The God-Centered Heart of Prayer

by Joshua Mills

Do you know the importance of prayer in the Christian life? As we come to Scripture, we see that our prayer life can never be separated from the rest of our Christian walk. It is often said, “We pray as we live, and we live as we pray.”

Well then, how are we to pray? What are we to pray for?

I fear that this current season has drawn our eyes off Kingdom priorities. I fear that the enemy has wisely crafted a plan to make us lose sight of the Church’s mission and purpose. Christian, we must go into all the world and preach the gospel! We must do this out of sincere love and genuine concern for fallen humanity (Matthew 9:35–38).

Remember, sinners are not changed by culture. Rather, culture is changed by sinners transformed by the power of the gospel. Keep gospel priorities before your eyes! If this gospel is before us, it will inevitably shape how we pray.

I want to draw your attention to the first half of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9–10 (ESV). In the broader context of this passage, Jesus has just addressed the manner in which we are to pray (vv. 5–8). Next, our Savior transitions to the matter of our prayers (vv. 9–13). He begins by saying, “Pray then like this” (v. 9).

In other words, Jesus is showing us the priorities we must have in prayer. First of all, prayer must begin by focusing on God. Notice the God-ward focus at the beginning of this prayer (vv. 9–10). The first half of the prayer is entirely centered on God—His nature, His name, His kingdom, and His will.

“Our Father in heaven” (v. 9)

If we are to pray rightly, we must know the One to whom we come. Jesus reminds His disciples that in prayer, we come before our Father. What a glorious truth!

By virtue of our union with Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, we are now children of God. We have been adopted into His household. The Holy Spirit enables us to cry, “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15).

Second, do you know where our Father dwells? Jesus tells us He dwells in heaven. Heaven is the sphere where God lives and reigns without any boundaries or limitations. In prayer, we come before our Father in heaven.

We come to the Father through Christ, by the help of the Holy Spirit. Our Father in heaven is not like an earthly father. Earthly fathers are finite and limited. But the psalmist reminds us, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” (Psalm 115:3).

Take heart, Christian. When you pray, you are coming before the sovereign Ruler of the skies. Not only that—He is your Father by virtue of your union with Christ. The God who created, sustains, and directs all things according to His plans and purposes is your Father in heaven (Genesis 1:1; Romans 11:36).

“Hallowed be your name” (v. 9)

What should we pray about when we come before the throne of grace? The first item of prayer is the hallowing of God’s name.

The name of God embodies all that He is. It encompasses all of His glorious attributes. This is seen in two passages of Scripture:

Exodus 3:13–15
Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Exodus 34:5–7
The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty…”

Therefore, to hallow God’s name is to make Him known in all His glorious attributes. It is to pray that He would be exalted in all the earth. It is to join the psalmist in declaring:

Psalm 96:3–4
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.

Do your prayers begin with worship? So often, we bring our wants first. I challenge you to begin by remembering who God is. Praise Him first for His character. Before we can truly pray, we must behold God in all His glory and ask that His glory would be made known.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (v. 10)

The final two requests in the first half of the Lord’s Prayer focus on the coming of God’s kingdom and His will being done.

When we pray, “Your kingdom come,” we express the desire that God’s reign would extend in the world through the preaching of the gospel. By the working of the Holy Spirit, lives are being changed and the Church is being built up.

When we pray, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we ask God to transform the lives of individuals so that they would walk in obedience to Him by the power and help of the Spirit.

Concluding Thoughts

As we close, let me ask you gently: During this current season of your life, have you been holding fast to Kingdom priorities in your prayers? Or perhaps, like many of us, have you struggled to keep the mission of the Church before you?

My friend, take heed to this exhortation. In the opening part of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus reminds us that the advancement of God’s kingdom, through the preaching of the gospel, takes precedence over our own needs.

During this season, we must pray that God would advance the gospel in great power. As unbelievers are confronted with the reality of death, pray that the gospel would come to them in saving power.

Do not let your prayer life be lost in the chaos of this world. Fix your mind upon eternal realities. Pray to live with the reality of eternity—both heaven and hell—ever before you. Pray that God would stamp eternity upon your heart.

This article is part of our series The Discipline and Power of Prayer at Servants of Grace. 

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