How to Prayer Through the Day
Pray for the Will of God
Pray for the Will of God
To say “your kingdom come” is to pray that more and more people will enter the kingdom. It also reaffirms belief that one day all evil will be destroyed, that God will establish the new heaven and earth, and that his glory will be known to all the nations (Psalm 110:1; Revelation 21:1).
To say “your kingdom come” is to pray that more and more people will enter the kingdom. It also reaffirms belief that one day all evil will be destroyed, that God will establish the new heaven and earth, and that his glory will be known to all the nations (Psalm 110:1; Revelation 21:1).
To say “your kingdom come” is to pray that more and more people will enter the kingdom. It also reaffirms belief that one day all evil will be destroyed, that God will establish the new heaven and earth, and that his glory will be known to all the nations (Psalm 110:1; Revelation 21:1).
Over the years conflicting interpretations have been given to the meaning of “your kingdom come.” Some have argued this is a prayer for the Second Coming of Christ and that is all—it has nothing to do with present life. Others have seen “your kingdom come” as a call to social action and nothing else—a mandate to bring in the kingdom now through good works. And then there are those who have seen “your kingdom come” as spiritually fulfilled in the salvation of souls. Actually the correct interpretation and application contains elements of all these views.
When Jesus came to earth, he brought the kingdom of God in his own person. When he began his public ministry, the very first words from his mouth after reading from Isaiah were, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17)
How did Jesus Christ bring the kingdom? Primarily by bringing men and women into obedient conformity to the Father’s will. This is the meaning of “your kingdom come” in its context because the immediately following and parallel words are, “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Those who are in God’s kingdom strive to do God’s will. In fact, they do it.
“Lord, before I ask for a single thing, I want to just say, I want your will more than my own. And if what I am about to pray for is outside of your will, over rule me. I gladly accept that, because you know all things.”
Leave Your Prayer List
The sexton of a metropolitan church noticed scraps of paper in a certain pew in the sanctuary after each Sunday service. One day he made bold to examine the crumpled pieces of paper. He found such notes as: “Mary—ill; Bob, needs job; her rent due; my needs …” After a few weeks of this, the faithful custodian shared the mystery with the pastor, who alerted several members who sat in the area where messages were found to please identify, if possible, the person who was leaving tidbits of information each Sunday. The quiet plan succeeded. In due time, the minister adroitly engaged the lady in conversation in his study conversation in his study about the intriguing practice of leaving notes addressed to various people in her pew.
Smiling, the gentle lady declared that the bits of paper had deep meaning for her. “You will think it silly, but sometime ago I read, ‘Take your troubles to church with you.’ So I write down my concerns, burdens, and needs on little pieces of paper, take them to church, pray about them, and leave them there. I feel God is taking care of them!”
Pray for God’s Supply
Pray for God’s Supply
The word translated “daily” (epiousios) in connection with “bread” has been broadly debated, but the wording seems to recall Israel’s daily reliance on God for manna in the desert (Ex. 16). In the same way as manna was only given one day at a time, disciples are to rely on daily provision for life from God, helping them to develop a continuing, conscious dependence on him (cf. Matt. 6:34; Phil. 4:6).
Pray for Forgiveness
Gift cards often come with expiration dates. Sometimes I will stuff one in my wallet and forget about it. A gift card can be worth $100 one day, and then the next day you might as well throw it in the garbage because it has expired. You have missed the opportunity to spend it!
God’s gift of forgiveness is like a gift card that is more valuable than anything we can imagine. He paid for it with his Son’s life. God is holding that priceless gift card out to us, waiting for us to take it. If we don’t accept it and use it, however, it’s of no value to us.
A gift card is only plastic unless it is redeemed. Don’t wait to claim God’s gift before it’s too late.
Pray for Guidance
The word “roaring” in the Greek text speaks of the howl of a beast in fierce hunger.
The largest and finest bell in the East was in the great Buddhist Temple, Shwee-da-gone, in Rangoon. During a war the bell sank in a river. Over the years, various engineers tried but failed to raise it. At last a clever priest asked permission to try, but only if the bell was given to his temple.
The priest had his assistants gather an immense number of bamboo rods. One by one the rods were fastened to the bell at the bottom of the river. After thousands of them had been fastened, the bell began to move. When the last bamboo rod was attached, the buoyancy of the accumulated rods lifted the bronze bell from the mire of the river bottom to the stream’s surface.
“Every whisper of believing prayer is like one of the little bamboo rods,” writes author A. B. Simpson. “For a time they seem to be in vain, but there comes a last breath of believing supplication, and lo, the walls of Jericho fall, the mountain becomes a plain, and the host of Amalek is defeated.”
A LIFEGUARD was on duty when he noticed a gentleman was in trouble. He dove into the water and swam out to the struggling man, stopping about three feet from him. From this short distance, the lifeguard realized that the victim was a large fellow. Not wanting to be taken under, the lifeguard considered his dilemma. Not only was his ward sizable, he was also trying to save himself. He was afraid. He was swinging. He was panicking. He was in trouble. In an effort to save himself, the man was swinging wildly against the water and was draining his energy quickly.
The lifeguard continued to tread water at a short distance, not because he didn’t care but because he was waiting on the man to stop trying to save himself. He knew that he would be unable to save the drowning man as long as he was using his own methods, insisting on his own strength, and relying on his own ability. His cry for help contradicted his efforts to save himself. His approach was hindering the lifeguard’s planned approach.
Finally the man’s energy left and he had no more fight. When he stopped beating the water, stopped leaning on his own understanding, and stopped using his own methods, the lifeguard took over. The lifeguard worked his way around to the man’s back, reached over his shoulder, cupped the chin under his hand, and put an elbow in the middle of his shoulder blade. This allowed the man’s body to come closer to the surface of the water and rest on the hip of the lifeguard as he sidestroked in to the edge of the pool.
Even though the man was large, the rescue was possible because he was resting in the strength of his savior.
Once the man was calm, he thanked the lifeguard. He gave the lifeguard complete credit because he realized his own resources couldn’t have gotten him out of the mess he had found himself in.379