Teach Us to Pray Pt. 4
by Brad Spangler
Participation- Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
This is the part of our Lord’s prayer where we begin to transition from acknowledging the family of God, and we start to focus on the mandate of the Kingdom. It’s kind of like being in a family that owns a family business. This means there’s a time to sit and enjoy but also a time to get some work done. Prayer invites us to participate in what God is doing on this earth.
The apostle Paul says in I Corinthians 3:9 NKJV,
“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.”
When we see examples of and hear about the evils of injustice in the world, it can be easy to sit back and say, “God, you need to do something about this!”
But that is not what the words “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done” implies. God has given us the authority of His name and the power of His Holy Spirit. He expects the church, His very own body, to rise and do something about it. This is where the prayer of intercession becomes necessary. The prayer of intercession means simply praying on behalf of another.
Recently I heard a story about D.L. Moody, a prominent American evangelist who lived in the nineteenth century. It’s said that he had a list of one hundred people he prayed for every day during his adult life. By the time Moody died, ninety-eight of those people had decided to give their allegiance to Jesus. If that wasn’t spectacular enough, the other two who had been holding out were so moved during his funeral that they gave their lives to Jesus that day.
This is an inspiring story, and it should remind us just how important it is to pray for lost and hurting people. There have been several occasions where I have been praying for someone or about a particular issue, and as I’m praying, I begin to sense God asking me this question, “What are YOU going to do about it?” Now, I’m not saying that we will have a part in solving every problem in the world, but I am saying that God is excepting us to exercise His authority and power through prayer and our actions to bring about His will on this earth.
In John 14:12 NKJV, Jesus said,
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”
This is one of those statements from Jesus that makes your head tilt a little, and then say, “huh?” But it’s true! Because of the resurrection, the power of sin and the dark forces of de-creation have been defeated. It is now up to the church to enforce the victory of God! To bring about His reign and rule upon the earth. What does this look like, you might ask?
In Revelation 21:3-5 NKJV, we get a small but beautiful glimpse into what “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done” looks like in its fullness.
“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God, Himself, will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”