One of the biggest barriers to growing spiritually and sustaining a desire for God is when we think we are self-sufficient in life. 

It’s especially true, living in an affluent city like ours, where we don’t have to worry about basic necessities like food, shelter, and safety. 

If we need anything, it’s available to us with a simple click of a button. If we want more, we are capable of earning more with our various side hustles. And if we fall ill, we have the resources with our reliable healthcare to get back on our feet quickly again.  

So it’s no surprise that we can easily live our lives believing more what the world teaches us, which is, that we can control our own destiny simply by trusting in our own abilities. 

And as Christians, we can go so far as believing that we are doing well spiritually, while still primarily living for ourselves and for our own glory. 

But in today’s passage in Revelation 3:14-20, Jesus graciously gives a reality check many of us desperately need, as did, the church of Laodicea. 

But he also offers an invitation to anyone who wants to fellowship with him, and to know how much more wonderful he is than anything the world has to offer.  

In Philippians 1:1-8, we see how the Apostle Paul couldn’t stand being apart from the church family.

He longed to be with them again. He yearned for them with the affection of Christ.

Now is this the same way that we feel about our church family? 

Do we yearn for each other, long to be together, with the affection of Christ?

In Acts 4, Peter and John bravely declared that obeying God is more important than obeying human authorities. This points directly to Jesus who perfectly obeyed the Father even when it led to persecution.Jesus stood before the religious leaders who opposed him, and he remained faithful to God’s plan even when they condemned him to a cross.Similarly today, we sometimes face pressure to stay silent about Jesus.But we can draw on the same courage that Peter and John had, knowing that Jesus is alive and well.Because of our salvation in Christ, we can stand firm in our obedience to Him. We follow in his footsteps and look forward to spending eternity in heaven with him.

Jesus’ story didn’t end on Good Friday. 

Early Sunday morning, the ground began to shake. That stone was rolled away. His buried body began to breathe. The Son of Man rose again and ascended to God’s right hand to be worshiped by angels and men according to the Father’s plan.

In Him, the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

Through Him, He reconciled all things to Himself.

By Him, everything was created in heaven and on earth.

To Him, be the glory, the head of the church.

He lives forever. He reigns on high. Forever He will be magnified.

God’s Kingdom, His power and glory, is magnified in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Whenever you find yourself in a difficult situation, sometimes the bravest thing you can do is to admit that you’re stuck, or to ask for help.

Jesus gave us words for moments like this. Words to pray when we feel afraid, weak or overwhelmed. 

One of them is the last phrase of the Lord’s Prayer: “But deliver us from evil.”

The Lord’s Prayer is not for the strong. It’s not for the self-assured. It’s not for those who believe they can handle life on their own.Rather, it is a prayer for the weak. It is for those who know how easily their heart can wander. It’s for those who have stumbled before and know they can stumble again.And that is what makes this prayer such a gift. Jesus gives us permission to come before the Father, not with our strength on display, but with our need lay bare.

What’s the point in asking God for forgiveness, if we’re already forgiven by God?The fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us out debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” isn’t about justification. It’s not about asking God to be made righteous in his sight based on Christ’s righteousness.It’s about restoring daily fellowship and intimacy with our heavenly Father.God is not only our judge who pronounces us as innocent or guilty. God is also our Father in heaven. This is the primary lens in which we are to approach God in prayer. Just as we are to pray for our daily bread, we are to pray for our daily forgiveness. Why? Because sin is what hinders us from our fellowship with God. And if relational intimacy with God is not something that you want. Then something is off.Either your heart is hardened towards God or you love something or someone more than God.

When it comes to the fourth petition in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” the vast majority of scholars today believe this petition is actually talking about bread. And this includes all of our daily needs such as food, water, clothing, and shelter.

God cares when we pray these big kingdom-size prayers (the first three petitions of the Lord’s prayer), but He also cares about the mundane and ordinary prayers of our every day life.

He cares about our spiritual needs as well as our physical needs. But the order matters.

As we come to the fourth petition, we have to keep in mind the first three petitions. And if we do so, we will have the proper perspective.

We all have moments when the ground shifts under our feet, when life turns in a direction that we didn’t expect. 

Suddenly the future seems uncertain, and we’re left asking, “What now?”

Maybe it’s a cancer diagnosis. Maybe it’s watching your own marriage fall apart. Maybe it’s at work where you’re giving everything you have but you’re not sure how long you can continue. 

It’s in moments like those when our prayers get real and simple. We don’t have the strength to be eloquent, instead we have just enough strength to be honest.

That’s exactly when we need the words Jesus gave us, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

And the beauty of this prayer is that it’s not a sign of defeat, but rather it’s a declaration of trust.   

Everyone draws lines, we build walls, we defend our turf because we have this drive for control.Deep inside, many of us are exhausted from trying to rule our own lives. But thank God, He steps in and reminds us that this is not our kingdom, but His.His kingdom is not fragile or temporary. It is a kingdom of love, justice, and peace.And it is good news that He is king and not us.That’s why Jesus teaches us to pray, “Your kingdom come.”It’s a prayer of surrender and a prayer that reorients our hearts.