Perhaps you, like me, wonder at times how to manage those lengthy prayer request lists which come along. There are so many needs — for friends, family, leaders, nations. Some lists come as emails or letters from various organizations. It can feel overwhelming.

One morning, I simply uttered, "Dear God, where do I begin?" An unexpected idea entered my mind: "Start by praying for God." Of course! Pray for God! Jesus taught exactly that:

Matthew 6:9-10a – Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. (NLT)

There it is: the Lord's Prayer opens by praying for God. But why should God need our prayers for Him? He is God, after all, firmly established in the heavenly realms — His holy name, His kingdom plan, and His divine will. Why not skip past all that and get on with our list?

Through mulling over that question, I've made some surprising discoveries which I'm eager to share. I started with Jesus' lesson on prayer.

For His visual aid, Jesus had used some nearby religious authorities who were praying to be seen by others. They were not praying for God at all, but were seeking to exalt their own name. Through their habits, they had defiled God's name, degrading it into an image of themselves: unmerciful, distant, and unholy. In their religious zeal, they not only defamed God's reputation, but they also resisted His kingdom and His will. They blocked people from discovering God's merciful love through Christ.

Centuries earlier, God had expressed this same concern through his prophets:

Ezekiel 36:21 – I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone. (NIV)

Indisputably, that's God's concern today. His name has been diminished throughout western civilization, in all our institutions, including our churches and among ourselves. The various troubles that we experience as a result provide an effective incentive to pray for God — that His name, kingdom, and will may shine into the darkness of sin and evil.

Really, when we pray for God, we are praying for His treasured love: humanity.

When we pray for God, we are also praying for ourselves, because we personally play a role. For example, through trusting Him for our daily bread, His forgiveness, and His protection from evil powers, we portray a trustworthy God Who remains true to His name.

Praying for God is actually an act of repentance: we are surrendering our own will and turning to Him. We are humbly trusting Him to be truly God — for ourselves and our broken world.

Finally, we're eager to pray first for our Lord because He truly is our first love. His love is the flame that sparks all our prayers. That's what we want for ourselves, others, and our world — all for His glorious name.

Prayer: Our heavenly Father, may the beauty of Your holy name endure and shine abroad, that people on earth everywhere may be blessed through You and call You blessed. Amen.