How We Pray "The LORD’s Prayer"

Week Two

Monday

"THY KINGDOM COME . . ." Mark 1:9-15

From the beginning to the end of his ministry God’s kingdom was a focal point in the teaching of Jesus. He began his public ministry by saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;…" It was the subject of his parables and stories. Often he began these parables with the words: "The kingdom of God is like…" For hundreds of years the people of Israel had been dreaming of the day when the Messiah, the anointed One of God, would come and re-establish Israel as a great worldly kingdom again. It would be a return to the great, glorious days of King David. They hoped and prayed for that day. Jesus said, "The kingdom has come near."

Tuesday

"THY KINGDOM COME . . ."Luke 17:20-21

In the days when Jesus lived the people of Israel were under the rule of a foreign power; the Romans ruled the world. Jesus taught his disciples to pray for the coming of God’s kingdom—but it would be a far different kind of kingdom. God’s kingdom would not be an area of land, or be seen physically. It would not be a kingdom of military power to conquer the Romans, but a kingdom where God’s rule would be seen in the lives of people. God’s kingdom comes wherever God rules, wherever God is know as King and Lord. When we pray, "Thy kingdom come," we are asking God to establish his rule over us. The kingdom is within each of us when we give ourselves to God in Christ; and the kingdom is among us when God’s will is done among us.

Wednesday

"THY WILL BE DONE…" Matthew 26:36-46

The powers of evil are great, both within us and in the world. They are pitted against God’s will, God’s desire, being done. This phrase is a petition to God that God’s will rules and not evil. We pray god to defeat these powers within us and in the world so that we may be what God wants us to be. We pray that we want to live by God’s will and purpose. God’s will is that there be goodness and kindness among humans, that there be peace, justice, and harmony in the world. The powers of evil work constantly to defeat God’s will. Jesus was born to witness to God’s will, and to defeat these evil powers. In his temptation jesus overcame them; in his death and resurrection Jesus overcame the ultimate power of evil – death.

Thursday

"THY WILL BE DONE . . ." Luke 22:39-46

Our prayer is universal in scope. We do not pray for our own blessings, healings, peace, prosperity, wholeness of life - that God’s will be done alone for us - but for all people. We affirm that God’s will and purpose is being fulfilled, that God is acting, is at work in the world. We affirm that God’s will is good, that good is happening. In faith we trust that God desires to bring about good in the best way possible. The fact that Jesus came into this world is evidence that God has acted on our behalf. We trust that God is at work even in the midst of all the strife we see in the world, seeking to bring about good in the midst of evil. The total accomplishment of God’s will, when all the effects of sin and evil are abolished, awaits the future.

Friday

"ON EARTH . . ." Matthew 18:19

God’s kingdom is not a location, nota place. But we do pray that God’s kingdom, the sphere where God rules, will be present "on earth". That means that we are praying for ourselves to be responsive to the will and rule of God. There are some who believe and teach that the kingdom of God will come, and God’s "will" will be done, but it will happen somewhere other than in "this world," and that it will take place beyond history. But this does not share the vision of Jesus. Jesus envisioned a people of God who would live their lives in such a way that it was clear who was their king, the "ruler" of their hearts. God works in and through history by means of the faithful people who truly allow God to reign over them here "on earth."

Saturday

". . . AS IN HEAVEN." Matthew 5:1-16