Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10).

There is a childhood song that teaches, “When it’s hardest to pray, pray hardest.” Jesus helped us follow that instruction by teaching us how to pray when life is so hard that we can hardly collect the words or thoughts to pray.

When I can hardly pray through my pain, I can still pray the words Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer. Through years of resorting to, and resting in, the words of Jesus, I’ve learned that the petitions of this prayer are not a string of unrelated requests.

While each petition has a specific focus, the golden thread that knits these petitions together is found in asking God to do what best fulfills his kingdom’s purposes – asking that his will be done.

Behind this simple request in the Lord’s prayer is a profound truth: when we ask God to do what he knows is best, then we will be most blessed.

The petition for God’s will to be done in and through our lives is the key to abiding in God’s love and peace. Jesus prayed for God’s kingdom purposes even as the cross loomed before him. When Jesus prayed not my will, but yours be done, then he endured the challenge, rejoicing that he was fulfilling the gracious purposes of the Father he loved (Heb. 12:2).

When we pray this way, treasuring kingdom purposes above earthly desires, then Jesus’ peace, power, and joy are our daily blessing for eternity. We pray with assurance that a Heavenly Father will do as he knows is best for all.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me always to prioritize your will in my prayers so that I may experience the power, peace, and joy that you intend for today and for eternity.