Read Matthew 6:9-15
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven.” Matthew 6:10 (NASB)
In this passage Jesus teaches us how to pray. Each portion of His teaching gives us an important aspect of prayer. Verse 10 reminds us that God has a plan for our church. Our church is a part of God’s kingdom. His desire is that His kingdom penetrates neighborhoods, communities, cities, and ultimately the world with the gospel. When we pray, “Your kingdom come,” we are praying for God to work in and through our church to extend His kingdom.
When God views our church, He sees it’s potential. In the mind of God, He envisions what it can and should become in the future. We call that “God’s preferred future.” He loves our church so much He doesn’t want it to remain where it is today. He has in mind a “preferred future.”
When we pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” we are asking God to reveal to us what He envisions for us. Through prayer we discern “next steps.” When entering into a church revitalization process, the voice we need to hear above all others is the voice of God through prayer.
