Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 11: 1-13 "A DEEPER COMPREHENSION OF PRAYER"
Day 134 – Luke 11
Text: Luke 11: 1-13
A DEEPER COMPREHENSION OF PRAYER
The Disciples had asked their Master to teach them how to pray! As they listened to what Jesus taught them, they became aware of the depth of prayer! It was more than just saying words, for that would be worse than meaninglessness! It was more than just going through the motions of bowing the head and uttering rehearsed words offered as prayers!
Prayer was true communion with God as Father. Praying meant entering into the Presence of God Himself. One enters carefully into the Presence of He who dwells in Heaven. Yet, prayer is also a precious privilege, for it is also communion with One whom we may address as “Our Father in Heaven”.
Naturally, one must sense His holiness. One would automatically also seek to hallow His Name! That would be the most natural thing to do in prayer!
These things take time to understand and absorb. These thoughts are not easy to understand, let alone practise. The Disciples must have begun to appreciate just why their Master would take so long to commune with His Father in prayer. One cannot rush through the offering of prayers. Prayer requires depth of comprehension. Prayer requires depth of thought as well.
Is there more to prayer? Yes! The Lord Jesus had just begun opening the understanding of His Disciples as to the depth and dimensions of prayer!
“YOUR KINGDOM COME…” Luke 11:2
As the Disciples became aware of what it means to stand before God in prayer, they began also to realize and to desire that His Kingdom would come to earth! Prayer was not a means to obtaining one’s selfish ends!
Praying to God in depth means sensitizing oneself to things spiritual! There is so much more to God than just seeing Him as a means to an end! As the Disciples stood at the throne of grace, as they fixed their eyes on God as Father, their hearts must have desired what Jesus Himself sought to do – to bring about God’s Kingdom to earth.
Suddenly the message that they had heard from the lips of their beloved Master – “Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand…” began to make great sense! What could be greater than to have God’s kingdom established on earth?
“THE KINGDOM OF GOD”
What was the “Kingdom of God?” The Disciples must first understand what the Kingdom of God was, before they could pray for it to come meaningfully! Let’s take a quick survey of the idea of the Kingdom of God as revealed in the Scriptures…
1. Israel was familiar with their ancient history of having a monarch to rule over the nation. The idea of an earthly political kingdom was not in the mind of the Lord Jesus when He taught the Disciples to pray for the Kingdom of God to come.
2. The Prophets of God used to prophesy about a special kingdom that would come one day! None other than the Messiah Himself would usher that Kingdom in.
a) Isaiah prophesied that there would be no end to the Kingdom of the Messiah (Isaiah 9:6-7)
b) Daniel described the day when “the God of Heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed� and it shall stand forever.” (Daniel 2:44)
The Message that Jesus preached favoured the second idea of the Kingdom of God. However, this spiritual Kingdom of God was set up differently from that of an earthly kingdom.
Whereas an iron fist sets up earthly kingdoms sometimes, the Kingdom of God was something to be prayed for! The Disciples were challenged to pray that God’s Kingdom would come!
WHY MUST WE PRAY FOR GOD’S KINGDOM TO COME?
Daniel correctly described God and His Kingdom thus,
“How great are His signs,
and how mighty His wonders!
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And His dominion is from generation to generation.”
Daniel 4:3
God’s universal Kingdom already exists! He is already Sovereign over all! Daniel made another important observation in his book,
“…that the living may know
That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,
(He) gives it to whomever He will…”
Daniel 4:17
God can superimpose His sovereign and Divine will over the kingdom of men. He can set up one kingdom and put down another effortlessly.
However, in the spiritual realm, God’s kingdom is to be prayed into the hearts of men. God will not force Himself to be acknowledged as King in the hearts of men. Instead, He seeks to show men the following things…
1. What He is like as King…
2. What kind of a kingdom He wishes to establish…
3. What kind of a life His kingdom offers…
4. How men may enter into His glorious kingdom…
The Lord Jesus preached Repentance as a necessary pre-requisite for entrance into the Kingdom of God. He proclaimed His Father as King in that glorious Kingdom. He now urged His Disciples to pray that God’s Kingdom be established on earth.
What an awesome thought to digest! Only those who have entered into the Presence of the Heavenly King would understand the significance of the words… “Your Kingdom come…”
Let us seek to enter into a deeper understanding of the Kingdom of God in prayer! Let us begin to pray with humility and awe… “Your Kingdom come…”
Webmaster’s Note :
If you are seeking a deeper level of understanding of prayer, please check out Pastor Charlie Tan’s excellent weekly articles on The Theology of Prayer , which includes a more indepth study of The Lord’s Prayer and how it applies to our prayer-life.