“This, then, is how you should pray: Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9)
“I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter his court with praise. I will say this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice for his has made me Glad.” I hope you remember this chorus.
Most of us have reduced prayer to opportunity to present to God a list of our needs and ask him to do something or take care of them. Matthew 6:9, however, offers us a different view or put prayer in its rightful context as a place of intimacy where we bring something to God and leave with something(s) from Him. It is significant that we learn from the Old Testament that no one was allowed in a king’s presence barehanded. Hence, the Queen of Sheba, for example, took gifts (spices, large quantity of gold, and precious stones) with her to see King Solomon in order to learn from his wisdom (1 Kings 10).
What are we to bring to God our King as we enter prayer? I know this may sound strange for some us especially in the context of prayer simply because we think of prayer as something we do and not a royal place we enter. However, according to Matthew 6:9, we are come to God with praise and worship in prayer: “our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” We need to understand that in the mind of the believer heaven is perfection so that what is in heaven is holy, exalted, and the heart’s desire of believers, let alone humankind, on earth.
We start praying with worship declaring the holiness of God: “hallowed be your name”…. It important to know that God’s holiness is not limited to his purity and sinlessness; it encompasses the whole of his being and deeds. See, saying to God: “there is none like you!”, for example, is in essence declaring his holiness.
God’s holiness is not only seen in his punishment of sins, but also in his forgiveness of sins. God’s grace and mercy testify to his holiness. The highest demonstration of God’s holiness was done on Calvary where he took upon himself the punishment for our sins instead of punishing us: He punished himself for our sins, as it were, in order to justify us! Hence, the love of God expresses his holiness and is, therefore, beyond comprehending. To talk about God’s holiness evokes his uniqueness and the fact that he is unfathomable…. His uniqueness or “holiness” is such that he will allow unworthy people like us, by the way what no other king would do, to enter his presence any time we call on him in the name of Jesus.
After using prayer time to enter God’s presence with praise and worship, that is, being mindful of who he is and what he can do, the next logical step is to invite his kingdom and will: “Your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Heaven is conceived by believers as the realm of perfection and, as such, the desire of every believer on earth. It is important to understand that the kingdom of God and his will being done in heaven is what makes it such a wonderful place to be.
I am not sure how many of us realize it, but this is so exciting because the Lord Jesus is here saying that prayer can bring the kingdom of God and have his will done one earth, just as it is in heaven! In other words, we can have a taste of heaven whilst living on earth thanks to prayer. Wow! Now it makes sense why the devil would do everything in his power to keep us from prayer and praying the right way.
It means that God is not to blame if our experiences on earth so far are only pain, suffering, misery, spiritual slavery … Remember Jesus saying, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things [all material needs] will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
Next time you pray please remember that you are entering the presence of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the King of the universe and beyond. Make sure you begin with praise and worship focusing on God first.
Remember, God’s reign or rule (kingdom) and his will being done on earth answers to all our prayers possible. They are the means through which God intervenes in the affairs of humankind. Therefore, I pray that you will not underestimate the opportunity prayer can afford you to impact the course of history and change lives as you first of all invite the kingdom of God and his will to be done on earth, but more importantly in your own life and situation, in the name of Jesus Christ!
