Give us this day our daily bread.  Matthew 6:11, KJV

A youth was speaking admirably of his father when he said, “When Dad’s in trouble, he almost always prays.”  Many of us are like that.  When we’re facing danger, we are quick to call on the Almighty to get us out of a tough spot.  Many of our prayers are filled with rather personal requests–“Lord, give me this and give me that”–often asking for financial blessings, which we tend to think would solve all our problems.

When the disciples came to Jesus and requested that He teach them how to pray, He mentioned six specific requests.  You’ll find them all in the prayer we refer to as The Lord’s Prayer, recorded in Matthew 6. Of those six petitions or requests, the first three focused on God’s rule on earth, and had nothing to do with personal needs.  “Hallowed or holy be Your name, Your kingdom come, and Your will be done.”

The next three requests or petitions were very personal–our daily bread, God’s forgiveness for our failures, and the request for God’s guidance.

Let’s notice how unselfish the requests of our Lord were.  The first thing Jesus asked was for the name of the Father to be holy.  Let your name be holy!  A strange request?  Possibly, but a necessary one today.  We tend to think of a holy man as a strange, out-of-touch individual who drapes a dirty sheet around him and contemplates religious activities as he lets his beard grow.  But two concepts are behind the word Jesus used:  (1) The idea of separation from that which is profane, and (2) purity.  Today, men know less about the nature and character of God than perhaps any generation, yet those same individuals have profaned the name of God, almost striving to make it a gutter word, not understanding what they are doing.  Jesus says, “Remember, He is a holy God!” which doesn’t mean that He is angry or indifferent.  His nature and character are without blemish and He’s pure, without the compromise or corruption that marks us.

Then Jesus said we are to pray, “Thy kingdom come!” or “Let your kingdom come.”  What does it mean?  First, when I pray, “Thy kingdom come!”  I am asking God to rule and reign in the affairs of life today.  Beyond that, I am asking Him to have His way in my own life personally.  Jesus told us that “the kingdom of God is within” (Luke 17:21), which means I must also let the Sovereign Lord of the universe reign in my own life, personally.

There is a kingdom within our hearts which many of us want to rule ourselves.  It’s the dark recesses of our will which are often dominated by our selfish desires, yet when we pray for the kingdom to come, we are asking the Almighty to take control, and that decision is an individual, personal one.

At the present time, Elizabeth Regina is Queen of Great Britain.  But one of these days, she will probably be succeeded.  At that time, the Archbishop of Canterbury will assemble the royalty and the peers of the kingdom in Great Britain in Westminster Abbey, and repeat the words which have been voiced by his predecessors for hundreds of years as he says, “Sires, I present to you your rightful king.  Are you ready to pay homage?”  Then there will be a thunderous ovation and the Archbishop, as the highest official of the Church of England, will place the crown upon his head.  And, he will be the rightful king. It is something every Christian must do.

 

Resource reading: 1 John 5:13-21.