Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done

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I should have mentioned this in the last post, but here are the seven petitions:

Thy Name be hallowed
Thy Kingdom come
Thy Will be done
Give us our daily bread
Forgive us our debts
Lead us not into temptation
Deliver us from evil

Notice the first three are all about God and the last 4 concern us. The Lord's prayer begins and ends with the Father. It is good for prayer to begin with God. I'm afraid more often than not, my prayers begin with me. But this is not the model given by our Lord.

Praying "Thy Kingdom come" is maybe the most difficult part of the Lord's prayer for me. It means that I desire God's kingdom above my own. I have often wished that I would accomplish certain objectives before the Lord's return. But praying Thy Kingdom Come means setting aside my goals for the goal of the master.

Praying "Thy Kingdom Come" means seeking God's kingdom on earth here and now. It means seeking out justice for the oppressed and the fatherless. It means keeping ourselves from being polluted by the world. In it, but not of it.

Praying "Thy Will Be Done" is another check on our motivation. Am I praying that God's will be done, or that MY will be done?

The Lord's prayer so far is more about God and less about us. Can you pray this way?

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