What I’ve Been Learning about Prayer

In church recently, the pastor has been covering the “Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6 & I feel like I have been learning so much I had never really considered.

When asked by His disciples how they should pray, Jesus lays out a model prayer for them (& us) in Matthew 6:9-13.

“In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom & the power & the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13) (emphasis mine)

Your Kingdom Come

One of the things this pastor’s sermons has taught me is highlighted in verse 10 that says, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

The pastor pointed out the two-sided meaning to this little phrase, “Your kingdom come,” meaning both an immediate understanding of living under God’s kingship & an eternal, ultimate authority that God has & will have.

The Power of a King

This aforementioned sermon pointed out to me the importance of understanding how kingship works.

Throughout history, a kingship (vs. a presidential position), means ultimate authority. He could have someone killed on a whim or take away land or do basically whatever he decided he wanted, without any sort of committee, vote, or approval of anyone else.

And again, throughout history, there have been benevolent kings who have obeyed God’s commands & have looked out for the good of their kingdom… & there have been malevolent kings who live according to their own whims, regardless of who they have to hurt along the way.

God’s Kingship

Well, in considering God as a king, He is the ultimate benevolent king, Who is perfectly good, moral, just, & holy.

But His kingdom is FOREVER because He cannot & will not die to leave His kingdom to the next ruler. He has perfect, ultimate, eternal control & power… & not just over a finite area, but over ALL.

God always operates as He says He will in His written Word—the Bible. He is faithful even when we are not (2 Timothy 2:13), but there are also consequences to dishonoring & disobeying His commands to run your own kingdom your way (Romans 6:23).

He doesn’t answer to anyone else.

Am I the Queen of Me?

So, if I lived in a kingdom, with a king (good or bad) & understood his rule was absolute, how would that affect the way I live out my life?

And if I understand that God has this same ultimate Kingship authority, power, & control… except on a much grander, infinite scale… how would that affect the way I live out my life?

Am I queen of my own life? Am I the Queen of me? Do I act like I am? Do I have the final say-so? Do I make my own decrees or judgements? Do I rule me?

Or do I understand that this is GOD’S kingdom… NOT mine…?

God Is My KING

The pastor did such a wonderful job at expounding the concept found in this little short verse that I now realize more clearly that I am a part of a bigger, greater kingdom & regardless of who the current president or person of power may be, God is my ultimate authority as my KING.

And even if earthly leaders don’t command me to follow God’s laws, I am still under the authority of God’s eternal reign. I am still a citizen of HIS kingdom. And I will still be held accountable to God for the decisions I make that disregard or disobey His laws.

God is my KING.

Fearing God Is the Beginning of Wisdom

We talked a few weeks ago about fearing God as the beginning of wisdom (Check out that post, here) & this idea of God’s Kingship nicely rounds out those ideas with an understanding that, as Christians, we are a part of God’s kingdom… not just the eventual & ultimate reign of God, but currently, right now, on a personal, daily level… an understanding that HE is in charge… NOT me.

The question we need to ask ourselves on a daily, moment-by-moment basis is, “Do I serve God as King over all, or do I expect Him to serve me?”

He Is Good, SO GOOD

But, dear one, when we serve Him & submit to Him, we can take rest & peace in knowing He is perfect, without fault, holy, just, forgiving, patient, loving, kind, & Good.

He even made a payment possible to satisfy His wrath & need for justice by sending Jesus Who willingly took our punishment for our wrongs upon Himself, died for us, & rose again as victorious over both our sins AND death. God is GOOD! Amen!! (John 3:16-17)

He is the ultimate benevolent King, seeking the very absolute best for the people of His kingdom.

Perfectly Designed for Our Good

For those of us who have humbly accepted the Gift that Jesus offers to every one of us in paying our debts, we can rest in His Goodness & benevolence & trust Him through obedience, knowing His every command is perfectly designed to bring us Good… & that when it doesn’t seem so, it’s because Satan has planted his claws of trauma & deception… & in that case, God can heal… God can redeem… God can restore… God can renew.

Shine HOPE by determining to let GOD be KING… by stepping down as “Queen of Me”… & letting “[His] kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

Coming Next Week

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Zoya Earrings (India)

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