Pray Like Jesus, Part 4 | 04/26/2026

Devotional

Day 1: Kingdom Bullets in Battle Zones

The disciples stood in dust-swirled streets as Jesus taught them to pray. Their world crackled with Roman oppression and personal struggles. Yet He said: “Your kingdom come.” Not through swords or strategies, but through surrendered hearts aligning with heaven’s rhythm. The Nerf bullets scattered in our sanctuaries remind us—God’s kingdom advances not by our firepower, but through children’s laughter and teenagers’ joy. [23:44]

Jesus redefined power. His kingdom comes where rebels lay down arms and kneel. Every “Your will be done” dismantles our thirst for control. Heaven invades earth not in grand campaigns, but when ordinary people yield their agendas.

Where are you aiming your “bullets” today—your plans, your demands, your timelines? Write Matthew 6:10 where you’ll see it hourly. Let it recalibrate your sights. What earthly battle are you fighting that needs heaven’s surrender instead?

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
(Matthew 6:9-10, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal one area where you’ve substituted human effort for kingdom surrender.

Challenge: Write “Your kingdom come” on a sticky note. Place it on your phone or computer.

Day 2: Thinner Than Mist

James rebuked planners: “You are a mist.” Businessmen mapped trade routes while death lurked in their arteries. Jesus taught prayer begins with “Your will”—not our spreadsheets. Ben Sasse’s cancer shattered his illusion of control, leaving only what lasts: God’s eternal “yes” or “no” over fleeting human “yeses.” [41:02]

Heaven measures success by surrender, not outcomes. When we pray “Your will,” we trade our paper-doll timelines for God’s tapestry. Our breath-steam plans dissolve before His ancient purposes.

You’ve circled dates on calendars and drafted five-year goals. Today, pencil “If the Lord wills” beside one appointment. Where does your schedule scream self-reliance instead of childlike trust?

“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city…’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
(James 4:13-14, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one plan you’ve treated as non-negotiable.

Challenge: Open your calendar. Add “Lord willing” to three entries.

Day 3: Tumors and Teenage Sons

Ben Sasse hugged his son, tumors pressing against his ribs. Stage four cancer became a gift—murdering his idol of control. Like Jesus in Gethsemane, he prayed through tears: “Your will.” Not resignation, but fierce trust in the Father who numbers hairs and days. [50:12]

Surrender isn’t passive. It’s grabbing God’s hand while releasing our grip on lesser things. Every “Your kingdom” prayer plants a flag in enemy territory, declaring: “This heart belongs to heaven.”

What “cancer” is God using to kill your illusions? Write a prayer that begins: “Father, I release…” Be specific. What false security must die for true faith to breathe?

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
(1 Peter 5:6-7, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for a current hardship that’s thinning your pride.

Challenge: Text a friend: “Pray I surrender [specific struggle] today.”

Day 4: Broiled Fish Faith

The resurrected Jesus ate fish in a locked room. He didn’t vanish after “Your will be done”—He stayed, scars visible. Surrender leads to fellowship, not abandonment. The disciples’ fear melted as they tasted God’s will—crucifixion turned to breakfast, death to life. [36:06]

God’s will often looks like disaster before it becomes deliverance. Your locked rooms—anxieties, griefs, addictions—are His dining halls. He serves broiled fish, not theoretical answers.

Where are you demanding answers instead of receiving Christ’s presence? Invite Him into one “locked room” today. What fish might He be waiting to share there?

“He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’”
(Luke 24:38-39, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to make His tangible presence known in your fear.

Challenge: Eat a meal today in silence, imagining Christ at your table.

Day 5: Breathing Hallowed Air

The woman at the well expected religious rules. Jesus offered living water. Praying “hallowed be your name” isn’t stiff liturgy—it’s breathing God’s air in a world choking on self. Every surrendered moment sanctifies His name. [27:24]

Holiness spreads through ordinary obedience. When you forgive an insult, you hallow God’s name. When you work with integrity, you inhale heaven’s atmosphere.

What daily task feels meaningless? Redo it today as worship. Where can your mundane obedience make God’s name famous?

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”
(1 Peter 1:15-16, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one area where your actions have misrepresented God’s character.

Challenge: Perform one chore today while whispering: “Hallowed be Your name.”

Sermon Summary

Jesus teaches the Lord's Prayer as a blueprint for a life lived under God’s reign. The opening petitions focus not on personal preference but on God’s glory, God’s kingdom, and God’s will. The kingdom names God’s rule and presence, and the will describes God’s desires and commands; both come already in Christ yet remain not fully realized. Prayer therefore carries a double posture: it looks forward in hope to the day when heaven’s reality fully fills earth, and it summons present obedience so that believers bring heaven to earth through daily surrender.

Prayer functions as a means of grace that enables what human effort cannot accomplish. Entering the kingdom begins at conversion; living in the kingdom happens by yielding daily to Jesus’ leadership. Scripture calls for humility and casting anxieties on God, for trusting God’s timing rather than insisting on personal plans. Surrender precedes legitimate requests; until everything rests in God’s hands, petitions miss their proper foundation.

The teaching contrasts a passive waiting for the future with active participation now. Prayer does not excuse withdrawal from the world. Instead, prayer invites God’s rule into homes, workplaces, and communities so that the visible expression of God’s kingship spreads. Discipleship means practicing the Lord’s Prayer: hallow God’s name, seek God’s kingdom, and pray God’s will to be done as it is in heaven.

Suffering and confrontation with mortality sharpen this prayer of surrender. A recent public example shows how severe illness can strip away self-idolatry, reorder priorities, and make prayer more honest. Pain often silences competing noises and allows clearer hearing of God. The life of faith moves toward gratitude and resurrection hope even while facing real grief and evil.

The congregation receives a practical invitation: live as though the unseen kingdom is present. Practice saying, your kingdom come, your will be done, and allow that posture to shape prayer, decisions, and daily obedience. The Lord’s Prayer frames both the hope for a future consummation and the discipline for present faithfulness, teaching that true peace comes through surrender to God’s reign.

Key Takeaways

1. Pray for God’s rule now Prayer asks for God’s visible reign, not merely a future event. This petition recognizes the kingdom as both present in Christ and not yet fully manifest. Asking for God’s rule mobilizes daily obedience and invites God’s power into concrete situations at work, home, and community. It reframes ministry from waiting to active participation. [28:05]
2. Live as though heaven is near Faith treats unseen realities as present substance and shapes choices accordingly. Living under Jesus’ rule means aligning desires, work, and relationships with God’s purposes now. Such practical faith brings the character of heaven into everyday moments through mercy, justice, and humility. This transforms ordinary tasks into acts of kingdom witness. [34:17]
3. Surrender precedes sincere requests True prayer begins with yielding control and humbling oneself before God. Scripture insists on casting cares and asking if something is the Lord’s will before firm plans. Only from a posture of surrender do petitions become faithful, rooted requests rather than attempts to control God. Surrender opens the heart to God’s timing and wisdom. [44:23]
4. Suffering clarifies faithful prayer Hard seasons expose idols and collapse false self-reliance, making room for deeper trust in God. Confrontation with mortality can remove competing loyalties and sharpen gratitude for God’s presence. Such suffering rarely creates faith out of nothing; it removes what competes with faith so God’s voice can be heard. This yields a prayer life shaped by readiness to let God lead. [48:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:26] - Morning announcements and Nerf story
[24:12] - Reading the Lord's Prayer
[25:06] - How prayer shapes life
[26:04] - Father in heaven explained
[27:04] - Hallowing God’s name
[28:05] - Defining kingdom and will
[29:23] - The already and not yet
[33:26] - Prayer as a means of grace
[37:57] - The prayer of surrender
[45:24] - Ben Sasse testimony on illness
[52:09] - Time to practice surrender
[56:32] - Final Lord's Prayer reading

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 6:9-13 (ESV)
Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

James 4:13-15 (ESV)
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Observation questions

In the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), what three priorities does Jesus emphasize before asking for personal needs like daily bread or forgiveness?
How does James 4:13-15 contrast human plans with God’s sovereignty?
What does 1 Peter 5:6-7 say about the relationship between humility, surrender, and trusting God’s timing?
According to the sermon, how did severe illness reshape Ben Sasse’s understanding of prayer and control? [47:17]

Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus begin the Lord’s Prayer by focusing on God’s glory, kingdom, and will rather than human needs? How does this order shape our perspective?
James 4:13-15 warns against assuming control over the future. How does this passage challenge modern cultural values around self-reliance and personal ambition?
The sermon describes suffering as a tool that “silences competing noises” and clarifies faith [48:37]. How does this align with biblical examples of hardship refining trust in God (e.g., Job, Paul’s thorn)?
What does it mean to live as though the “unseen kingdom is present” while still acknowledging its “not yet” fulfillment?

Application questions

The Lord’s Prayer begins with surrender: “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” What area of your life (career, relationships, finances) feels hardest to surrender to God’s leadership right now? What practical step could you take this week to release control?
James 4:15 urges believers to say, “If the Lord wills…” How might this posture change the way you approach a current decision or plan (e.g., a project, vacation, or family goal)?
The sermon contrasts “waiting for the future kingdom” with “active participation now” [33:08]. Where could you intentionally “bring heaven to earth” this week through acts of mercy, justice, or humility in your workplace or neighborhood?
Ben Sasse described suffering as stripping away “self-idolatry” [47:17]. What distractions or false sources of security might God be inviting you to release to hear His voice more clearly?
1 Peter 5:7 says to “cast all your anxieties” on God. What specific worry or fear have you been holding onto instead of surrendering it? How could prayer shift your focus from controlling outcomes to trusting God’s care?
The sermon emphasizes that “surrender precedes sincere requests” [44:23]. How might beginning your prayers with “Your will be done” change the way you ask God for help in a current struggle?

Sermon Clips

33s

#surrenderToEnterKingdom

“``The same thing that makes you a follower of Jesus. Nobody becomes a follower of Jesus without surrender. God doesn't invite rebels into his kingdom. You gotta give up control of your life. You have to trust him as your leader, as your savior, and you gotta put your faith in his death on the cross as sufficient for the forgiveness of your sins. The same thing that gets you into the kingdom is the same thing that allows you to live in the kingdom. Surrender.”

39s

#peaceThroughSurrender

“You know, so often we want peace but peace only comes with surrender. Sometimes we think we have peace because we think we've got it all under control. Have you noticed how long that lasts? Not very long. You get an email the next day, something happens with the kids or your spouse, and suddenly all that I'm in control, I've got it figured out, I've got peace, everything's good in my life, starts shaking. And, again, we are invited back to pray. Your kingdom come and your will be done.”

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Pray Like Jesus, Part 4 | 04/26/2026 | Grace Church Fremont