Glory to God!
“For as the waters fill the sea,
Habakkuk 2:14 NLT
the earth will be filled with an awareness
of the glory of the Lord.”
Winter always reminds me of promises… the promise of spring and the new life it will bring, the promise of warmth that will break through the bitter cold, and the promise of light that will brighten our dull, gray world. And in the part of the world where I live, Christmas comes in winter, so it also reminds me of the promises of God.
Last week, we talked about God’s glory and having faith in His promises. And I shared part of a reading by Max Lucado that inspired the title of last week’s post. This week we will continue our discussion of the glory of God, this time with a focus on prayer. To get us started, I want to share this: It’s a video of Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus in the series The Chosen, praying the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic…
“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Matthew 6:9-13 KJV
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.”
There’s just something really cool about hearing these words in the language Jesus would have used to teach this prayer to His disciples. And it gives us the perfect starting point for a discussion of prayer. This may seem like an odd choice for a Christmastime post, but bear with me. I think you’ll see Christmas is the perfect time to focus on prayer, God’s promises, and God’s glory!
Thy Kingdom Come
“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”
Colossians 1:13-14 NLT
When God sent His Son to earth, He fulfilled all of the promises and prophecies in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah, and He brought His Kingdom of Light to a world full of darkness. So Jesus Himself is the fulfillment of thousands of prayers by God’s people! And by His death and resurrection, He purchased our salvation and made us co-heirs in God’s Kingdom. This means Christmas is a celebration of fulfilled promises and answered prayers, as well as a promise of hope for the future.
God’s Kingdom will come to earth in all it’s glory someday when Christ returns. In the meantime, we are still living in a winter world — a world full of promises of light and life — but a world that is often cold and dark. By accepting Christ, we become God’s children. So, as Christians, we have become members of a royal family, and we have a responsibility to do the work of His Kingdom: We are called to help bring about God’s will on earth.
“Jesus tells us . . . , ‘When you pray, pray like this.
Max Lucado
“Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come.”‘
When you say, ‘Thy kingdom come,’
you are inviting the Messiah himself to walk into your world. . . .
This is no feeble request; it’s a bold appeal for God to occupy every corner of your life.
[And] who are you to ask such a thing?
Who are you to ask God to take control of your world?
You are his child, for heaven’s sake! And so you ask boldly.”
Thy Will Be Done
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,
Matthew 6:33 NLT
and he will give you everything you need.”
When we seek God’s Kingdom above everything else, we will be empowered to do His work. Through His Spirit, who resides in the heart of every believer, we are given the wisdom and strength that we need to accomplish His will. This means that our prayers will be answered. Jesus promised in John 15:7 that when we abide in Him, we can ask whatever we wish and it will be done. That’s pretty amazing! But the key is learning to align our hearts with His.
God promises that when we seek Him, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13, Deuteronomy 4:29, Proverbs 8:17). So when we pray, we must learn to shift our focus from ourselves and our own desires to God and what He wants. That’s how we can unleash the supernatural power that resides in each one of us and accomplish great things for God’s Kingdom!
I mentioned that the title of last week’s post, You Can Bet Your Sweet December, came from something I read by Max Lucado, and I quoted part of it. Here is a more complete version:
“To pray, ‘Thy will be done’ is to seek the heart of God. . . .
Max Lucado
[So] what is his heart? His passion? He wants you to know it.
Shall God hide from us what he is going to do? Apparently not, for he has gone to great lengths to reveal his will to us.
Could he have done more than send his Son to lead us?
Could he have done more than give his word to teach us?
Could he have done more than orchestrate events to awaken us?
Could he have done more than send his Holy Spirit to counsel us?
God is not the God of confusion, and wherever he sees sincere seekers with confused hearts, you can bet your sweet December that he will do whatever it takes to help them see his will.”
For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory Forever
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16 ESV
The point of all of this — prayer, Christmas, God’s promises, our lives, the world, the entire universe — is God’s glory. It’s all about Him. We are called to take part in His work to bring about His Kingdom for His glory. Period. It’s not about what we want, and that’s good news! Because God’s wisdom, power, goodness, and love are infinitely beyond our own. He knows what’s best. And He knows how to save us from ourselves, because He’s already done so.
God sent His Son, the Light of the World, to rescue us from the darkness we brought upon it. And now He empowers us to shine His light to others. Someday, Christ will return and His glory will break through the cold darkness of this world and fill it with new life. But until then, we all have work to do. In the words of Isaiah, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1 ESV).
So, let’s embrace it. Because when we learn to focus beyond ourselves and pray to bring about God’s Kingdom according to His will, we can make miracles happen! “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed . . .” (Isaiah 40:5 ESV).
“Your prayer on earth activates God’s power in heaven, and ‘God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.’ . . . Your prayers move God to change the world. You may not understand the mystery of prayer. You don’t need to. But this much is clear:
Max Lucado
Actions in heaven begin when someone prays on earth.”
God’s Kingdom first came to earth in the form of a baby boy. When Mary learned of the miracle she carried, she sang, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior . . . ” (Luke 1:46-47 NIV). She was blessed because she believed that God would fulfill His promises to her. And He did!
This week’s Scripture passages remind us that when we pray in Jesus’ name for God’s glory to be revealed, He will hear us and He will answer. We have the Holy Spirit interceding for us and empowering us for God’s work, so we must believe in the power of prayer. And we must always remember:
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV
“Glory to God in highest heaven,
Luke 2:14 NLT
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
References:
- “Jonathan prays ‘Our Father’ in Aramaic over thousands.” YouTube, uploaded by The Chosen, 30 June 2022, https://youtu.be/Z8iw5_rpABU.
- Lucado, Max. Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. J. Countryman, 2000.
Images:
- Frost featured image by Bonnie Kolarik from Pixabay
- Frozen River image by Maksim Romashkin: https://www.pexels.com/photo/abstract-background-of-frozen-river-with-rough-surface-7108217/
- Ice and Snow image by Shreyas Sane: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-a-frozen-water-7822989/
- Branches image by Anna Popović on Unsplash
- Lights image by Francesco Paggiaro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/shallow-focus-photography-of-black-string-light-731188/
- Earth image by LoganArt from Pixabay
About The Author
Christa
My vision for Wondertakings was to create a devotional blog for "nerdy" Christians like me. I do believe, as Socrates said, that wisdom begins in wonder. So I love to read or watch anything that inspires wonder and figure out what I can learn from it. I view it all through a Christian lens. I believe that God can and does speak through many sources in many ways, even if those speaking are not aware of it. I am not an expert in theology or religious studies. My goal with this blog is simply to share what I've learned as a fellow student and sinner in the Christian walk. My hope and my prayer is that by doing so I may be able to help someone else. In Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT), we are told: "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives. . . ." So in the words of Moses (and Spock), live long and prosper, my friends!