Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Edward Pell said, "In the light of Jesus, man cannot truly pray to God if his thoughts centre on himself, he can only pray to God when he is more concerned about God's kingdom and his will than his own."

This is a huge mental shift in thinking about prayer. In the first place, prayer is not about what God has done or will do for us. The Bible teaches us that our prayers should be God-centred. People will tell you quickly that their prayers are centred on God, but in reality, many sometimes struggle with this. Even with the best intentions, we often still put our own needs first. Prayer is primarily to bring glory to God for who he is! We always need to put God's holiness, his absoluteness, his kingdom, his will, his love and his power first and central. As our text puts it: "Seek first the kingdom of God."

Your prayer life illustrates how you live every day before the Lord. This is why we like to use the expression: "Your whole lifestyle is a prayer to God." If your lifestyle is to put God's kingdom and his will first, this will emerge in your prayer life. This is the basic lesson that Jesus teaches us about prayer. Prayer is about God. Once we realise this, God’s promises in Matthew 6:33 will be true for us. We must seek first the kingdom of God!

God teaches us to pray in the model prayer the "Our Father". There is a parallel between the Ten Commandments and the "Our Father". In the Lord's Prayer, the first three requests are about God, followed by three requests for the person themselves and the needs of their loved ones. In all circumstances, we must first seek God's glory and his will in our prayers!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I pray that you will help me to always seek God's glory and his will first. Teach me to always put your kingdom first.

Rigters 18:3 Toe hulle by die huis van Miga kom, het hulle die stem van die jongman, die Leviet, herken en daar ingedraai. Hulle het hom gevra:Wie het jou hierheen gebring? Wat doen jy hier? Hoekom is jy hier?

Dalk moet jy ook van tyd tot tyd hierdie vrae van Rig 18:3 beantwoord: Wie het jou hierheen gebring? Wat doen jy hier? Hoekom is jy hier?

Jy is nie maar waar jy is sonder rede nie. Die Here het jou tot op hierdie punt gebring. Die vraag is, besef jy en ek dit en weet ons wat wil die Here met ons lewens bereik?

Vir alle gelowiges het die Here ‘n algemene roeping : Ons moet die Here loof en dien, ons bes te doen, ons naaste diensbaar wees en getuig, enovoorts.

Die Here het egter ook vir elke gelowige as individu ‘n spesifieke roeping, wat net vir jou bedoel is.

Hoe gaan jy weet  wat is jou spesifieke  roeping? Jy moet dit werklik by die Here gaan soek:  As ons na die voorbeelde in die Bybel kyk, sien ons dat daar riglyne is hoe ons die spesifieke roeping kan raaksien:

1.       ‘n Mens se geestelike roeping is gewoonlik op ander mense gerig. Nêrens in Bybel is die mens se roeping  op jouself en jou eie  behoeftes gerig nie.

2.       Elke mens het ‘n spesifieke en unieke roeping wat van die ander verskil.

3.       Jou roeping is nie onveranderlik nie. Dit kan verander soos jou omstandighede verander.

4.       Jou roeping ontdek jy dikwels eers as jy deur ‘n swaarkry-proses gegaan het. Dis asof die Here deur swaarkry soms baie hard met ons praat. Rom 5 help ons hiermee.

5.       ‘n Mens se persoonlike roeping word al hoe duideliker as jy nader aan God leef!

6.       Jy hoor die Here se stem duideliker as jy  'n lewenstyl van gebed het en baie tyd met die Bybel deurbring.

Soek vandag jou roeping voor die Here: Wie het jou hierheen gebring? Wat doen jy hier? Hoekom is jy hier?

(Coenie Burger se boek “Ontmoetings met die lewende God “ handel oor jou spesifieke roeping.)