When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he told them to begin with:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10).
Let’s pause there for a moment. So far, Jesus has not mentioned anything about what we want or what we need, but he’s already given us three requests to take to our Father:
1. That his name be glorified.
2. That his kingdom be advanced.
3. That his will be accomplished as completely on earth as it is in heaven.
I’m embarrassed to admit that this doesn’t sound very much like my own prayer list most days, but I think maybe it ought to. I think that maybe these three thing – God’s glory, God’s kingdom, and God’s will – should be our top priorities whenever we pray.
When it comes to praying for God’s will, a key Scripture is:
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him (1 John 5:14-15).
Contray to what is frequently done, this does not mean that I should ask for what I want and add “if it’s your will” on to each line. Rather, seen in light of what Jesus taught, this passage is saying that I should find out what God’s will is, and then pray for that. Actively carrying out God’s will, helping to advance his kingdom over the earth, glorifying his name. These should be my priorities. This is why we’re here. As the Scripture says:
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
And:
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is (Ephesians 5:17).
My life is not just about me, and your life is not just about you. You were created to serve something much more important than just your life. Remember that Jesus, who loved you enough to die for you, also said:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
This most definitely does not mean that anyone is saved because of their obedience to God! We are saved only by God’s grace, given to us though faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). It cannot be earned. But we were not saved just so we could go to heaven one day, but so that we could be partners with Christ in building his kingdom right here and right now. Just like your creation, your salvation was not just about you. You have a purpose, and it’s for something a lot bigger, and a lot more important, than just you. If that doesn’t fire you up, I don’t know what to say.
Going back to prayer, the topic I started with, instead of thinking first about my own requests, I need to look at what’s going on in the world around me, and find out what God wants to do about it. That means searching the Scriptures, and it also means taking time to listen to the Holy Spirit. God’s kingdom and God’s will should then govern how I pray. And yes, I will sometimes get it wrong. But with practice, I fully expect to get better at discerning and praying for what God wants.
My life in Christ is not just about me, but about something much bigger and much more important. It’s about carrying out the will of the King of kings, about advancing his kingdom, about glorifying his name in all the earth:
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
What are you praying for? Who are you living for?