“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
— Jesus
“Prayer is how God gives us so many of the unimaginable things he has for us. Indeed, prayer makes it safe for God to give us many of the things we most desire. It is the way we know God, the way we finally treat God as God. Prayer is simply the key to everything we need to do and be in life.”
— Tim Keller
HOW DO YOU PRAY?
This past week, a friend asked me a simple yet thoughtful question: How do you pray?
What started as a casual conversation quickly turned into something deeper—a discussion about the Lord’s Prayer, about seeking God’s will before our own, about how prayer isn’t just bringing our needs to God but shaping our hearts to carry His burdens.
As we talked, I found myself reflecting on my own prayer life.
How often do I pray with the right priorities? How often do I seek His will above my own desires? And how often do I, without even realizing it, pray the Lord’s Prayer backwards—starting with my own wants, my own comfort, my own peace, before ever acknowledging His holiness and His kingdom?
This isn’t just a theoretical problem. It’s a cultural one. We have been formed by a world that tells us our kingdom is the priority. But Jesus teaches to seek His kingdom first. And when we do, everything else falls into place.
WHAT IF ALL YOUR PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED?
Take a moment and ask yourself this: If every single prayer I prayed in the last month was answered, whose life would be different?
Would entire families be transformed? Would the nations be changed? Would revival sweep through your city? Would the poor be lifted up, the lost saved, and the kingdom of God advanced?
Or would only your own circumstances be improved?
Would your life just be a little easier? Would your bank account be a little fuller, your body a little healthier, your schedule a little lighter?
Most of us, if we’re honest, pray primarily for personal peace, success, and comfort.
We pray for provision, but not for purity.
We pray for ease, but not for endurance.
We pray for protection, but not for boldness.
We ask for peace, but not for power to advance the gospel.
And while there is nothing wrong with bringing our needs before God—He invites us to do so—when all our prayers revolve around ourselves, we are missing something vital.
What if the early church had prayed like we do?
Would the gospel have spread if the apostles prayed for safety instead of boldness?
Would Paul have written his letters if he had only asked for release from prison instead of the advancement of the kingdom?
What if Jesus had prayed like we do?
Would He have gone to the cross if His greatest concern was His own comfort?
The Lord’s Prayer gives us a blueprint for how to pray rightly. And too often, we flip that blueprint upside down.
Jesus calls us to a different way.
PRAYING THE LORD'S PRAYER BACKWARDS
He teaches us to pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
But many of us, without realizing it, have inverted the framework of the Lord’s prayer.
We start with our own needs, asking for provision, help, and comfort.
We ask for forgiveness—but often only in a general sense, rather than truly confessing and repenting.
After that, we might pray for guidance and protection—but mostly for ourselves.
And only after all that do we sometimes get around to praying for His kingdom, His will, and His glory.
It’s a backwards prayer.
And it reveals our priorities.
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO PRAYER
So how are we to pray? How do we use the Lord’s Prayer as it was intended—not as a script to repeat mindlessly, but as a framework for prioritizing the things of God?
Here’s one way to practically walk through it:
Start with worship.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
Begin by acknowledging who God is. He is holy. He is sovereign. He is near. Let your heart be reoriented toward awe and reverence. Lord, make Your name great in my life, my family, my city, and my world. May You be exalted above all things.
Seek His kingdom first.
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Before bringing your own needs, ask: What does He want? What is His will? Pray for the advancement of His kingdom—through you, your church, your city, and the world. Let my ambitions shrink before the advance of Your kingdom. Work in the hearts of those far from You.
Bring your needs before Him.
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Notice that this comes after seeking His kingdom. Our needs matter, but they are rightly ordered after His priorities. Ask for provision, wisdom, and strength—but in light of His will.
Confess and extend forgiveness.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Don’t just skim past this. Confess your sins. Name them. Receive His grace. Then ask for the strength to forgive others as you have been forgiven.
Pray for guidance and protection.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Ask Him to keep you from stumbling. To guard your heart. To give you wisdom in decisions and strength against sin.
This is how Jesus taught us to pray. This is how we shift from self-centered prayers to kingdom-minded prayers.
A FINAL CHARGE
God is not asking you to stop praying for yourself. He is asking you to lift your vision—to widen your scope, to align your heart with His, to make His kingdom the priority.
If our prayers are self-centered, then the only life that will be changed by them is our own.
But if we pray as Jesus taught—starting with God’s glory and surrendering to His will—then our lives will become a part of something much larger than us.
As a mentor of mine told me years ago: “When a man forgets himself he will typically do something that everyone will remember.
So, take your burdens to the throne. And if you don’t yet have burdens for the things of God, get on your knees until you do.
Watch as He shapes your heart, your desires, and your very life.
Don’t waste your prayers on temporary comforts.
Seek His kingdom first.
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