Just thinking......about praying for God's Kingdom

[computerwiz]

Why would Jesus tell us to pray for God's Kingdom if the date was already set?  🤔  As if our prayers could speed it up or something?

 

Could it be that Jehovah looked into the future to see when we all get serious about our prayers about the Kingdom, and then set a date accordingly?  🤔🤔🤔

 

We know Jehovah has feelings and our suffering tugs at his heart.  So perhaps we need to get more specific and voluminous in our prayers?  Perhaps we all need to start listing out all our sufferings AND the sufferings of His people....every person we can think of.  In the congregation.  In our JW News.  Russia, Ukraine, etc.  Perhaps we need to "keep on knocking" with all this info in all our prayers on a regular basis, so it tugs at His heart strings and He finally has enough of what this wicked world is doing to His people and gets the show on the road?  Perhaps if we all make a concerted effort to do that in our prayers.....even the ones "not suffering" that much.  🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

 

Exodus 2:23-24 (notice how they continued to groan & cry out)

 

Exodus 3:7-8

 

Judges 3:9

 

Isaiah 30:19

 

And many more...

 

I think it is worthwhile to make it a personal study project to see the specificness of prayers in the Bible.  The content.  How long they are.  The similarities between the ones Jehovah answers.  How many are answered for self verses prayers for others.  We know the basics: it should be in harmony with His will & we can't be wicked when we're trying to pray to Jehovah.  We know thanksgiving & supplication & one other category I'm forgetting at the moment.  But I feel (at least in my case) it's time to dig deeper.  Of course, I'm not suggesting we have lengthy prayers in front of the congregation.  We know better than that.  

 

I'm not trying to "rush" the end, I desire all to be saved like Jehovah does.  But we were told to pray about it.  So....

 

Just some thoughts....

 

[BLEmom]

Isn’t it about the complete out working of what the kingdom is even currently accomplishing?

Since 1914 many things have been accomplished and are being accomplished as part of the coming of the kingdom. The gathering of the chosen ones, the gathering of the great crowd, proclaiming the name of Jehovah in all the earth, etc.

We are just waiting for phase 2 as it were. 

Also, both during the time of the Israelites in Egypt and when in Jerusalem, prophecy already stated how long those periods would last. Prayer would not change that length of time. 

 

It is similar now. By prayer we keep close in mind the kingdom and all it is doing and will do. We show that we are submitting to that kingdom. However, Jehovah has a timetable for replacing the kingdoms of the earth. The prophecy is a little less specific this time but it’s there. “This generation will by no means pass away…”

[davanz]

I have wondered about something you mentioned Jeremy, praying on behalf of others. For example, it is probably safe to say that we all pray regularly on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Russia. We may ask Jehovah to grant them enough faith, endurance and courage to make the right reply to Satan, even though it may mean prison time. 

 

Now, just imagine that many of us stopped praying on their behalf. Would Jehovah reduce his support and help for those ones?

 

I don't think so, as I believe he would grant them help regardless of anyone praying for them. However, to pray on behalf of others is very clearly a Biblical directive, so it must have some value. I think it is more for us to regularly let Jehovah know that we have sympathy for our fellow believers and certainly agree that they need and deserve his help.

 

So, maybe the same with praying for the Kingdom, (which is already in place in the heavens), to come. It lets Jehovah know that we recognize it as Jehovah's method to correct all the wrong and evil on earth and that we fully support that arrangement.

[Beggar for the Spirit]

On 8/23/2024 at 10:42 AM, computerwiz said:

Why would Jesus tell us to pray for God's Kingdom if the date was already set?  🤔  As if our prayers could speed it up or something?

 

Hi Jeremy, 

When Jesus told his disciples how they should pray, the request for God’s Kingdom to “come” is not about timing or a date, but about expressing to God your personal desire and how you are in agreement that this heavenly government which you believe is Jehovah’s means of expressing His rightful sovereignty over the earth and is His instrument to sanctify His name! Our prayer for the Kingdom to “come” is directly connected to what Jesus told us to pray for also, “let your name be sanctified”.

 

Also when we pray for His Kingdom to “come”, we are not focusing on the timing of when the Kingdom will come, but we are supplicating for divine intervention! This shows Jehovah that we are in heart harmony with His Sovereignty and that we believe that His Kingdom is the only solution for all the problems on Earth. 

 

Also when we pray for His Kingdom to come, we are acknowledging that we are sinners and that we are exercising faith in the Ransom! How is this so? Because the Ransom is linked to the Kingdom because it is by means of the Ransom that 144,000 humans are saved and will make up this Heavenly Kingdom with Jesus, and they will help administer the benefits of the ransom.

 

Similar to how a picture is worth a 1000 words, when we pray for His Kingdom to “come”, this 1 simple word has great worth to Jehovah as it expreses our full support that Jehovah’s will takes place, “…as in heaven, also on earth.”  👑 

 

Edited August 24 by Beggar for the Spirit

[Timl1980]

On 8/23/2024 at 11:42 AM, computerwiz said:

I think it is worthwhile to make it a personal study project to see the specificness of prayers in the Bible.  The content.  How long they are.  The similarities between the ones Jehovah answers.  How many are answered for self verses prayers for others.  We know the basics: it should be in harmony with His will & we can't be wicked when we're trying to pray to Jehovah.  We know thanksgiving & supplication & one other category I'm forgetting at the moment.  But I feel (at least in my case) it's time to dig deeper. 

 

I really like this idea, Jeremy. Even in my own case, I have found that, sometimes, I take the very act of prayer...for granted...simply because, as long as I am physically alive...no one can take that away from me.

 

But the truth is...some prayers are simply not acceptable to Jehovah...and that fact alone makes the very nature of prayer subject to a need for deep personal study...to make sure my prayers are in fact being heard and are acceptable to him.

 

In that personal study, we will inevitably run across many ideas and "tweaks" that will make our prayers more personal and have a greater depth...even if it's just understanding certain scriptural principles regarding prayer to a higher degree. 

 

I agree with all the comments thus far on the subject...and have nothing to add on that score...so I will just leave it there.😊

[jdcarlson]

It is not that we are praying for Jehovah's Kingdom to come into existence. That has already happened. It has been in operation in the heavens for over 100 years.

 

What we pray for is for Jehovah's kingdom to EXERCISE ITS AUTHORITY ON THE EARTH.

 

Sometimes we do not pay enough attention to how we express ourselves precisley.

 

Sometime we do the same thing talking about the "fall" of Babylon the Great and the "destruction" of BTG. These are distince, eparate event.

 

The fall of Babylon the Great has already occured;

 

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1989320?q=fall+of+Babylon+the+Great&p=doc

 

What we are waiting for is the destruction of Babylon the Great.

 

We need to learn to use specificity when we are talking about fulfillment of propheciess with similar wording.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim