We are willing to be God-centered, it seems, as long as God is man-centered.
~John Piper (God is the Gospel)
Don’t be that guy. Everybody knows a legend. He could have thrown a football a quarter-mile back in ’82 but now he’s a garbage man. He doesn’t mind being a garbage man because in his mind he’s in the middle of a stadium filled with people chanting his name. Any sensible person would say “C’mon man, Get over yourself!” He bosses people around because he can and he gets upset when he doesn’t get things his way. “Man, don’t you know who I am?”
Sometimes we can become legends in our own minds when we pray; our past successes make us worthy to approach God however we want. We think that prayer is for us. We think that just because God doesn’t talk back verbally we have an instant pass to talk about ourselves for as long as we want—like a one-sided conversation. There’s a whole lot that comes before asking for things when you pray. Prayer is not just for you. It’s also for God. So, what’s prayer if it’s not just a way to ask for things that you can’t get yourself? Christ gives us a great picture of some things that must precede our requests.
Matt. 6:9-13
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: (When you pray…pray this way,)
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. (emphasis added)
Before you start asking for things, take a look at whom you’re praying to. Pray with God’s intentions in mind. The phrase “On earth as it is in heaven” is the key to understanding this first section; it actually modifies all three parts of the introduction.
May your name be hallowed as it is in heaven.
May your kingdom come as it is in heaven.
May your will be done as it is in heaven.
Hallowed be your name: Is your goal in prayer to exalt God’s name to the degree that it is in heaven? Imagine with me how God’s name is exalted in heaven. Is that possible to do on earth? I don’t know. But the intention here is to say that your prayer must have the same goal as God has in heaven: to exalt his name.
Your kingdom come: There is an aspect where God’s kingdom is coming in the future and in a way he has begun to establish it already in our hearts as believers. Is it one of your goals in prayer to await the kingdom? Is it one of your goals to further his kingdom while you’re on this earth?
Your will be done: God’s will is what God wants. It’s that simple. Is what you want what you thing God would want? That must be the focus of your prayers.
You must unite with God’s purpose as you pray. What you want must be what he wants. Establish a common goal with God. Work towards it together. He’s given us information about what He wants in the Bible. Find out what He wants and start aligning your requests to what you know about Him. Start wanting what He wants. In this way, when you get to the end of the prayer you can actually say: “In Jesus name, Amen.” What you are basically saying is “God, I think that what I’m praying is something that Christ would have wanted if He were on this earth.” In that way you can give Christ, your Intercessor, requests that He would have brought before the Father, and He can bring them on your behalf.
Develop common goals with God.
Want what He wants.
