"Teach us to Pray" 3

"Thy Kingdom Come ..."  
The rule of King Jesus in our lives, and in the world! What an amazing thing to pray. At this point in the Lord's prayer, having come into His presence with praise and worship and receiving the love of our Father, now we bow at Jesus' feet and ask Him to be Lord in our lives. In Romans 14:17, you will read that "the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." 
The Kingdom of God in our lives is about the fruit of the Holy Spirit growing in our lives, about Jesus' life in us.  

Let's pray for the Kingdom of God, His rule of love and righteousness, to become more and more evident in our own lives and our families - from there to reach out with His love into our communities and world!

You may have a specific circumstance where you want to see things changed by the love and power of God. Speak "Thy Kingdom Come" into that lost life, or the child or person you love who is ill or suffering. Speak "Thy Kingdom come" into your own life where you may still be trying to overcome a habit or addiction. God will do it! As you speak, ask Jesus to be on the throne of your life.

Learn to be led by the Holy Spirit. Not long prayers, but heart prayer for His Kingdom of love and peace to come.

"Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven"
This part of the prayer follows on from the last phrase. As we ask for His Kingdom to be revealed and to come and transform us, then we need to ask for HIS will to be done in our lives. In Colossians 1, Paul prays a wonderful prayer for his readers, which now includes us! The first thing he asks is that they may be filled with the knowledge of God's will! As we come to this part of the Lord's prayer, this would be a good prayer to pray for ourselves, our family, our friends and our church fellowship.

Col 1:9-14
For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;
giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

 In Ephesians 5, we find 2 verses about knowing the will of God:
Eph 5:10
"... finding out what is acceptable to the Lord."
Eph 5:17
"Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is."

If Paul tells us to be not foolish but understand the will of God, then it is possible to know God's will. It is not something airy-fairy or mystically unreal. He has a plan for each of our lives and it is a good plan. Read Jeremiah 29:11-14. 

One way to pray God's will is to pray His Word. Find promises and truths as you read your Bible. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to specific words for you and those you pray for. Declare these promises and truths of God's salvation, healing, comfort, strength etc as you pray. Pray His Word into our lives. 

Jesus said that His food was to do the will of His Father who sent Him. (John 4:34). Immediately after this He talks of the harvest ready to reap. His will is for many souls to be harvested and brought into His Kingdom.  
John 6:38-40
"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

God sent Jesus from Heaven to earth so that ANYONE who believes in Him should not die but have eternal life!(John 3:16) THIS is God's will! Eternal life, fullness of life. 
John 10:10 - "He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly". 
There may be tests and trials as we pray for His will to be done in our lives. There will certainly be changes in our pattern of living and lifestyles. BUT it is the way of eternal life and joy for us and for others! And remember, that just as we come to Jesus by faith, our walk with Him continues in simple faith and in the abundance of His grace. Only He can give us the grace and strength to walk in His will!

So, as we pray,
"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven", we are praying for all that means in bringing many to salvation, healing of mind and body, fullness of life in Christ! 

Practical helps: Write in your notebook any scripture you find about God's will and how He wants us to live. Look at Jesus life on earth to see how He portrays Heaven and God's will.