Prayer Premise 2

By Ifeoluwa Fatoki

Devotional Reading: “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’” (Mat 6:9-10 NIV)

Having established a relationship with God as the first premise of prayer, we then move on to the second premise. From our anchor text, we discover that our prayer must be kingdom-centered and that God’s will must be our priority.

Let us take a cue from the prayer Hannah, the mother of Samuel. The Bible tells us of her ordeal as a barren woman, and how she endured many taunts from Peninnah. She needed a son for many reasons. She needed a son to preserve her lot in her husband, she needed a son, so she could be addressed as a mother. She needed a son to respond to Peninnah. But her prayer proved otherwise.

Her words of prayer go thus: “…O Lord of armies, if you will truly take note of the sorrow of your servant, not turning away from me but keeping me in mind, and will give me a man-child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut. (1Sa 1:11 BBE)

Of all the reasons why Hannah prayed for a son, she prayed because she needed a gift to give to the Lord. This came at a time when God was in search of a man to continue the priesthood, and by seeking the advancement of God’s kingdom above her pleasures, Hannah illustrated this premise of prayer.

Beloved, rather than build your prayers on self-will and self-centeredness, turn them to God-centered and watch tremendous results come your way.

Prayer and Confession
Dear Father, I refuse to seek my will any longer. Rather I commit to Your will and the advancement of Your Kingdom

Further Reading: 1 Samuel 1:1-28; James 4:1-3