How Then, Shall We Pray?预览

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Our longing deep down is to see God’s kingdom established on earth. Isn’t that why we engage in ministry—to expand his kingdom? But, what power do we really have on our own to do anything? We see in Matthew’s gospel that Jesus says he will build his church. We won’t build it; he will. But, we can take part through obedience and prayer.

Through prayer, we have direct access to the Lord and his power, and it is only through him that people will change, and his kingdom will come. We see many examples throughout the Bible of people praying for their nation or for others and the Lord responding in incredible ways—ways that are more powerful than if the person praying had tried to do something on his or her own. 

In our minds, prayer is often not recognized for what it is worth. After all, when we have finished praying, what have we really done? Our desire to do and see results blinds us to the fact that prayer is the most important act we could ever accomplish in a day. In prayer, we are accessing the power and authority of the Father, which we would never have on our own. We are accessing his resources, which we could never accumulate on our own. And through these prayers, the Lord moves mountains and changes people, things we could never do in our own power.

What are some of the ways in today’s Bible passages that people pray for God to act?