What is the point in praying? It is important to ask this question because a major survey produced by one of our respected polling organisations Com Res, published last weekend, found that one in twenty people in the United Kingdom had prayed to God for the very first time in their lives during this corona virus pandemic.
Is there an overall purpose behind the activity that the majority of the world population engages in at some time in their lives? After all committed Christians (and people of other faiths) hopefully are engaged in it on a daily basis! Prayer is one of the most difficult things we will ever do, yet it is also one of the most natural activities a child of God can ever take part in.
It is acknowledged that Jesus spent significant amounts of time engaged in prayer and had extended times for it at the key points of His ministry. Over the history of the Christian Church the major figures all testified to its importance in their own lives and numerous quotations have been cited over the years from their writings.
What is the reason for all this activity and what have they (and we) been praying for? The answer in general terms should be contained in the two petitions contained in Matthew 6 verse 10, that these things may be done on earth as it is in heaven. In this message we will look at the first of these two petitions –Your kingdom come…The Bible draws our attention to two main things on this subject:
1.The plan for God’s kingdom Some of us like to be organised and plan out our lives days, weeks, months or even a year or more ahead of time. Other people by contrast are happy to go with the flow and let things drift. What does the Bible indicate are God’s plans for humanity?
In Genesis 1:26-30, right at the beginning of the history, it states that we are created in the image of God with responsibility for the planet. We have a privileged position to rule over other creatures, but we also have the greatest responsibility for taking care of our world.
How well are we caring for the planet? Any report that was remotely truthful would suggest we have caused a lot of damage to the environment by our lifestyle choices as a species. For example, in the twenty-first century billions are spent on armaments, yet to our shame an alarming proportion of the world’s population don’t have access to clean drinking water or adequate toilet facilities, is this acceptable? I hope not! The pollution of our oceans with all kind of waste especially various forms of plastic products is truly shocking.
It has been a wake-up call seeing the regeneration of rivers and the incredible improvements in air quality in parts of Asia after lock down was introduced. How will we contribute to keeping it that way when restrictions on our activities are lifted? These are big questions,
God also planned for human beings to be in a relationship with Him and to enjoy fellowship with Him. In Genesis chapters eleven to twelve we see a focus by God on calling one man Abraham and his family to promote God’s good news to the world.
God had made it plain that His rule and principles would be proclaimed by this man and His descendants and out of His family would come Jesus Christ, who would usher in His kingdom. Yet this blessing would not be only for Israel but for the nations, indeed all peoples of the earth would share in this blessing as they acknowledged His lordship.
The rule of this descendant of David would last forever. From the 120 people present in Jerusalem on the day the Christian Church began, the good news is that there are people in every country of the world who seek to live for Him, approximately 2.3 billion people. God’s kingdom is growing, as Jesus predicted it would, from small beginnings. Have you put your faith and trust in God through Jesus? God invites you personally to be a part of what He is doing in the world? What is your response?
2. The prayers for God’s kingdom
What should I be praying for? Where do I begin to pray for a very needy world? It begins first of all with a personalresponse to God to say: ‘God, I am sorry I have been living for me and what I want, rather than thinking about You and what you desire. I want to play my part in bringing in Your kingdom, of changing this world into more of the way it should be.
We can feel inadequate to make any difference at all, but Jesus reminded us in the parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:32-33) that it begins in a small way and will grow incredibly large. Our calling is to change the world one situation or one person at a time. But what is most important, said Jesus, is getting our priorities right about what is most important.
In the Sermon on the Mount, He gave this challenge to those present: But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well(Matthew 6:34); the prayer Jesus taught His disciples was an incredible challenge to change their and our thinking to conform to what God wants to happen in the world. May Your kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven. May this be our prayer today and in coming days.
Our song for reflection today is: ‘Great is the darkness that covers the earth’
Brian Talbot