Thy Kingdom Come

Many years ago, I started the habit of journaling. I call it journalism but really it is praying on paper. It all started when I found myself worried about some issues that just continued ruminating in my head. Over and over again I found the same thoughts swirling around in my thoughts. Naturally, nothing profitable came from this.

One day I started praying to God on paper just as I would have spoken to him from my heart. What I found was that I was able to organize my thoughts. By looking at my writing, I was able to not only formalize thoughts, but also get a better perspective of what I was really worried about.  In addition I found that as the issues were formed into words and words into concepts, what had been a worry in my heart, slowly became a prayer.

Proverbs 3:5 says to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Journalism seems to help me with this. Remember when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray? He replied to say these words. "Our Father who art in heaven, hollowed be they name.Thy kingdom come thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."  Over my years of praying I have been taught many things. Mostly, I have been taught to "talk" to him just I would talk to anyone. So how does what Jesus taught, line up with what the preachers have taught me over the years?

I have learned to combine the two, but to pray regardless. For the sake of this post, I will pull from a passage I wrote dated 2-4-94. In it, I am surprised that I was concerned about what was going on in our country. Like my concern today, our Nation is still in trouble.  But during that time, this is part of what I wrote.

Our Father who art in heaven, I praise you and thank you for who you are. You are a wonderful God. Your word says that when we come to you, our Heavenly Father, we should come to you in the name of your son, Jesus. By doing this, you will answer us and lend your ear toward us. I come to you now, thanking you for your goodness and mercy. I lift up our land to you. Father, forgive our country. I petition you to forgive our impurities and our ugliness. I thank you Lord that your mercy abounds. I thank you that there is no road that is so crooked that it cannot be straightened by your perfect creation.

Today, I would add these words. My Lord and My God, Holy are you. As you look down. From your heavenly kingdom, I ask that you make your kingdom ...the perfect kingdom of heaven, come down and inhabit this earth. Send your Holy Fire to burn away all the ugliness that is buried in the depth of our heart.  Oh Lord, please bring your kingdom here and let this kingdom age become what you have made in heaven...perfect and sinless in every way with no health problems and no argument from the political powers that reign. Lord, I ask of your heavenly hosts of heaven that they push back all the darkness that hovers over the political realm and release the those good things to inhabit our nation. I declare that the heavenly hosts fight with those dark beings and cause only the light of God to recreate the new heaven and the new earth. You my Lord are in control.
Thank you my Lord and God.  I continue to trust you to bring the peace that passes all understanding.
You are the same, yesterday, today and forever.