Luke 11:2- So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Praying is serious business, yet it is so simple that a child can pray with great faith and expertise and see results.
Unfortunately, many people in the Body of Christ dread praying. For them, it’s a fruitless exercise, a time waster. They walk away disappointed, unfulfilled, and even angry at the process of having prayed and feeling unheard, nothing has changed!
But to those in that place, I say to you, don’t give up! Continue to stand before your loving Father, sharing your deepest heart’s cry. He is listening. He hasn’t forgotten about you! Your concerns are important to Him, but are His concerns important to you?
Jesus told the disciples that after they had spent sufficient time in worship and acknowledgment of our heavenly Father and His holiness, it was time to get to the part of petitioning Father. And the first thing on the agenda of prayer, Jesus said, is to pray:
Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Luke 11:2b NKJV
The kingdom of God is referenced as the rule of God in the life of His people and the world’s nations. It’s a recognition of His authority in the earth’s realm, initiated through the ministry of Jesus Christ (Dictionary of Bible Themes).
As we pray for His kingdom to come, we are actually praying for unbelievers to become believers. We pray that sinners, still lost and without hope in this world, come to a place in their lives where they begin to acknowledge the King of the universe and His authority over their life. We pray that they submit their lives to His rule and reign and become subjects in His kingdom.
Although Jesus didn’t spend an enormous amount of time talking about people getting saved, He spent most of His time talking about the kingdom of God or heaven. Because to get into the kingdom of God, you must be born again!
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3: NKJV
Another aspect of the kingdom of God is the power of God!
For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.
1 Corinthians 4:20 NKJV
Paul said that the kingdom of God was not about words but about the power of God. As Jesus went about Jerusalem teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, things were happening:
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
Matthew 4:23 NKJV
Therefore, another aspect of praying for the kingdom to come is to pray that the power of God begins to manifest in the lives of His people. Not only are people dying and spending a Christless eternity in hell, but they are living in the kingdom without ever experiencing the King and His benefits! That’s sad! I believe if we will begin to pray for the kingdom of God, knowing what it is, we will recognize what it is when it manifests!
Jesus said to pray for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. What is His will? I can only share some of the things that are His will:
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 NKJV
God’s will is that we live a life set apart for His Glory. He wills that we abstain from sexual immorality. God wills that we should live our lives in honor of Him, not in passion for our lusts like those who don’t know Him. God’s will is that we don’t take advantage of one another or mistreat others. These are simple things but God’s will for our lives. So as we pray for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, we are praying for these things in our lives and the lives of others.
My personal favorite scripture on the will of God is found in Romans 12:
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 NKJV
God’s will on the earth for our lives is that we won’t be conformed to the dictates of this world but that our minds will be transformed as it is renewed by His Spirit and His word. And as we move in the direction of having a transformed mind, it becomes easier to do God’s good and acceptable and perfect will!
Prayer becomes fulfilling as we pray the way Jesus taught us to pray. This blueprint for prayer doesn’t have to be prayed the same way all the time, but we should purpose in our hearts to remember the key elements of a God-centered prayer.
Most of us spend all our time praying for ourselves, our problems, and our families. But Jesus said that when we pray, we need to remember others before we remember ourselves. We must learn to pray for the kingdom to come into their lives, both unsaved and saved. We pray for the power of God to be released in the circumstances of our lives and the lives of others. We pray for God’s will to be done! That people’s lives will be transformed by His word and the power of His Spirit! We pray that He will have full reign and rulership in the lives of His people on earth as He does in heaven.
I guarantee you that if you have struggled with praying and have not been able to focus, these things will keep you praying for a minute. I also know from experience that when you pray for these things to begin happening in the kingdom of God and the lives of its citizens, you walk away from that time feeling it was well spent!
There’s so much more that can be added. I am sure the wheels of your mind and your heart is burning to share how you pray for the will of God. Just drop me a line in the comment if you want to share them. I’ll be happy to hear from you!
As I have begun to pray this way, I find that even praying for myself is more strategic. I find I have more peace and assurance that as I pray the way Jesus instructed, I am damaging the kingdom of darkness! One of my greatest desires! Be encouraged in your prayer life today because it is most definitely time well spent! Wonderful Jesus!
Wonderful Jesus! 