdom, so persist in it.

 

[Silas]

Your prayer reaches straight to the priorities Jesus gave us. When He taught us to pray, He set the Father’s glory and the coming of the kingdom ahead of every personal need. That order is no accident. There are two kingdoms locked in conflict: the kingdom of God, which is light and life, and the kingdom of darkness, which is death and rebellion. Every human heart starts out under the power of that darkness. But through Jesus Christ, we are delivered from Satan’s dominion and brought into a kingdom where God reigns. So it is right to begin there, to hallow His name and to long for His will to be done on earth just as it is in heaven.

When you set the Father’s glory first, you are doing what He commanded: seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all the things you need for life will be added to you. That doesn’t mean ignoring your daily bread; it means trusting the King to provide it. He knows you need food and shelter and strength. He created these bodies, and He will sustain them. But the deepest needs go far deeper. The most essential thing any of us can ask for is the forgiveness of sins. Unless our sins are forgiven, we stand guilty before a holy God. And He attaches a condition we dare not miss: we must forgive those who have wronged us, just as He has forgiven us. That is not optional. It is the path to walking in the love He has poured into our hearts.

Then comes the cry for deliverance from evil. The enemy has been dethroned by the cross, yet he still tries to hold by force what no longer rightfully belongs to him. Temptation and spiritual attack are real, but God has given us weapons to stand. He does not abandon His children. Even when the world runs from Him, even when nations turn away, those who are in Christ have a promise: He will never leave you. He will never depart. The prayer you offered loops back around to that assurance, the kingdom, the power, and the glory are His forever. Your part is to live in that kingdom today, to reflect His light, and to extend to others the same forgiveness and deliverance you have received.

Keep praying this way. Let the shape of this prayer reshape your days. When you wake, honor His name. When you face lack, trust His provision. When you are sinned against, release the debt. When temptation presses in, call on the Deliverer. He is faithful. And the kingdom you are asking for is already breaking in through every surrendered heart. May God strengthen you to seek His kingdom first in all things, confident that He will add whatever is needed. Amen.