How To Pray To The King
I thank God that He winks at ignorance. The more this revelation deepens, the more I cringe as I think about my prayer life. Let's begin with Matthew 6.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. 10 Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
In this portion of scripture, Jesus gives us an outline. In v.v. 9-10, Jesus begins with the most important key to communication with God. That key is recognition. When we enter into the presence of God, we must address God as the King that He is. Jesus opens by saying, 'Our Father,' but shortly after speaks of the Kingdom. Anyone who has a kingdom must be a King.
Why is that so important? Because to recognize God as King, humbly recognizes that you are both His child and His servant. It is imperative to our communication with God that we keep His Lordship at the forefront of our minds. When we come to God, it should be with respect and reverence. This is why Jesus blesses God in His prayer with, "Hallowed be Thy name." He doesn't just BARGE in with petitions. He doesn't say, "Hey God - I need you to do this and that and do it by such time." No, He comes in respectfully and with gifts.
The next thing Jesus shows (v.10) us is to honor the Will of the Father. This works in conjunction with recognition. Why? Because to honor the Will of the Father is to submit yourself to the King. It is this way that He becomes Lord in our lives. It is the only means by which we can petition Him - being ready to accept His judgment in either yay or nay. When I put His will before mine, I am saying, "I know that I can't see everything from my small portion of the Kingdom. But I know that the Lord oversees ALL and He is a better equipped to make a judgment."
Jesus teaches us that we must recognize our Father as King with the confession of our mouths, and we must put His will before our own. All this must be done before we petition Him.
And when we are done petitioning holy things to God, we must exit in the same manner. We must thank Him for entertaining our presence in reverence. We must recognize (confess) Who He is. (To remind us who we are to Him.) We must exalt Him and bles
