Jesus is the King of kings. He is the Lord of lords. When a king speaks, his subjects listen. When a Lord (Master) sets the agenda, that agenda is followed to a T.
The great news for us as Jesus-followers is this: all Jesus reveals about himself and all he commands of us in his word is for our good. We have a kind, caring and benevolent King who wants joy, hope, rest and contentment for us both now and forever. He is not a killjoy. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. He’s no slave driver or despot. His commands are not about his ego. He laid down his life for God’s people, and he has a plan for our eternal happiness. He is a gracious giver of many gifts.
One of these is prayer. Jesus invites us to pray often and makes magnificent promises about prayer. The question is how do we know what to pray for? How do we know when our prayers are healthy, good, Christ-honoring and not self-centered or wrongly motivated?
That’s why praying the agenda of Jesus Christ himself is a wise and healthy practice. Pray the King’s Agenda. That same Jesus who is King of kings has communicated so much to us in his word. He’s told us about himself. And he’s told us what he commands. When we pray truth about our Savior and pray according to his commands, we must be on the right track. This is praying the King’s agenda: Take what Jesus has revealed and pray it back to him. These 21 Days of Focused Prayer won’t begin to exhaust all that the Scriptures reveal about Jesus or all that comes from him. But it’s a wise start. And it sets a pattern you can continue.
