Seek FIRST the Kingdom.  As believers we spend the majority of our walk with the Lord promoting things to primary status that are really secondary to God. We elevate these things because they concern us, maybe more so than we are concerned with God Himself. What are these things that are first to us but “secondary” to God? Really, they are anything we ask Him for or believe Him for that cannot change our position or relationship with Him. Our job status, financial portfolio, relationships, what kind of car we drive, where we go to church, even death itself cannot change our relationship with God. Therefore every THING in this life is secondary to our relationship with God, because none of the “things” in life can change our relationship with God. 

In the early part of Matthew chapter 6 where Jesus is teaching us how to pray (The Lord’s Prayer), the first two words he prays are so crucial….”Our Father”.  Yet, we have become so “familiar” with the prayer that we completely miss the impact these opening words were intended to have. I know it is not easy for one to wrap our finite minds around those two words, but if we fail to at least make an attempt, by design, the prayer can really progress no further. This phrase, “Our Father”, denotes a greeting of a most humble and thankful nature that requires meditation and worship on our part…at the very least. We cannot utter those words without considering the measure of love that it took to provide the sacrifice and opportunity for us to actually approach God as “Our Father”. To do so would be the height of ingratitude and an utter lack of appreciation on our part.

David told us in Psalm 100:4 to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise, be thankful unto Him and bless His Name”. This is only the starting point in our relating to God. Let me illustrate. I go to see my mom once a week. Every week when I get there, she is standing at the door, ready to greet me with a hug and a kiss, and to ask me how I’m doing. I greet her with a kiss and an adoring, “Hello Mother”. Suppose instead when I get there, I blow right by her, leaving her standing in the door with her arms out to welcome me, and I proceed to kick off my shoes. I then head to the refrigerator, grab a drink, sit on the couch, start flipping channels, and ask her what she has to eat. Then I eat, head for the door, and throw out a token “see ya next week”. Most folks would think that if I walked out onto the street after doing that and got run over by a semi, it would be a fitting and just punishment. Similarly, if when we approach God, we bypass that all important first acknowledging phrase, “Our Father”, considering what it means and how privileged we are to say that to Him, I think we do God the ultimate injustice and disrespect.

The two words, “Our Father”, talk about relationship. There is nothing more important to the Lord than our relationship with Him. Everything else should be a natural outflow from it but never supersede or take the place of that relationship with God. Considering who God is and the love He has shown me each time I approach Him, before I ever ASK HIM for a thing, an adoring and honoring “My Father” would greatly change my appreciation for Him and would put my heart in the right place from the start. It would also help me to know Him and to understand Him in a more intimate way than I know him now. I’m convinced that the things I think of presenting to Him in prayer would undergo a much greater scrutiny on my part before they ever reach His ears. Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t have a problem with asking the Lord for things, but I think if we were able to hear a few of our select “prayer sessions” with Him, I’ll bet it would prove rather embarrassing.

On another note, do you know why we don’t like some of the things God asks us to do? It’s because we don’t think like He does. Some of the things God asks us to do cause us to think and feel we are “secondary”. When God asks us to humble ourselves and serve others, we feel “secondary”.  But, in God’s eyes, PEOPLE are primary. If that act of service is going to cost us something, often we are not too excited about carrying out the Father’s wishes because we’ve made our feelings and our agenda primary in comparison to His. If there’s going to be some kind of sacrifice required, we want someone else to do it for US, and not vice-versa.  In all reality, this fixation with self has caused us to miss out on a lot of opportunities to bless other people. I know that’s been true of me on more than one occasion because of my selfish attitude.

Looking at another important part of The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew Chapter 6, we read “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done”. Now there’s a kicker. If we’re honest with ourselves, sometimes I think the way we order God around with our prayer requests, we think this life is all about OUR show, and not vice-versa. We need to remember this is all HIS SHOW, and we’re just cast members. We are the ones responsible to go to Him to find out how HE wants things done, and to get in line with that to help carry it out.

If this “outline of prayer” Jesus gives us in Matthew 6 is really the way God wants us to pray, we have to ask ourselves a question. How in the world can we rightfully pray for anything before we have first sought the will of God? I mean really, if it’s about HIS Kingdom first, that makes us at best second place. How many times have we (and I’m including myself here) gone to God about matters concerning US, before we ever ask what HE thinks about the matter?

Let’s bring this into even simpler terms for the sake of understanding. What right does your child have to tell you (the parent) how they want things to be done before they ask you what you want done and how you want it done?  Do you think your child knows what is best for him more than you do? Yet we think it’s ok to think that way when we’re dealing with our Heavenly Father. We need to come to a place of maturity where when we seek God, we believe He loves us and knows what’s best for us. We have to trust Him to that degree. Then, and only then, will we be in line with His will where we can ask Him for the things He wants to give us.

The first step in identifying secondary things is to first identify what, or rather, WHO is primary. That’s God…not me, not you. Not my desires, not your desires…but His desires and His will.  HE is primary.  WE are secondary.

Psalm 37:4 (New King James Version)
4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

I think a huge part of the reason we often do not see our desires come to pass is because they do not match God’s desires. Delighting ourselves in the Lord is “getting on board” with what He’s doing, coming into agreement, and putting forth our efforts to aid Him in accomplishing His will. This means our desires have to take a back seat. When we are at the place when the Lord Himself is our delight, our joy, our sense of fulfillment, our motivating force, it is at this point we can really do what we want because the desires within us have been placed there by God Himself. I think sometimes it is difficult for us to prefer others and put other people’s needs before ours because we have a “pie mentality”. What I mean by this is that we tend to think that if someone else takes a piece of the pie that will leave less (or none) for me. God is not going to “run out of pies” anytime soon. The way we “work His Kingdom” is to put Him first. Desire Him, seek Him, love Him…before you do anything else.  THEN, He’ll see to it that your needs are met.

Blessings!

Dan Owczarzak