Your Kingdom & Your Will

A few months ago in church our pastor challenged us to pray the Lord’s Prayer every morning and night for a week. I’m not sure why, but when pastors throw out little challenges like that, they never really stick with me. It’s not that I disagree or think that they are unimportant, I simply never remember. For some reason this one hit me and that night it was clearly on my mind to say the words I had known my whole life:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

 your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

 Give us today our daily bread.  

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6: 9-13

It’s been several months and I’ve continued to pray this prayer every morning and night and God continues to teach me through these all too familiar words. Most of all – “Your kingdom come and Your will be done.” It’s so convicting for me to pray for God’s fame and God’s glory and not my own. It’s pure surrender to pray for God’s will to be done in me and in my day, and not my own.