Seeking His Kingdom

In the mornings, fresh out of bed, drowsy from sleep, I bumble towards a dark and quiet space in my studio apartment to connect with my Heavenly Father. Sometimes it’s funny to look back at my prayers and assess what they consist of. They have a tendency to center around my worries and concerns. Lots of my wants. My career, my day, my family, my work, better work for me, me me me my my mine. We're pretty great at focusing on our selves. I know this from personal experience.

Lately, though, I've been struck by the example of "how to pray" which Jesus gave in Matthew 6. It's so simple, and so little about us. Maybe not so little, but the focus is strikingly different than my prayers tend to be. The prayer is ten lines long, equally split into two halves: the first five lines focus on the Father and His Kingdom, the second five focus on us living in His Kingdom. The overarching theme, if there is one, is God's Kingdom. 

"Our Father, who is 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 forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one. (Matt 6:9-13)"

Just after this, in His sermon on the Mount, Jesus outlines what our focus should be. Don't worry about all the little things in life like what you'll eat or drink or wear. Because, as he’s already said by now, all we need to do is hand all that off to God in one simple sentence: "Give us today our daily bread." My actual trust in God is so tiny that often all my attention with Him is on my tiny little self, but Jesus only gives one line of prayer about that. And he encourages us, in all areas of life and at all times, to "Seek first the kingdom OF GOD and HIS rightness, and all those other things will be added to us (Matt 6:33)." 

It is interesting that Jesus used the word 'added' here. It implies that if seeking His kingdom and righteousness isn't present in our lives first, then He doesn't have the right setting to add those other provisions to. How can you add the eggs and milk into a cookie recipe if there is no flour or sugar to mix it into? The best you can make of that is scrambled eggs, which are delicious in their own right, but nothing like warm cookies -- especially if it's cookies you're trying to make. You first need to seek the Kingdom of God in every moment of your life. Then he can add the other stuff. 

What if our imaginations were filled with ways to live out God's dreams and desires in the world around us? That's what the Kingdom of God is: "Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth (where we live and many thing happen which He does not want) as it is in Heaven (where He lives and rules perfectly). This is obviously not yet fully accomplished, otherwise Jesus wouldn't have prayed for it to happen. But contrastly, most of our prayers ask God to build up our little kingdoms, build our realm of influence; they’re centered around our personal desires, and are for our gain and glory. Those aren't bad things to go after, but they’ll be much fuller and better when they’re not for us--not for our sake--but for His. Trust God to provide for your needs by seeking first His dreams for every situation. And carry His Kingdom to every place you set your foot.