January 10, 2022
Praying Kingdom Come
Lord’s Prayer Focus: Surrender to the Father’s Kingdom
When we talk to God, we must remember who we’re talking to. We’re talking to the King! God’s kingdom is an awesome kingdom and our desires should be the same as the desires of our King! Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). As we continue to use the Lord’s Prayer as our guide through these 40 days, let’s focus now on what it means to pray for God’s kingdom and what it means to surrender to His will.
Acts 1:8 (ESV) — 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
In the book of Acts, the word for “witness” in the Greek is martys. It’s where we get the word martyr from. Of the fourteen times it’s used in Acts, only once is it used as a verb. The rest of the occurrences it’s a noun. Most often a witness refers to who you are rather than something you do. Jesus said, “...you will BE my witnesses.”
Somehow along the way, we’ve made witnessing more about what we say and how we say it. However, it’s first about identity. To be a witness is to be attuned to what the resurrected Lord has done in your life and is actively doing in the lives of others, and then simply calling attention to it.
In order for that to happen, we must start where we are. Notice how Jesus tells his disciples they will first be witnesses in Jerusalem. Living deployed on mission with Jesus means to look first in our own backyard. It’s often easiest to miss what’s closest to us. When we’re deeply immersed in a cozy environment, we can grow numb to and overlook what God is doing right in front of us.
Consider:
Prayer Points:
Lord’s Prayer Focus: Surrender to the Father’s Kingdom
When we talk to God, we must remember who we’re talking to. We’re talking to the King! God’s kingdom is an awesome kingdom and our desires should be the same as the desires of our King! Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). As we continue to use the Lord’s Prayer as our guide through these 40 days, let’s focus now on what it means to pray for God’s kingdom and what it means to surrender to His will.
Acts 1:8 (ESV) — 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
In the book of Acts, the word for “witness” in the Greek is martys. It’s where we get the word martyr from. Of the fourteen times it’s used in Acts, only once is it used as a verb. The rest of the occurrences it’s a noun. Most often a witness refers to who you are rather than something you do. Jesus said, “...you will BE my witnesses.”
Somehow along the way, we’ve made witnessing more about what we say and how we say it. However, it’s first about identity. To be a witness is to be attuned to what the resurrected Lord has done in your life and is actively doing in the lives of others, and then simply calling attention to it.
In order for that to happen, we must start where we are. Notice how Jesus tells his disciples they will first be witnesses in Jerusalem. Living deployed on mission with Jesus means to look first in our own backyard. It’s often easiest to miss what’s closest to us. When we’re deeply immersed in a cozy environment, we can grow numb to and overlook what God is doing right in front of us.
Consider:
- Where have you minimized the mission field in your own “backyard” due to believing that mission belongs “somewhere out there?”
- What needs exist in the immediate context of your family that you’re able to bring the hope of the Gospel to today?
- What needs exist with some of your neighbors that are easily overlooked?
Prayer Points:
- Ask the Lord to help you be attuned today to what he is doing in those around you.
- Write down as many of the names of your neighbors that you have met and may even have relationships with? If you need help, visit http://blesseveryhome.com to learn the names of your neighbors and find strategic ways to pray for each of them.
Posted in 2022 Prayer and Fasting