AWAKE MICRO PRAYER “THY KINGDOM COME”
When you encounter Jesus a whole lot comes with him. His initiative to save, connect us to himself, change the atmosphere, fill our bodies, and bring us to life are a first taste of the WHOLE LOT WE GET. In John 15 we read how disconnected from Jesus we can do nothing. For those who abide, fruit comes. Abide is to stay connected think like your cell phone, regularly come to him for the charge you need. And when you only charge a few min you don’t have confidence it will hold. You are unsure if it will die on you during your FaceTime convo. BUT with connection you have confidence. A fruitful life is promised. And in this orchard of abundant fruitfulness comes an ability to pray extravagant prayers, Princess Bride prayers, as you wish prayers.
“IF YOU REMAIN IN ME AND MY WORDS REMAIN IN YOU, ASK WHATEVER YOU WISH” (v. 7) Let that sink in.
How can I get to this place of confidence? It starts with getting right with God. In one of our zoom times I was trying to discuss how sin works against connection. It’s like when Angus our dog does wrong. It messes with his confidence of my love. He shames himself. He withdraws from looking directly at me. Connection isn’t the same as when he’s playing fetch with a stick or when I’m cutting fresh bread and he is locked on me with an expectation of something good. Wherever and whenever you read this start expecting God in a good way. We put faith that our phones will charge when we connect them. Have faith in the connection of prayer. Trust it to be good. Trust God’s word. Trust God’s gift of forgiveness. Trust his strength in your weakness.
In Psalm 20:7 SOME TRUST IN _____________ AND SOME TRUST IN _____________, BUT WE TRUST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD.
Trust builds confidence. 1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
Read John 15.
1. REMAIN IN JESUS (like you have a regular habit for charging your phone, develop the same daily habit for connecting to God in prayer.)
2. LET HIS WORDS REMAIN IN YOU (again like our phones to run the YOUVERSION bible app you have to have downloaded the app)
Part of remaining in Jesus is praying the prayer taught by Jesus. Putting his words into our life and actions. Connecting to God as Father and seeing him right. See value here. Have you ever prayed “THE LORD’S PRAYER”? It’s a prayer Jesus taught his followers to pray.
“OUR FATHER”
“Holy is your name”
“Thy Kingdom Come” which seems like a dialect of the english language similar to people in the midwest talking to us, we don’t use often or understand if we are from anywhere else in the US. We say in our dialect “thy kingdom come” all the time. We are saying it when we say, God come close.
Come near. Come over here. I want to really meet Jesus. I want more of you! More God than what people say to me about you. AND when He comes close HE brings a whole network of help with HIM it’s a KINGDOM. More on that in a min.
Jesus teaches us we should pray for this every time we pray.
This “THY KINGDOM COME” is a full on statement. It isn’t a question. Its’ a third person command. Jesus is teaching us to pray with confidence. We are bold. The command is current, a now, like right now Lord command. Immediate. Like if I call to a friend to get in the car. I’ll say, “come on let’s go.” And preferably right now. Eh?
Matt. 26:53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once, put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
Make the call. Let’s understand what this call looks like, say a quick prayer and ask to understand Jesus dialect by listening to his words and description about prayer. Use scripture to understand scripture. Read LUKE 18
v. 6 and the Lord said “Listen to what the unjust judge says, 7 and will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?
Want to start a justice movement? Start a prayer movement. True prayer is a move of justice. When the kingdom of God comes justice comes with it. Don’t hold back in prayer, if Jesus can fall on his face and speak out loud his prayers to the Father so can we. Matt 26:39 Jesus, fell on his face and prayed, saying
Ok so Jesus comes close. God our Father comes close. Justice comes quickly. You might ask, what else comes close when I pray “THY KINGDOM COME” Char?
Hebrews 12 fills this in and is a helpful translator for understanding “thy kingdom come.” Look at verses 18-29.
First it defines what it’s not!
It’s not terrifying.
It’s not a death sentence.
It’s not gloom and doom.
What is it then? It’s a totally different mood.
It’s HEAVENLY.
It is the city of the living God. Mount Zion is metaphorically God’s place of being, where HE dwells.
It’s innumerable angels. (Think Verizon wireless commercial here, a network of tech and help for God’s will to be done where you are.)
It’s full of the spirits of the righteous made perfect. Men made right by Christ. You and I made right by Christ.
We come to GOD the judge of all. (This is total authority, Lord of the hosts Psalm 24:10.)
To the general assembly.
To Jesus the mediator of the new covenant and his blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Abel’s blood cried out to God in Gen. and cried out for justice requiring discipline upon Cain for his murder. Christ blood cries out forgiveness and mercy.)
TO HIS is voice. (God’s voice breaks the cedars. Psalm 29:5, My sheep hear my voice. John 10:27-28)
THIS KINGDOM can not be shaken.
So when you pray “THY KINGDOM COME” it is powerful. There should be an awe and reverence, and a deep gratitude of thanks spilling out to the great Shepherd of God’s people, to the God of Peace. (Hebrews 12:28, 13:20)
This faith prays centered from the anchor of belief. (Hebrews 11:6) When you believe that HE exists you know HE rewards those who earnestly seek HIM. Thy kingdom come brings us the confidence of reward, an assurance each effort, all labor for God in the service of others comes with reward.
SO REMAIN IN JESUS, STAY IN HIS WORD, AND ASK FOR HIS KINGDOM TO COME.
For a visual description read Rev 5:11-14
