The Lord's Prayer
Devotion
"Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven."
Matthew 6:10
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven."
Matthew 6:10
The Lord's Prayer is like a diamond with many different facets - Jesus is teaching us to pray this prayer containing so many different forms of prayer; adoration, submission, spiritual warfare, confession, petition - it's all in there. But the form of prayer I want to say a bit more about here, is intercession. Or more concretely the part of intercession where we seek God for him to reveal what his will is so we can work with him. That is what intercession is. We work with God, through our prayers, in seeing his will breaking through in situations and lives here on earth.
One place where I really get to practice this at the moment is when we, with our church, go out once a month to pray for people on the street. Here we 100% rely on God to be able to minister to the people on the street, and it has been incredibly beautiful to experience how God moves by his Spirit and leads us in prayer as we intercede and minister to people we have never met before. We don't know them, we don't know their needs, but he does. And because we don't know them - but he does, we are so depended on him to know how to pray.
On our prayer on the street Sundays, one team stays back to pray and one team goes out on the street to offer prayer to people. The team that goes out brings with them small gifts with a prophetic word written on. These are words or short sentences that the team has put together while seeking God for words to pass on to those we meet. And as we go out we pray that the right person will pick up the right word, a word that will speak directly to them. Time and time again we have experienced just this; how the people we meet pull out a word or sentence that God knew would be the word they needed to hear. How incredible it is to be able to work alongside God in this way.
And while the team is out approaching people, the team staying back continues to seek God as they pray and intercede. And also here, time and time again, have we experienced that as we've been praying for something we feel God prompts us to pray for, in comes a prayer request from the team on the street - asking for prayer for a person they've met, lining up with what we just been prayed for. And we are realise that we've already been praying into their situation, without knowing it - but simply being led by His Spirit.
So, why am I sharing all of this with you. Well, maybe I'm encouraging you to start a similar ministry where you are. But more than that I wanted to share this with you as an encouragement to seek God when you pray for people, listen to him for words to pray over them, and as you intercede for them - work together with God in praying His will into their lives. And then, take up the courage to share this word with them. Let them know that you've been praying for them, and in a very natural way tell them that you thought of this word, or image, sentence while you prayed. Simply share it with them and see how a word from God can open the way for Him to do His work in their lives.
One place where I really get to practice this at the moment is when we, with our church, go out once a month to pray for people on the street. Here we 100% rely on God to be able to minister to the people on the street, and it has been incredibly beautiful to experience how God moves by his Spirit and leads us in prayer as we intercede and minister to people we have never met before. We don't know them, we don't know their needs, but he does. And because we don't know them - but he does, we are so depended on him to know how to pray.
On our prayer on the street Sundays, one team stays back to pray and one team goes out on the street to offer prayer to people. The team that goes out brings with them small gifts with a prophetic word written on. These are words or short sentences that the team has put together while seeking God for words to pass on to those we meet. And as we go out we pray that the right person will pick up the right word, a word that will speak directly to them. Time and time again we have experienced just this; how the people we meet pull out a word or sentence that God knew would be the word they needed to hear. How incredible it is to be able to work alongside God in this way.
And while the team is out approaching people, the team staying back continues to seek God as they pray and intercede. And also here, time and time again, have we experienced that as we've been praying for something we feel God prompts us to pray for, in comes a prayer request from the team on the street - asking for prayer for a person they've met, lining up with what we just been prayed for. And we are realise that we've already been praying into their situation, without knowing it - but simply being led by His Spirit.
So, why am I sharing all of this with you. Well, maybe I'm encouraging you to start a similar ministry where you are. But more than that I wanted to share this with you as an encouragement to seek God when you pray for people, listen to him for words to pray over them, and as you intercede for them - work together with God in praying His will into their lives. And then, take up the courage to share this word with them. Let them know that you've been praying for them, and in a very natural way tell them that you thought of this word, or image, sentence while you prayed. Simply share it with them and see how a word from God can open the way for Him to do His work in their lives.
Apply
- Write down the first 3 names that comes to your mind to pray this prayer for: God have your way, God your Kingdom break through!
- Make time and place to intercede for these 3 by name. As you pray for them, ask God to share his heart with you. Ask him for a word, an image or a sentence. What is he up to in their lives, what is his will? Pray into this according to how you hear him speak.
- Unless it is something you feel you shouldn't at this time share with them, take up the courage to share. Let them know that you have been praying for them, and in a natural way share with them what you thought of while you prayed.
- Now that you have got so far, take up the courage to offer them prayer there and then. And while you pray, pay attention to the Holy Spirit, trusting that he will lead you to pray as you bless this person, praying God's will over their life.
Prayer
Dear God,
I want to finish this devotion by saying thank you. Thank you God that you invite us to partner with you in this way. Thank you Jesus that you taught us to pray this prayer; Our Father in heaven, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done. And thank you that through partnering with you, we can pray the Father's will into peoples' lives and see it break through. Teach us Jesus how do to this; whatever we see the Father is doing, that is what we pray into people lives as we intercede for them. Your will, your way, your kingdom come! Thank you for inviting us on this adventure together with you.
Amen
I want to finish this devotion by saying thank you. Thank you God that you invite us to partner with you in this way. Thank you Jesus that you taught us to pray this prayer; Our Father in heaven, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done. And thank you that through partnering with you, we can pray the Father's will into peoples' lives and see it break through. Teach us Jesus how do to this; whatever we see the Father is doing, that is what we pray into people lives as we intercede for them. Your will, your way, your kingdom come! Thank you for inviting us on this adventure together with you.
Amen
This Everyday Devotions was written by Elisabeth Radtke, who is a Deacon at our Croydon Plant.
If you would like to listen to the whole of this week’s sermon on The Lord's Prayer why not download the Everyday Church App or visit our website, YouTube Channel and at our Online Church Services.
This Everyday Devotions is accompanied by a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube Channel.
Follow our Everyday Devotions Playlist for some songs to help you worship God in Spirit and truth this week.
If you would like to listen to the whole of this week’s sermon on The Lord's Prayer why not download the Everyday Church App or visit our website, YouTube Channel and at our Online Church Services.
This Everyday Devotions is accompanied by a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube Channel.
Follow our Everyday Devotions Playlist for some songs to help you worship God in Spirit and truth this week.