Kingdom Prayers

Now, Yeshua was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Master, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1

I had been out running errands and was returning home. I was thinking about the prayers I have made throughout my life, and about how some had hit the mark and had spectacular results, and others had fallen flat like a poorly designed paper airplane. Just before I turned into my neighborhood, I said, “Lord, I don’t understand why my prayers seem ineffective at times. I don’t know what I am missing. Can you teach me to pray effectively?” His reply was instant.

“Jesus already did that.”

That surprised me… “Oh, right! The Lord’s Prayer.”

I told Him, “Apparently, I’ve missed something.”

I pulled into my garage and came straight to the table. First, I wrote out the Lord’s Prayer. With every line, I skipped a space for notes.

Our Father which is in heaven—

Hallowed be Thy Name.

Thy Kingdom come.

Thy will be done.

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

And the power,

And the glory,

Forever and ever, amen.

I studied each line and what it is actually saying. After being certain I understood it, I asked, “Ok, so what am I missing on each line? What am I not getting right?”

Line by line, Holy Spirit illuminated something.

Our Father which is in heaven—Margret, you are entering in too hastily with your prayer list. Don’t just barge into my presence without acknowledging who I am, what I control, and where I sit. Be comfortable with me because I’m your Father, and know you can talk to me about anything. But… when you enter into my presence with prayer, you are coming into the throne room itself, so within the comfort of our relationship, just don’t forget WHO I AM. Don’t forget my character. Don’t forget my heart. Don’t forget my loving kindness.

Oooof! He is right. I forget. I think I need to beg Him for His help. I don’t. His heart’s wish is to grant me what I need.

Hallowed be Thy Name—Don’t forget that I am holy. It is my very essence. Recognize that and revere it. Just take a moment before you burst into the throne room, and remember the gravity of approaching that room. Just because you have permission to enter it freely and at any time doesn’t mean it is common. Just pause a minute… and remember.

Color me embarrassed.

Thy Kingdom come—I am trying to build my kingdom on earth within the hearts of men and women… including yours. Is this your first priority as well? Is this the most important thing on your heart? Do you care most about what I care about, or are you most consumed with things YOU need and want?

Hmmm… how does what I am asking for reflect the same goals that He has? How does what I am asking for demonstrate that I want the same thing He does? I don’t think it always does. Most of the time, I am praying strictly for my benefit.

Thy will be done—Are you praying for my will to be done or yours? Which one is more important to you when you are praying? Would it matter to you if I gave you what you wanted at the expense of what I want?

I’d insert blowing a raspberry, but I have no idea how to spell it.

On earth as it is in heaven—Obedience in heaven is instantaneous. There is no pause, no questions, just quick and joyful obedience. How is this playing out in your life?

I’m just covering my face at this point. Be back in a minute…

Give us this day our daily bread—Are you praying for what you need today, or several days down the road? Have I not already stocked your pantry with food? It is my good pleasure to do so, but bread is more than for physical nourishment. Are you asking me for living bread? For spiritual nourishment? Are you asking me for your daily provision? Or are you already satisfied with the junk food of this world? Is there room left for me to fill an already full vessel?

Again. Ooof.

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us—AS you forgive others’ trespasses? Do you want me to do it in the exact same way as you forgive? Are you modeling how you want me to forgive you? Are you quick about it? Do you do it fully, or just a little? Are you still holding a bit of a grudge?

My standard of forgiveness is falling short of His… by a lot. I usually stew a bit before I get around to forgiveness.

Lead us not into temptation—Do you know that I can route your day so that you don’t have to go down the aisle of temptation? Do you know that I can steer your path so that you don’t even come in contact with it? I can! Ask me. Be proactive in your own walk.

But deliver us from evil—Are you actively stopping the enemy’s advances on you by praying ahead of time? Are you recognizing that you don’t have to wait for his attack to respond, and you can have the wheels removed from his chariots before he even tries to come toward you? Don’t be defensive. Be offensive.

For thine is the kingdom—It is mine. And I am faithfully building it.

And the power—And I have the power to do everything that I have promised.

And the glory—And my name will be glorified.

Forever and ever, amen—So do you want to share in that kingdom and all of its glory, or do you want to keep striving for your own kingdom?

Y’all, no wonder I miss the mark so often. He said it clear as day in Matthew 6:31–33:

“Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the PAGANS eagerly pursue these things; yet your Father in heaven KNOWS you need all these. But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things shall be added to you.”

Well… I asked for it. I’ve been doing things like a pagan.

So, I have come to the conclusion that for the rest of the month of January, I am going to purpose to pray about everything through the lens of our Lord’s prayer. I am going to ask myself a question: “How does what I am about to ask for benefit the kingdom of God?” If it is of no use to the kingdom, then I am going to let it fall to the ground. Food? Clothing? A roof over my head? He ALREADY knows I need that. So why bring it up again and again? I’m going to stick with the kingdom prayers and see what happens, because I am really curious…

What if He really does take care of all of my needs if I just take care of His?

What if I really can nail every single prayer and never ask amiss?

I am going to find out.

I invite you to join me.

Love you, my friends.