Prayer: An invitation to participate in what God is doing.

Aligning Our Hearts: The Power of Praying His Will

Bible Passage: Matthew 6:10

Summary: This Lord's Prayer emphasises the importance of recognising and aligning with God's sovereignty and desires for His creation, inviting us to actively engage in His purposes.

Application:

This sermon encourages us rethink our approach to prayer, not merely as a means of presenting requests but as an opportunity to align our lives with God's will and participate in His overarching plan.

It also serves as a reminder of the trans-formative power of prayer in the face of struggles and uncertainties.

Prayer is not a monologue of our desires but a dialogue that invites us to seek and discern God's will and purposes, and it emphasises the significance of presenting ourselves as willing vessels for His work in the world.

How this passage could point to Christ: In Matthew 6:10, we see a precursor to Christ's ultimate mission—realising God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus embodies perfect submission to the Father’s will, fulfilling this prayer as He advances the kingdom through His life, death, and resurrection, ultimately inviting us into that same mission.

Big Idea: True prayer invites us into the heart and mission of God, transforming our perspectives and aligning our lives with His divine purposes, enabling us to be agents of His kingdom here on earth.

When you feel disinclined to pray, let it be a sign to you that prayer is doubly necessary! Pray for prayer! The Sealed Hand-A Winter Sermon, Volume 58, Sermon #3289 - Job 37:7

Charles Spurgeon

987God the Holy Ghost writes our prayers, God the Son presents our prayers, and God the Father accepts our prayers. And with the whole Trinity to help us in it, what cannot prayer perform?—54.342, 343

Charles Spurgeon

No man can do a great and enduring work for God who is not a man of prayer, and no man can be a man of prayer who does not give much time to praying.

Edward McKendree Bounds (American Methodist Episcopal Minister)

1. Prioritise His Kingdom

Matthew 6:10 a

"Your kingdom come" redirects the focus of our prayer life, calling believers to anticipate and participate in God's unfolding kingdom. Emphasise that Jesus models a life surrendered to God's reign, and challenge us to crave and work towards His kingdom in our daily interactions and priorities.

The "Kingdom of God" - not just a place, βασιλεία (basileia). n. fem. kingdom. Refers to the domain over which a king rules.

The present reality and future hope of the “Kingdom of God” is central to the gospel message, signifying

· God's rule over creation (Mark 1:15). When actively proclaimed and can "come upon" or draw "near" to individuals (Luke 11:20; 21:31).

· Characterised by "power" (1 Cor 4:20) and can be given or taken away by God (Matt 21:43).

· Evidence of God's sovereignty is seen in the casting out of demons (Matt 12:28) and healing the sick (Luke 10:9).

· It belongs to those who submit to God, recognise their spiritual poverty (Matt 5:3), and endure persecution (Matt 5:10).

· The mystery of the kingdom is discussed in Matt 13, describing it as good, expanding, and all-encompassing.

2. Pursue His Will

Matthew 6:10 b

You could highlight how the phrase "your will be done" reflects Jesus's own submission to the Father's will, especially in Gethsemane and at the cross. Invite the congregation to consider prayer as a means of surrender, aligning their desires with God's righteous plans, and experiencing the peace that follows such faithful submission.

Prayer is not just asking but aligning our hearts with God's. 1 Sam 1;2: Luke 6:11-13

   * Phil 2 but without His experience in Matt 25:36-46 the story could have been different.

   * Encourage specific prayers for God's kingdom to come in our lives, communities, and the world. 1 Tim 2:1-5

3. Proclaim Heaven's Reality

Matthew 6:10 c

"on earth as it is in heaven,"

paints a picture of living out God's heavenly truths and justice here and now.

We are carriers of heaven's values, serving as vessels through which God's will is enacted on earth, under the guidance and strength of Christ.

. Neh 1:5-11

Nehemiah 1:5–11 NKJV

And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” For I was the king’s cup bearer.

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Prayer

1 Timothy 2:1–5 TPT

Most of all, I’m writing to encourage you to pray with gratitude to God. Pray for all men with all forms of prayers and requests as you intercede with intense passion. And pray for every political leader and representative, [Steve Reed MP] { Kareen Jewitt, Tamar Nwafor, Calton Young - Concillors} so that we would be able to live tranquil, undisturbed lives, as we worship the awe-inspiring God with pure hearts. It is pleasing to our Savior-God to pray for them. He longs for everyone to embrace his life and return to the full knowledge of the truth. For God is one, and there is one Mediator between God and the sons of men—the true man, Jesus, the Anointed One.

The power is not in the prayer but in the God whoes ear are open and attentive to the prayer of the righteous.

8927 Prayer is not flight; prayer is power. Prayer does not deliver a man from some terrible situation; prayer enables a man to face and to master the situation.

William Barclay (New Testament Scholar)