Hidden in Plain Sight: When You Pray

When we pray the Lord’s prayer, “Our father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”, what are we praying for?

I. : In order to see the kingdom, we have to it.

• What are you seeking first?
  • What we seek first reveals what we truly prioritize in our lives.

• Jesus invites us to approach our lives differently, saying seek first the kingdom of God.
  • “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
  • 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
  • 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:25, 27, 31-33
    

II. : In order to see the kingdom, we have to it.

• 20 “One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. 21You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” Luke 17:20-21 NLT 
  • Even though the religious rule keepers can’t see it, the Kingdom of God is literally hidden in plain sight. 

III. : When God reveals His kingdom, we are given the opportunity to swap our for His. 

• “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.”  Matthew 13:44 NLT 
  • He sold everything to take possession of what he found hidden in plain sight that no one else could see. 
  • When you seek it you see it…. when you see it you can swap it… but some still choose to not care.

• “Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Mark 10:21 NLT
  • This was the man’s moment to swap what he had in his hand for what Jesus had, but instead, he went away sad, because he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

• 36 “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own ? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul?” Mark 8:36-37 NLT
  • Many are at a crossroads between keeping the relationships, experiences, identities, and material things or selling them off for what God has for you.
  • There is an eternal blessing and responsibility that goes along with leaving behind the old kingdom for the Kingdom of God.