“Thy kingdom come.” (Matthew 6:10, KJV)
When Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray in Matthew 6, the very first instruction He gives in the prayer pattern is kingdom praying. If ever we needed an indication of how important it is to pray for His Kingdom, it is here. But what exactly are we praying for when we are praying kingdom prayers?
If prayers of praise are turning our focus upward, and prayers of confession turn our focus inward, prayers for His kingdom turn our focus outward. Often, we don’t make these prayers a priority because we are too focused on our “stuff,” and it is here that we are missing the forest for the trees.
Kingdom praying is asking God to bring Heaven here to earth, to marry His space with ours, to accomplish His plan. Can you imagine if we started all our prayers here? Matthew 6:33 says to “seek first His kingdom.” What would happen if we didn’t pray for our Earthly needs first, but for those things that matter for eternity?
We may not make an impact on the kingdom of God when we get our prayers answered for that new job, physical healing or clear direction on how to fix a temporary problem. But we can open the door for God to work when we pray for the Gospel to be spread, when we pray for food for the hungry, when we pray for freedom for the enslaved, when we pray for the Lord to “send out workers into His harvest field.” (Luke 10:2, NIV)
And truly, when we are praying for this forest, we are still praying for the trees. We are a part of His kingdom, and when we turn our attention to the things He cares about, then we are opening the door for Him to bless us as well.
Turn your attention outward, sisters. See this world through His eyes, with the love He has for His creation. See His grief for the bruised and scarred state we’re in. And pray.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
You have no idea how much this has touched my heart and how much I needed to read this! Thank you
Welcome Lina, you’ve made a great choice to start your journey back…praying for you Rockinat55, Emily (EllenMR), Boston, and any others.
I’m new to the site and I’m trying to find my way back to the Lord. When I’ve prayed I usually pray for something that’s going on in my life. I pray for others bur not as I shoud. This passage it very fitting in light of what has happened in Boston. More than ever we need to pray for this world we’re living in today. May the Lord be with all affected.
Welcome home, Lina. I have only been with this group of marvelous women since February. It is a blessing to me to check in several times a day.
Good night sisters in Christ. Yes praying for those in boston tonight. This act shows us that we need to continue for those who don’t know Christ. God said its not His will that anyone should perish.Yet due to the hardness of peoples heart they are pershing. We need to pray for this land america.whichever city you are from pray for your city. Remember nehemiah? He prayed for his city because he was grieved. I’m from nyc so I will be praying for my city and all those close by. Boston is too close to home and it could of been in nyc. So let’s pray my sisters that the lord protects the saints,save souls from eternal damnation and that His will be done. We are truly living in the last days so let’s continue to look up because our redemption draweth nigh….
I couldn’t get this website to work this morning so I didn’t get to comment this morning. I really needed to be reminded of this and not always have the focus on my needs! Today I really am reminded how much others need prayers of comfort, healing, forgiveness, love and salvation. I pray these things for the people of Boston tonight.
Today is a day when people really need to be praying for the Kingdom. Praying for the people and families of the victims affected by the bombing in Boston, as well as whoever did such a horrible act, I pray that justice is brought to them and that they repent of that sin and seek Jesus. I pray that all bombs everywhere that hurt innocents and wicked alike are one day disarmed. Praying that the Kingdom and peace come to all our souls. Pray that our hearts are at peace with God.
Amen.