Reid Ferguson reminds us that prayer begins with aligning our hearts to God’s purposes: hallowing His name and longing for His Kingdom. In three powerful steps, we seek His rule within us, through us, and ultimately in Christ’s return. This posture transforms our fears into trust, grounding us in His majesty and reign. Let us begin here, resting in the assurance of His sovereignty amidst life’s chaos. —Reid Ferguson
So we’ve begun this look at prayer as a means to bring our own hearts and minds into tune with God’s great plans and purposes. Jesus teaches us to begin with a plea for the Father’s name to be rightly revered, respected and “hallowed.” For in the final analysis, nothing can be of greater importance than for God to be seen and related to rightly for who and what He is. It is the ultimate blessing for us as creatures. It is the end of all of Christ’s work. It overthrows everything of the Fall.
And in the moment, it shores up the heart of the fainting saint. When you are facing big things – you need to see your truly big God.
This, Jesus asks us to consider in our prayers of first importance. We do not need to linger long there; though at times, we may begin turning our thoughts this way in prayer, and may find it an umbrella to all else we pray. But spend a few moments before Him considering this, and the rest will flow.
Secondly, He asks to pray that the Father’s Kingdom might come – might be fully manifested. Once again we see the hinge to vs. 33 – “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
And here, is a most vital matter for our hearts to consider before His throne – and that in 3 ways above all others.
1 – Heavenly Father – let your kingdom come IN me. Rule me. Own me. Possess me fully. Fill me with your Spirit so that Christ dwells in my heart through faith. Bring my emotions, my perceptions, my attitudes, my plans and purposes, my desires and aspirations, my responses to all peoples and circumstances under the hand of your absolute Lordship. Let Christ reign unopposed in my heart and mind. Take command over every last vestige atom of sin within me. Let every word that comes from my mouth and the very strains of my thought-life be wholly acceptable to you; for you are my rock and my redeemer. Your Kingdom come – in me.
2 – Heavenly Father, let your kingdom come THROUGH me. Make me a sower of the Gospel in all the world around me. Advance your kingdom in granting opportunities to call the lost to faith in Christ, and to bless and strengthen my brothers and sisters in Christ. Help me to be of use in the building of your Church. Use me as your agent where your infinite wisdom deems best. I care nothing for the theater of my service, only that I serve you when and where and how your Providence deems most useful to that end. Give your Gospel great success; subdue the hearts of your enemies through it. Advance and expand your Church and its influence with great power. Your kingdom come.
3 – Heavenly Father, send Jesus to rule and reign manifestly on this earth. We pray for His return. We cry that You might put down all sin and rebellion in all the cosmos. That indeed, every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to your praise and glory. Establish your Kingdom in His return. Send Him Father. Let Him break the nations with a rod of iron. Let Him judge all mankind in truth and righteousness. Let Him overthrow every human government and be established as your true, anointed king. Heavenly Father, your kingdom come.
Beloved, spend a few moments to be reminded of the great glory of our God and king – in calming the heart and mind before Him in the hallowing of His name – and then seek Him to finish the work He has begun. Seek to enter into it yourself. Seek to have all sin and its tendencies to be brought under His tender yoke within you, until the day when in His appearing, all sin is at last done away with.
Start here. Train the mind to go to these places first. It need not take long. But it will transform your inner man to rest and glory in Him – when all the world around you seems chaos and frightening.
Our Father, ruling and reigning in majesty above, may your name be restored in all the universe, and may your will be done on this earth even as it is in Heaven – immediately, unopposed and to the fullest degree. Amen.
Reid Ferguson
A highly respected conference speaker, teacher and writer, Reid served for many years as Senior Pastor of the Evangelical Church of Fairport (ECF) in Fairport, NY. Throughout his many years in the faith he has made it his ambition to encourage God’s saints. Visit his blog at ResponsiveReiding.com.
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