Silas
Beloved of All
Your thoughtful meditation on the prayer Jesus taught is encouraging and it reflects a true understanding of what He intended. He did not give those words to be repeated without thought. He gave a pattern to shape our praying, and there is great value when we go through it slowly, phrase by phrase, considering the weight of each petition and praying it sincerely and expectantly.
The heart of that prayer reminds us that prayer is not a means to accomplish our own will on the earth. Prayer begins with God. He reveals His purposes and desires to our hearts, and we then speak those desires back to Him, and He acts to fulfill what He has purposed. That is the cycle of true prayer. Relationship comes first, then the accomplishing of His kingdom and His will, and only then our personal needs.
That is why the first petitions are for His name, His kingdom and His will. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This should be the primary thrust of our praying. God has a purpose for each of us being here, and it is the expansion of His kingdom. It is easy to reverse the prayer in practice and pray my kingdom come, my will be done, but Jesus taught us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. When we put first things first, He takes care of the rest. A life that seeks Him and His kingdom first is kept in balance. When other things become the top priority, life becomes out of balance.
When we pray for the kingdom to come we are praying on several levels. We are praying for the present work of His kingdom among us, righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, with the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control being formed in us. We are praying as citizens who have been delivered from the power of darkness to bring deliverance to others, that men and women would use the same freedom of choice that was used to turn away from God to now turn back to Him through Jesus Christ and have fellowship with Him again. And we are also praying for the future and final kingdom. Scripture shows that the kingdoms of this world will rule for a time, but the kingdom will ultimately be given to the saints of the Most High to possess forever. Right now the powers of darkness hold sway, but there is a glorious day coming when the Lord will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. That is why the last prayer of the Bible is even so, come quickly Lord Jesus. As we see moral breakdown and confusion in the world, our hearts rightly cry out for that day when His will will be done on earth fully, as it is done in heaven.
Only after that broad intercession for the kingdom does Jesus teach us to bring our personal needs. Give us this day our daily bread. We depend on Him for spiritual life through every word that proceeds from His mouth, and for our emotional, physical and daily needs. He will not force His way against the will He has given us, but prayer opens the door for Him to do for us what He has long desired to do.
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. This is the one petition Jesus pauses to emphasize again after the prayer. It reminds us how essential it is to receive His forgiveness and to extend it to others, praying for those who have sinned against us and entrusting judgment to God who alone saves and judges.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. We ask for keeping from sin, deception, lies and the work of the evil one, and for His protection over our lives.
And we end where we began, with worship. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. The prayer of faith ends with praise, with confidence that God has heard and will answer according to His promises, which are yes and amen in Christ.
Continue to pray in this way, not as empty repetition but as thoughtful communion with your Father. Seek His honor and His rule first, live as a faithful follower who denies self and follows Jesus daily, and trust Him to provide, to forgive, to keep and to bring His kingdom more fully in your life and in this world until He comes.
The heart of that prayer reminds us that prayer is not a means to accomplish our own will on the earth. Prayer begins with God. He reveals His purposes and desires to our hearts, and we then speak those desires back to Him, and He acts to fulfill what He has purposed. That is the cycle of true prayer. Relationship comes first, then the accomplishing of His kingdom and His will, and only then our personal needs.
That is why the first petitions are for His name, His kingdom and His will. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This should be the primary thrust of our praying. God has a purpose for each of us being here, and it is the expansion of His kingdom. It is easy to reverse the prayer in practice and pray my kingdom come, my will be done, but Jesus taught us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. When we put first things first, He takes care of the rest. A life that seeks Him and His kingdom first is kept in balance. When other things become the top priority, life becomes out of balance.
When we pray for the kingdom to come we are praying on several levels. We are praying for the present work of His kingdom among us, righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, with the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control being formed in us. We are praying as citizens who have been delivered from the power of darkness to bring deliverance to others, that men and women would use the same freedom of choice that was used to turn away from God to now turn back to Him through Jesus Christ and have fellowship with Him again. And we are also praying for the future and final kingdom. Scripture shows that the kingdoms of this world will rule for a time, but the kingdom will ultimately be given to the saints of the Most High to possess forever. Right now the powers of darkness hold sway, but there is a glorious day coming when the Lord will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. That is why the last prayer of the Bible is even so, come quickly Lord Jesus. As we see moral breakdown and confusion in the world, our hearts rightly cry out for that day when His will will be done on earth fully, as it is done in heaven.
Only after that broad intercession for the kingdom does Jesus teach us to bring our personal needs. Give us this day our daily bread. We depend on Him for spiritual life through every word that proceeds from His mouth, and for our emotional, physical and daily needs. He will not force His way against the will He has given us, but prayer opens the door for Him to do for us what He has long desired to do.
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. This is the one petition Jesus pauses to emphasize again after the prayer. It reminds us how essential it is to receive His forgiveness and to extend it to others, praying for those who have sinned against us and entrusting judgment to God who alone saves and judges.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. We ask for keeping from sin, deception, lies and the work of the evil one, and for His protection over our lives.
And we end where we began, with worship. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. The prayer of faith ends with praise, with confidence that God has heard and will answer according to His promises, which are yes and amen in Christ.
Continue to pray in this way, not as empty repetition but as thoughtful communion with your Father. Seek His honor and His rule first, live as a faithful follower who denies self and follows Jesus daily, and trust Him to provide, to forgive, to keep and to bring His kingdom more fully in your life and in this world until He comes.
