How to Pray More Powerful Prayers- Part 1
Users on January 7, 2010 in Family Prayers | No Comments »Prayer for the citizens of the kingdom of God is neither an option, nor just a religious practice that is done to receive “brownie points” with God. Unlike the prayers of all other people, the righteous prayers of the citizens of God’s kingdom release the power of the Almighty God into the earth to transform earth into the likeness of heaven. So what exactly is the kingdom principle of prayer you ask? We need to pray according to the will of the Father. Jesus gave a profound example of this in response to the request of His disciples who wanted to be taught how to pray. To many people this reference to what most people call the Lord’s Prayer is nothing more than a model that Jesus left for His disciples to follow. However, few believers actually pray in this manner and therefore, they do not follow His example. Remember, Jesus was not an actor or a hypocrite. He taught His disciples by example and everything He taught His disciples how to do, He also did. So when He taught them how to pray, He was actually teaching them how He prayed. I believe the reason many believers neglect to pray like this is due to their lack of understanding of how to do that. For that reason, the Lord has given me an understanding of praying in that manner and shown me the power potential released thereby. Please, after reading this article, take some time to read and meditate on our Lord’s instructions for prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.
The first instruction regarding prayer which our Lord gave is that we must pray to the Father. Even though we are making our petitions to the King of kings we do not go before His presence merely as lowly servants who have to spend an hour in worship of the King before we are eligible to make a request. On the contrary, we can boldly come before the King’s throne of grace, obtain His favor, and make a request of Him as our Father. To be sure, there is a difference between how a prince approaches the king versus how a servant approaches. Now, please understand that I am not saying that we should not worship God because He is our Father, but Jesus did not command that we worship before we pray in His instructions to the disciples. Think about the relationship between a good father and a good son. When that child has been obedient, respectful, and thankful, that father will do whatever he can for him. In fact, it would be his delight to fulfill the requests of his son who honors him. The nature of a good father is to protect, lead, and provide for his children. When we acknowledge God as our father, we are letting Him know that we understand that all good gifts come from Him; He is our provider; and we want to follow in His footsteps.
Secondly, after we acknowledge who we are talking to, the first thing we are to request of the Father is that His name be hallowed (Ezekiel 36:22-23). This is not a point in prayer in which we simply worship, that is not what Jesus meant. To hollow something, means to make it feared, reverenced or glorified. And since it is a request that we are making of the Father, it means we are asking the Father to make His name hallowed. In other words, we are requesting that the Father would do something in our lives, and our world to make His name feared and reverenced and glorified. To be sure, since Jesus was not a hypocrite, we know that everyday He prayed in this manner, He to would ask the Father to do something to cause His name to be hallowed. As a result, the likely scenario would be that immediately after prayer He would go into the market place or in town and look to see what the Father wanted do to make His name feared and glorified; then He would do that very thing. That is what Jesus meant when He said I only do what I see the Father do and the Father shows me all He does (John 19-20). Daily, Jesus would see the Father healing someone or casting out a devil and as He did what He saw the Father doing, the people would respond by reverencing and glorifying the name of the Father.
As a son or daughter of God, Jesus wants you to follow His example. Everyday the Father wants you to ask Him to do something to cause people to worship and fear Him so that He can show you what He is doing and you can do likewise. Your life will change significantly when you realize that everyday the Father wants His name to be glorified through you. Within the kingdom of God, there is nothing that we can request of the Father that is more powerful than asking the Father to make His name hallowed or glorified in your life.
Would anyone look at a person, who is supposed to be a citizen of God’s kingdom, dealing with sickness, stress, sorrow, or lack and think “Wow! What a great and awesome God and king they have.” You should pray that the things that happen in your life will glorify the Father, cause people to see that He is great- and to be feared, and desire Him and His kingdom as a result. For example, if sickness tries to attach itself to your body, ask the Father to be glorified in your body. If money seems to be a problem, ask the Father to be glorified in your life and finances. If your marriage is under attack, as God to be glorified in your family and specifically your relationship with your spouse. And when the devil brings an attack against you, pray that God arise (be lifted up), His enemies be scattered and that He be glorified in your life. Throughout the earth’s history, every man or woman that has been used mightily by God has had this in common: they wanted God’s name to be glorified, especially in their lives. If you would also make that your number one prayer request, God will cause your life to shine like the sun in its strength. To read more about prayer, understanding concepts and principles of the Kingdom of God, and how to live as God intended, read my book The Government upon His Shoulder: Ordering and Establishing the Kingdom; and visit my website www.amazingkingdom.com.
To be continued…
Coming Soon… A book specifically about prayer in the kingdom by Anderick Biddle.
Anderick Biddle, author of The Government upon His Shoulder: Ordering and Establishing the Kingdom, teaches people the concepts and principles necessary to understand how to live as citizens of the Kingdom of God- NOW! Visit his website at www.amazingkingdom.com for more articles and audio clips about God’s Kingdom and Bible Prophecy in today’s headlines.
