September 20, 2023

Matthew 6: 10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (NIV)

The meaning of prayer is that we get hold of God, not of the answer.*

Jesus believed in prayer. He set an example for us with his own prayer life and he taught his disciples how to pray and what to pray for. He clearly believed that God answers prayer.  I tell you this so you won’t be shocked when you read what I am going to say about this verse: “Your kingdom come, your will be done . . .” This is going to happen whether we pray for it or not.

While you’re pondering this, think about some of the other items he included in his model prayer. “Give us today our daily bread.” How often have you had to ask God to give you food for today? Don’t you already have a kitchen full of it? “Lead us not into temptation . . .” We know that God would never lead us into temptation. (See James 1: 13.) So why would Jesus tell us to pray for something if there is no reason to expect that we can affect change?

We have the wrong idea about prayer. We think it’s all about asking God for stuff when that’s only a very small element of it. The model prayer actually provides us a template to follow:

• Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Praise God and acknowledge his attributes. 
• Your kingdom come, your will be done . . . A prayer of submission to God’s will. 
• Give us today our daily bread. Trust God to provide for today without worrying about tomorrow. 
• Forgive us . . . as we have forgiven . . . How we treat others impacts how God treats us, but it’s a matter of the heart more than a matter of actions. 
• Lead us not into temptation . . . We need God to direct our path away from things that lead us to sin. Again, our submission is a requirement because God won’t force us to go where we should go.

If you want something from God, you should ask him for it. Jesus talked about it and he did it – and even he didn’t get exactly what he asked for - except for the “your will be done” part. 

Our lesson here is not that we are praying wrong but that we could be praying better. Getting to know the Father and his will – that’s why we pray. And the more we pray, the better we will pray.

He wants us to ask things of him.*