One of the big mistakes people often make in prayer is viewing prayer as a means to get God to do what we want Him to do. Many of us want God to use His power to build our kingdom, our bank accounts, our fame, our comfort etc. But Jesus taught us to pray in the model prayer, “Your kingdom come...” One of the main purposes of prayer is for God to use our prayers to bring about the expansion of His kingdom in this world.

The kingdom of God is wherever God is reigning. God reigns in heaven so therefore, the kingdom of God is in heaven. When Jesus is King of my life, then the kingdom of God is in me. One day Jesus will reign over this earth with a rod of iron and when that comes to pass, the kingdom of God will be on the earth. So for us to pray “Your kingdom come,” we are asking for the rule and reign of Jesus in our lives. We are asking for Jesus to return and bring about His kingdom in this world. But when we pray for a specific prayer request, we are asking for God to rule and reign over that particular situation.
 
The Lord wants to expand His kingdom or His rule and reign over the hearts of men. He wants all men to be saved and to live their lives in submission to His will. So for us to pray for His kingdom to come, we are praying for souls to be saved, for His reign to extend over the hearts of men. Over the next three years, our church is unifying together to seek to accomplish goals that will extend His kingdom around the world. We are calling this three-year emphasis, “Advancing the Kingdom”. That is one of the main purposes of prayer; Advancing His Kingdom. God wants to advance His kingdom through your prayers. He will work to advance His kingdom where you live, where you work, where you worship, where you shop, etc. as you pray and ask for His kingdom to come. One day everyone will be forced to bow before Jesus and confess He is Lord. But right now, He doesn't force anyone to bow. But as we pray for His kingdom to come in whatever situation we are praying about, we are inviting Him to come and work in that situation. He isn’t forcing Himself, He is being invited by you into that matter about which you are praying. So when you pray, invite Jesus to work to bring about the expansion of His rule and reign in the matter about which you are praying.