We pray for so many things. I saw two prayer requests this week for sick and suffering dogs. I think that is legitimate. Those who lifted the requests loved their animals. Our prayers should reflect the concerns and passions of our hearts. But it is crucial for us to have right priorities of desire and concerns. Jesus told us to seek first the kingdom of God. Are you praying for the kingdom?
The day will come when the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. In 2 Peter 3:11-12 we find these words.
"Since all these things are to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening, the coming of the day of God."
We are to wait for and hasten that day. Now let me ask you what we could do to hasten the culmination of history?
It is legitimate to pray as John prayed at the end of The Revelation. "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" But there is more that we can do and pray in this regard. In Matthew 24 Jesus gave us signs of the end times. And in verse 14 He said, "This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all people groups, and then the end will come."
Are you praying for the spread of the gospel, the spread of the Kingdom? Do you have lists of missionaries that you pray for every day? Are you praying for the gospel to be brought to unreached and unengaged people groups? www.operationworld.org/ is great place to begin. They have the definitive prayer guide for people groups around the world. You can also find information on praying for the spread of the gospel at www.imb.org/ or on the websites of other mission agencies. We can pray for His kingdom to come.
Next week we will look at praying for God's will.
http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/
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Comments
David, I couldn't agree more. In fact, I encourage anyone whom the Lord stirs to join me in my two-year journey through Operation World here on PrayNetwork. Here's the link, or just see my home page and follow the link from there.
http://www.pray.network/group/operationworld/forum/topics/pray-toda...
I couldn't agree more about praying kingdom prayers. I believe that should be our first concern and should occupy the majority of our intercession. The priority of praying for advancement of the kingdom is seen even in the prayer Jesus taught us - the very first petition was for God's kingdom to come. Yes, we pray for daily bread - but the kingdom comes first.
Having said that, I'm also coming to understand that many folks are limited in their kingdom impact precisely because of the so-called "daily" needs they have - whether physical, financial, etc. In the right context, praying for people's personal needs can itself be a prayer for the advancement of the kingdom, if our prayers are oriented towards God's glory and the believer's maturity in the midst of those circumstances - and for his ultimate honor as he answers those prayers.