Thy Kingdom Come

Tip! Prayer, as taught by Jesus in its principal expression, enters into all the relations of life. It purifies fellowship.

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).

This is the first thing Jesus told us to pray for in the Model Prayer. We open the prayer with deep love and great respect, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name."

Then, almost in the same breath, Jesus tells us what is of utmost priority in our prayers "Thy Kingdom come."

Notice that there is a period, which means a complete sentence has been spoken. What follows next is, therefore, very interesting, for it serves as a fuller explanation of what Jesus means by the phrase, "Thy Kingdom come."

He says, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." In other words, the Kingdom comes into any life or circumstance at the moment God's will is done on earth in perfect harmony with what He has already done in heaven above.

So what does this mean for us today?

Simply this whatever God says that He has already done, even if the situation on earth contradicts it in every way, we may be sure that His power will work on our behalf to make every change necessary in order for things to line up with His will.

Furthermore, in light of the fact that we are ambassadors for Christ entrusted with the message and ministry of reconciliation, we may go about our day with the full assurance that we are backed up by the power of God especially in those moments when we are faced with the powers of darkness, which ever work to contradict God's will.

"Thy Kingdom come!" will be our declaration and we will see God's will done on earth, just as it in heaven.

The Power of Prayer

"The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds." (2 Corinthians 10:4, Good New Bible).

We have an arsenal not made by human hands, but is stocked full with the powerful weapons fashioned by God Himself. They aren't for marketing or manipulation of any sort, but are specifically designed to demolish demonic strongholds — putting down every false argument raised against Truth. These weapons have the power of God to destroy the enemy's efforts against our Faith.

Prayer is one of these weapons, and when it is coupled with the Word of God it possesses a power that is invincible. That's why the early disciples said, "We will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word." When we follow their example, we will experience the same results that happened for them.

Let's look at a remarkable example found in the Scriptures.

When Joshua was battling the armies of the Amalekites in the valley of Rephidim, the Bible tells us that Moses was on the mountain lifting up the Rod which God had given him. As long as the Rod was held up, Joshua advanced in battle. When Moses' arms grew weary and he lowered the Rod, the enemy began to make advances against Joshua.
Aaron and Hur, two of Moses' friends, stood beside him and held his arms up — the result was a overwhelming victory for Joshua. (see Exodus 17:8-13).

The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. Jesus said that when we pray in secret, God will reward us openly. An example of this happened in Jerusalem when the disciples gathered in prayer and "the place where they were assembled was shaken." They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and preached the Word of God with boldness — even in the face of death threats.

This brief scan of the biblical record proves the age old adage — "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much!" (James 5:16). Prayer makes tremendous power available, the kind of power that is dynamic in its working and effective in its results; great power that produces wonderful results.

Why not pray today and look for what happens as a result. You just might find yourself praying every day!
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The Purpose of Prayer is to Train You to Reign with Jesus

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." (Revelation 3:21).

Three things happen as we pray. First, we have fellowship with God. Second, we cooperate in bringing God's will to Earth. And, third, we are being prepared for Eternity.

One thing is certain about Heaven — we will not sit around on fluffy clouds strumming harps and eating yogurt, preening our wings and polishing our halos. No; nothing like that at all. Instead, we will reign with Christ, for that's what the Bible tells us.

"To him that overcomes," Jesus said, "will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." (Revelation 3:21). John gave us a glimpse into this exalted place, and we hear a mighty host of ransomed men and women from all nations singing, "You are worthy O Lord, for You have made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Rev 5:10).

And the standing promise of the Ages, which fills our hearts with unshakable faith — the kind that overcomes the world — says it in perfect clarity: "They shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they shall reign forever and ever." (Rev 22:4-5).

Our struggles here on earth, which intensify our resolve in prayer, become the very means whereby God is readying us for that place where we shall reign with Jesus. One old preacher called prayer, "reigning training." Its the process whereby God deepens our faith, broadens our vision, sharpens our discernment, awakens our passion, and unleashes His power.

The purpose of prayer is to train you to reign with Jesus. So when you bow your head to pray, remember — every king kneels in order to be crowned.

Three Things Happen as We Pray

"Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as in heaven." (Luke 11:2).

Three things happen as we pray. First, which we looked at yesterday, is that we have fellowship with God. The second thing that happens is that we cooperate in bringing God's Kingdom to Earth.

What exactly does this mean? Simply stated, it means doing our part to see God's will happen in our sphere of influence.

Practically speaking, it means you should never pray a prayer that is not already God's will. This is what the Bible is talking about when it says, "You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss; that you may consume it on your own lusts" (James 4:3). In other words, our prayers are not answered when we pray for selfish reasons, wanting to indulge our own desires.

"THY will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Whenever we pray what God has already decided to do, our prayers cannot miss! "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." (1 John 5:14-15).

But this not only means we are never to pray a prayer that is not already God's will; it also means that you should never pray a prayer that you are not willing to be the answer to. In other words, don't ask God to bless the poor if you are not ready to do your part in becoming the means whereby He does it.

Don't pray for change in the courts, in the schools, in the marketplace, or in the church — if you're going to sit passively by the side to see if any change comes. Otherwise you are praying empty prayers — mere religious words that have no meaning....and no power.

You must pray your passion — for it is in such prayers that God's answers come; and they come through you. He gives you wisdom, opportunity, patience, resource and power from on high to actually effect the answers for which you cry out to heaven.

"Thy Kingdom come," we pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Pray as though it depended totally upon God; work as though it depends totally upon you.
What are you prepared to do today to become the answer to the prayers you have been praying?

Have You talked to Dad lately?

"One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple." (Psalm 27:4, KJV).

Three things happen as we pray. First, we have fellowship with God.

I'm talking about real friendship; not some imaginary exercise of reciting religious phrases toward some divine place in the sky. No. David said we would behold the beauty of the Lord, and inquire in His temple. This is not some abstract thought about a make-believe world, nor merely a poetic license for things that are not literally real. I'm talking about actually talking with God....and having Him talk back.

"Call unto Me, and I will answer you," He says, "and show you great and marvelous things to wonderful to know; things of which you are unaware; things that you don't know and can't find out without asking Me; things you can never figure out on your own." (Jeremiah 33:3).

The New Living Bible says, "Ask Me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come."

Jesus invited us to pray to "Our Father, who is in heaven." This is a bond greater than any other relational connection we know. He has even placed His Spirit deep within our heart, whereby we call out, "Abba, Father."

From infancy to our elder years, God's Fatherhood is the undergirding and over-riding truth of our lives. And it is the single, most compelling factor in how we are to pray —

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (Matthew 7:7-11).

The purpose of prayer is to strengthen, deepen, broaden, and lengthen our fellowship with God, our Father.

Have to talked to Dad lately?

The Privilege of Prayer

"One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple." Psalm 27:4 (KJV)

An invitation has been extended from the High Court of Heaven. It was not sent out to a select few, but was posted for all who hunger for something higher, something better, something more real than the hoopla and hullabaloo of the world's surface traffic.

We have been granted access to the Throne of Grace, and the invitation does not require any dress code. "Come as you are," it says. No need to rehearse what you will say, no need to primp on appearance — no cause to try and impress. And, what's more, you don't have to have it "all together" either.

"Come as you are IN YOUR TIME OF NEED," it says. What this means is that when you feel the least acceptable, THAT"S when you are the most welcomed!

Come broken, come dirty, come troubled, come fearful, come confused, come undone — the Lord waits for you! He will meet you — and change you! You will not leave the same way you entered. What a privilege!

The Bible says, "Let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in our time of need!" (Hebrews 4:16).

The old Gospel song puts it this way, "What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear; all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!

"Have you trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

"Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer. Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer; in His arms He'll take and shield you — you will find a solace there!"

The invitation has been sent to YOU — accept it even now and come before the Throne of Grace, and discover anew the privilege of prayer.

Somebody's Prayin'

"Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then can condemn? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also praying for us!" (Romans 8:33-34, TNIV).

What a thought! Jesus Himself is even now at God's right hand in heaven praying for YOU. Therefore, no weapon formed against you can prosper. No one who rises up to condemn you can succeed. No accuser can stand — for Jesus has got you covered!

One of my favorite songs by Ricky Skaggs is Somebody's Prayin' — here are the lyrics. May today for you be filled with the overwhelming sense of the Lord's personal care for you life!

"Somebody's prayin, I can feel it. Somebody's prayin' for me. Mighty hands are guiding me to protect me from what I can't see. Lord I believe, Lord I believe that somebody's prayin', for me.

"Angels are watchin', I can feel it. Angels are watchin' over me. There's many miles ahead 'til I get home, still I'm safely kept before your throne, 'Cause Lord I believe, Lord I believe Your angels are watchin' over me.

"Well, I've walked through barren wilderness When my pillow was a stone, and I've been through the darkest caverns Where no light had ever shown. Still I went on 'cause there was someone Who was down on their knees. And Lord, I thank you for those people prayin' all this time for me.

"Somebody's prayin', I can feel it Somebody's prayin' for me. Mighty hands are guiding me to protect me from what I can't see. Lord I believe; Lord I believe — Somebody's prayin' for me..."

Are you prayin' for somebody? It would mean more than you can imagine if you would let them know it.

The Lord is My Shepherd

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1).

Jesus is Lord and King, Conqueror, Savior, the Mighty God, Prince of Peace, the Christ, Emmanuel, Teacher, Prophet and Master. Of the many titles given to the Lord, Shepherd must undoubtedly be one of His favorite. It links Him in the most personal way to those He loves.

Say it out loud and let the truth settle deep in your heart: "The Lord is my Shepherd."

Isaiah prophesied, "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." (Isaiah 40:11).
Peter preached, "For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." (1 Pet 2:25).

David, himself a shepherd, penned the Twenty-third Psalm as a comprehensive tribute to the Lord. He encompasses in this short poem at least fifteen provisions that are made for us when we follow the Lord as our Shepherd.

1. Rest - He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
2. Peace - He leadeth me beside the still waters
3. Restoration - He restoreth my soul
4. Guidance - He leadeth me in paths of righteousness
5. Honor - for His name's sake
6. Hope - I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
7. Courage - I will fear no evil
8. Companionship - Thou art with me
9. Comfort - Thy rod and Thy staff comfort me
10. Sustenance - Thou preparest a table before me
11. Vindication - in the presence of my enemies
12. Blessing - Thou anointest my head with oil
13. Fullness - My cup runneth over
14. Abundant Life- goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life
15. Eternal Security - I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

As you can see, there is nothing left out. No wonder David said, "I shall not want!" The Lord gives us everything we need when we follow Him as our Shepherd.

"And now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He who became the great Shepherd of the sheep by an everlasting agreement between God and you, signed with His blood, produce in you through the power of Christ all that is pleasing to Him. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20, 21).

Every Time I Say Your Name in Prayer

"Every time I say your name in prayer — which is practically all the time — I thank God for you." (2 Timothy 1:3, The Message).

Who do you pray for — practically all the time? Notice the question is not "WHAT do you pray for, but WHO?"

Many people pray for a thousand different things practically all the time — a new job, a new car, a new house; a breakthrough in finances (even if it means winning the Lottery). And the list grows infinitely larger with each passing day.

But WHO do you pray for? Your answer reveals who it is you truly love. Prayer is a very revealing thing in this regard. We love WHO we pray unto, and we love WHO it is we are praying for. We pray for our family, our friends, our neighbors, our pastors, our leaders — and so on.

Try an experiment today. Rather than praying for THINGS, pray instead for PEOPLE. Just for today. Open your heart to someone you know, someone you love — and pray for them. Then watch and wait to see how God responds. You just might be so amazed that it becomes a regular exercise from today forward. So much so that indeed you may be able to say along with the apostle Paul, "Every time I say your name in prayer — which is practically all the time — I thank God for you."

One last bit of advice — when you pray, for Heaven's sake do not come off sounding religious! Keep it real, for those are the only prayers that God listens to anyway.

A Prayer from Billy Graham

"You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:32).

If ever there was a gray headed, old man deserving our highest honor and greatest esteem — it is Billy Graham. He is truly beloved throughout the entire world, and rightly so. Thus, Paul Harvey did us all a huge favor when he aired the following prayer by Billy Graham during one of his broadcasts. The words are brief, yet deep and meaningful — which is usually what happens when grey-haired men and women of faith talk to God.

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today ; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"

Maybe you could help to spread this prayer by forwarding it to your friends. And maybe we all could pray it together. And maybe, just maybe — God will hear our cry from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our Land.

Maybe.

The Smokescreen of Pious Talk

"In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true." (Matthew 5:34, The Message).

Did it ever occur to you that God does not want you to be religious? And, furthermore, this aversion you have in your soul for that which is religious and pretentious was actually placed there by God — who wants you to be real.

So when you talk to God, talk straight. He knows what is in your heart; and that's what He wants to hear coming from your lips. Don't go Shakespeare on Him — unless, of course, you're William Shakespeare. And, for the record, Jesus did not speak in King James English. Neither do you.

Be true to who you are, honest with how you feel, transparent about what you think, truthful with your fears and concerns; as well as your hopes and dreams. Tell God everything, but don't dress it up all pretty and nice. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace; rather, you actually disguise them — and bring them under suspicion.

The problem with religious chatter is that it becomes ritualistic; and rituals, by definition, are scripted and inflexible. What God desires is an open and flexible heart. When a man or woman (or a boy and girl) is simply honest before God — He responds in powerful ways; ways that satisfy our deepest longings, and shape our lives into something beautiful.

The bottom line is this — don't talk religious to God, and don't do it to your friends either, because the more religious your speech sounds — the less true it is.

One Step Closer to a Yes

"Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around." (Proverbs 13:12, The Message)

A friend in the promotion business says, "Every time someone tells me "NO!" I get happier — because I'm one step closer to that person who will say "YES!"
Some people cannot bear to be told "NO" even once; let alone repeatedly. And then there are others who stop just one person too soon. All they needed was to ask one more time. But they didn't. Disappointment can do that to you if you let it. Especially if it seems to be unrelenting — one blow after the next.

Years ago I discovered a splendid little poem that has anchored my life in those times when everything seems to be going wrong — times when your hopes are dashed, your dreams have faded, your deepest desires thwarted, and when so many great expectations become inexplicably disappointed. Maybe you will find it helpful, too.
"Disappointment. HIS appointment. Change one letter, then I see that the thwarting of my purpose is God's better choice for me!"

It is true, as the proverb says, that unrelenting disappointment can leave you heartsick. But the rest of the proverb is also true — "a sudden good break can turn life around." One doesn't come without the other.

Draw yet another breath, my fellow traveler; though you have paused alongside the road — you have not stopped. Your journey is not finished. There's a bend in the road up ahead. And the bend in the road is not the end of the road — unless you fail to make the turn.

Tip your hat respectfully to old man Disappointment, and then be on your way; for God has something better in mind for you. And though you have heard "NO" perhaps a thousand times — you are actually one step closer to a "YES!"
And that single "Yes" can turn your life around!

Pressing On the Upward Way

"I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14).

Notice the cooperative partnership in our opening verse of scripture — God calls us upward, and we press toward the goal. Both are necessary. If God calls, but no one answers – nothing happens. If man presses, but God's not with him – nothing happens. Nothing good, anyway.

Have you ever taken a volley ball into a swimming pool, pushed it down into the water, and then tried to balance yourself by standing on it? Did you notice that the deeper you pushed the ball into the water, the greater the force it exerted to rise back up to the top?

The air inside the ball belongs with the air above the water, and it will press upward to return back to where it belongs. That's the way it is with us as followers of Jesus. There is something inside us that urges us to the summit; it's the upward call.

Some merely drift along, hoping for a break here or there. But in Life, as in nature, nothing ever drifts upstream. The only exception to this happened in Texas during a freak flash flood.

The waters rose so quickly that people only had time to scurry to their rooftops. One man, a reporter, sat on the house watching the floodwaters sweep past. There were cows, and cats, and all kinds of things zipping by the house. Suddenly something caught his eye. A $500 Stetson hat came floating down stream, just out of his reach. However, before it passed by, the hat stopped, turned around and floated back up stream. It then came back, stopped and turned back upstream again.

Amazed, the reporter said, "This is a miracle: it will be the lead story in my paper tomorrow!”

A woman sitting on the roof next door heard him and replied, "That's no miracle. It's my husband Cecil. He said he was going to mow that lawn come hell or high water!”
Like I said, nothing ever drifts upstream. Left to ourselves we will not rise, but retreat. However, God does not leave us to ourselves; He calls us upward. Something deep inside us is hooked to heaven; there's a pull on our hearts which lifts us towards the higher way.

As the old hymn says, "I'm pressing on the upward way; new heights I'm gaining everyday. Still, praying as I onward bound, 'Lord, plant my feet on higher ground!’”
When you hear God calling, press upward. One day heaven will be your home.

The Best Friend in the World

"I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you." (John 14:16, The Message)

One of history's unsung heroes is a man named Ludwig Nommensen, a German Lutheran missionary sent to Sumatra in 1862. He focused his attention on the Batak people of the Indonesian interior.

While he met with typical difficulties for the first few years, his unflagging zeal ultimately turned the tide. By the time of his death in 1918 at the age of eighty-four, the church he had started numbered over 180,000 members, with 34 Batak pastors and 788 teacher-preachers assisting in the work. Its prevailing influence lasts to this day.

A turning point came early in Ludwig's labors when a prominent chief of the Batak asked him a question.

"We, too, have laws that say we must not steal, nor take our neighbor's wife, nor bear false witness," the chief said. "So how does what you teach differ from what we already know?”

"My Master doesn't merely tell us what to do," he answered, "He also gives the power to do it."

The startled chief replied, "Can you teach my people that?"

"God will do it if they ask for it and listen to His word," Ludwig answered.

So for six months Nommensen taught the Batak about the power of God, and friendship with the Holy Spirit. At the end of that time the chief said, "Stay, your law is better than ours. Ours tells us what we ought to do. Your God says, 'Come, I will walk with you and give you strength to do the good thing.'"

And the rest, as they say, is history.

God will also walk with you, and give you the strength to do the good thing. Jesus promised us that we would not be left as orphans, but that we would have a constant friend who would walk with us, talk to us, teach us, guide us, empower us and help us every day in every way. That Friend is the Holy Spirit.

The simple definition of a friend is "one attached to another by affection or esteem." We rightly imagine that our friendship with the Holy Spirit is based upon our affection and esteem for Him, but friendship is never one-sided. Perhaps you have never considered that the Holy Spirit is also attached to you by the strong affection and high esteem which He has for you!

Has it ever occurred to you just how much the Holy Spirit actually enjoys being with you? Why not spend the rest of today thinking about that , as you walk with and talk with the best Friend in the world?