Prayer is Submission to God (Week 1 Prayer, Day 2)
"Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10
Prayer is one of the greatest tools God gives us to connect to Him, but how does this work? Once we receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, we are adopted into the family of God and receive His Spirit into our lives (Romans 8:15-16). Prayer connects our soul, which is now saved, to the Spirit of God that lives within us. Our souls are made up of our Minds or intellect, Hearts or emotions, and our Wills or desires. By praying "your kingdom come, and your will be done" to Father God, we submit unto Him, His will and way, and His Lordship.
God's Kingdom
Remember that the basis of prayer is relationship and honor. Hence, as we declare that our desire is for God's Kingdom to be active in our lives, we submit to Him and honor our Heavenly Father. What is the Kingdom of God? It is God's law, society, and economy. By asking for His Kingdom to come, we submit our ideas of law, society, and economy to His. Yes, we live in a natural kingdom that has laws, a society, and an economy, but we are only in this world and not of this world (John 17:15-16). That means that as we ask for God's Kingdom to be activated in our lives, it will be manifested in the natural kingdom in which we live. We won't have it unless we ask for it (James 4:2). Jesus teaches us to pray this statement so that God's kingdom will be active in our lives.
God's Will
God's will is also an essential part of submission through prayer. Yes, the palmist says He will give us the desires of our hearts, but that is only after we delight ourselves in Him. That means that our delight is to please Him. When we pray, we must pray according to His will and not ours (1 John 5:14). We can ask for all kinds of things, but if it is not God's will, He does not grant the request. Why is it essential to submit to His will and not follow ours? His ways are above ours, and He sees things we cannot. As our Father, he wants the best for us. To go against that means we think we know more than the one who created us. It is foolish of us not to desire His will for our lives.
Let's Begin
Posture is vital in prayer. The posture of our soul matters, so as we always start our prayers by honoring God, knowing we are praying from a place of relationship, sometimes we need to do something physical to help us posture our hearts. This is why we suggest bowing your head or kneeling. These physical postures remind us that our soul is in submission to God. These things are not requirements, but they can help us focus. Finding a quiet place can also help as we seek the Lord. I encourage you to do whatever you need as you step into a posture of prayer today.
Activity
Yesterday we started by honoring our Father because this is what Jesus taught us to do, so let's start the same way today. Express to God how much you care for Him and appreciate Him. Then, think about areas where you focus more on the secular world than His Kingdom. Think about areas of your life where submitting your will is difficult for you. Try listing them by writing them down so you can look at them. Then ask God for ways to release these areas to Him. Look up specific verses of scripture that pertain to these areas and put the direction they give into action in your life. Let's submit our lives to God, for this is the reason for the 21-days of consecration.
It may be uncomfortable for you, but seek areas in your life where you are holding back from God.
Thank Him for the grace to submit them to Him.
Thank Him for loving you even when you don't get it right.
Keep the conversation going through the day so that He can reveal more to you.