Jesus' Prayer RecipeSample

Encourage

Remarkably, Jesus’ followers have the privilege of Encouraging the accomplishment of God’s incredible purpose in this world. This is expressed in the phrase in Matthew 6:10; “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” So, what does it mean for God’s kingdom to come?

The idea of kingdom denotes a ruler, subjects, and a realm over which the rulership occurs. Our heavenly Father, who resides in a heavenly realm, is the ruler. He has absolutely no opposition and all that He desires is carried out by His angels. This prayer’s desire to have God’s rule be on Earth as it is in heaven means two things for us.

First, we want our lives to reveal God’s rule. In this rebellious world that is against God’s rule, each of us seeks to live under God’s rulership (as if we were behind enemy lines) until He finally takes over. Praying this phrase encourages us to progressively submit all that we are to the absolute rule of God. Therefore, there is nothing that we keep as solely ours that is outside of God's direction and pleasure (John 3:30; Matthew 6:33).

Second, we want Jesus to return sooner than later. The prayer pattern encourages all followers of Jesus to pray that what began in Jesus' ministry, what we are now participating in, will be experienced in never-ending fullness upon His return. This final event brings all of Creation under God's will and should be our anticipation (1 Corinthians 16:22; Revelation 22:20).

Our prayers should be heavenward from the start. From this perspective, the requests that follow are given in line with God’s desires and not our own. After Recognizing God’s greatness, let us pray that God’s absolute desire will be fulfilled in our lives today and that Jesus will return soon to erase all opposition to God.