Monday - Pray Like This

Welcome to daily prayer!

This week, we continue our series on The Lord’s Prayer entitled “Pray Like This”.

We will be considering the phrase “Your Kingdom Come” throughout the week using the guide PRAY. At any time, you can pause this recording if you need to spend more time praying about something specific.  

Pause and Praise

Let’s begin our time by pausing and trying to quiet ourselves before our Father.

(Silence)

Father, I give you everything that is vying for my attention right now. I trust you with the circumstances of my life. Any specific circumstances…

Thank you for your invitation from your Word that I can cast all my anxiety on You, because You care for me! Father, what an incredible truth, that you care for me!

Reading and Rejoicing

Today’s scripture is Colossians 1:12-14.

…giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 

Did you notice the action words, delivered and transferred, are in the past tense. From our Father’s perspective, the transaction has already taken place! It is easy to live as though one day we will be a part of Jesus’ kingdom in eternity. The reality is that as followers of Jesus, we are already citizens of His eternal kingdom. Therefore, we are dual citizens. We live in this earthly, temporal kingdom, but our true citizenship is in the eternal kingdom. As a matter of fact, Peter in one of his letters referred to us, Jesus followers, as aliens and strangers in this earthly kingdom.  

Let’s rejoice in the truth of this scripture!

Father, thank you for qualifying me to share in your incredible inheritance! I rejoice that you have delivered me from the domain of darkness and transferred me to the kingdom of your beloved son! Thank you for my redemption, the forgiveness of my sin!!

Acknowledging Needs

This reality of being dual citizens in two different kingdoms creates conflict in us. How do I live as a citizen of Jesus’ eternal kingdom while operating in this temporal worldly kingdom?

Father, forgive me for too often prioritizing this temporal kingdom above your eternal kingdom. I confess that I feel the pull and even the desire to live my life like this world says to live. Forgive me for living for the temporal instead of the eternal!

Is there a specific issue or area of life where you feel the conflict between the two kingdoms right now? If so, take a moment to speak with the Father about it.

Let’s listen to the scripture once again.

…giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 

Yes. Saying yes and yielding.

Father, I make this declaration before you…

You have qualified me to share in your inheritance.  

You have delivered me from the domain of darkness.

You have transferred me to the kingdom of your beloved son.

I have been redeemed.

Because that is true of me…

I want to say yes to living the way you say is best.

I want to yield to the principals of the eternal kingdom not this earthly one.

I want to represent You and the eternal kingdom as I live and walk about the earth. 

Holy Spirit, help me, empower me to live according to this declaration!

Lord’s Prayer

Let’s close today by saying together the prayer that we are studying in this series…

Our Father in heaven. Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen