Kingdom Prayers

Kingdom Prayers

[Jesus said,] “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Matthew 16:18

A LOT OF GOOD THINGS are happening in the world. You wouldn’t know that from news media—we’re fed a constant stream of horrendous events and destructive criticism—but the Holy Spirit is moving in powerful ways. Our perception, though, is that things are getting worse and worse. And the more we let that perception settle in, the more we tend to pray defensively and fearfully. We find ourselves asking God to prevent bad things from happening more than we ask him to work powerfully to advance his Kingdom. We ask him to be a shield rather than a warrior.

There’s nothing wrong with asking God to be a shield, but fear and dread are not gifts of the Spirit. They are never meant to be the energy behind our prayers. In his mercy, God certainly answers many of our fear-based prayers and provides protection and provision in response to our pleas. We can see this clearly in the Psalms; many of them begin in crisis and end with gratitude. But when our worries become the basis of our prayer life—when most of our conversations with God are filled with requests for him to prevent problems—we are emphasizing the wrong things. In many cases, we make ourselves victims and think only about how we want him to defend us from the next crisis.

Go on the offensive. One of our primary missions on this planet is to set captives free, pray God’s power into enemy territory, and advance the Kingdom of God. We are to storm the prisons where powers of darkness hold their victims—to destroy the works of the evil one, just as our Master did (1 John 3:8). That begins on our knees, with expectation and faith. Prayer based on fear is necessary in a pinch. Prayer based on confidence in the mission of God should be the norm. When we are moved by his love, inspired by faith, and bold enough to ask for huge, powerful works from his hand, we begin to look past the headlines and notice what he is doing in the world. We see the Kingdom coming and the gates of hell bending to his plans.

God wants us to be victors, not victims; . . . to overcome, not to be overwhelmed.