At our five15 BIG MEETING on Saturday, Joe Lee preached to us from Matthew 6:10, telling us what it means to pray that the Lord’s will be done and his kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Joe explained that by praying this prayer, we are asking God that heavenly realities would begin to take place now. This prayer takes our gaze off the present and puts it on the future, and it should affect us in two ways:

1. It Confronts Us

This prayer exposes the ungodly desires in our hearts. It helps us see where we are more interested in doing our own wills than the Lord’s will. God helps us bend our wills to his will.

For parents, this may mean seeing your teens from God’s perspective, helping you grow in patience and compassion towards them.

For teens, this may mean killing independence and the desire to make decisions about music, movies, friends, etc. on your own.

2. It Commits Us

This prayer helps us to commit to obey God. Theologian Sinclair Ferguson explains:

“When we pray that God’s will be done, we are not blindly committing ourselves to ‘let things happen’ with a fatalistic attitude! No, such a prayer implies that we ourselves will seek out and then do the will of God.”

This prayer helps us take a step of obedient action, whether it be respect, gossip, lying, or confessing a hidden area of sin. Prayer leads to action. Don’t get preoccupied with how it is hard to pray. Instead, fix your eyes on Christ, talk to him, and watch your prayer life grow.

Some questions for discussion:

1. Where do you need to confront your desire to do your own will?
2. Where do you need to make a commitment to obey God?

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