The Lord Jesus calls every local church to be a “house of prayer for all the nations” (Mark 11:17).

The last two weeks, I said the foundational pillars for that “house of prayer” must be:

• the glory of God,
• the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom,
• the Gospel, and
• divine desperation

The first building stone to this “house of prayer for all the nations is praying the heart of Jesus. God will not hear or answer our prayers unless they are from the heart of Jesus.

So what is the heart of Jesus? Jesus said in Mathew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” The heart of Jesus is His kingdom and His righteousness.

Just prior to this statement, He had told His disciples how to pray His heart for the kingdom and righteousness in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Don’t just recite the prayer repetitively, but pray through it. This praying includes

• worship of the Father,
• asking for His Kingdom to come,
• asking that the Father’s will be done,
• asking our Heavenly Father for our needs to be met (not our wants),
• confession and asking forgiveness for our sins and offenses against God and others, and
• asking God to protect us from temptation and evil.

If you want to pray the heart of Jesus, you will find His heart in that prayer. Pray the Lord’s heart by praying the Lord’s prayer.