Luke 11:1-4 (ESV)
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
The Lord Jesus spoke a great deal about the Kingdom of God when He walked here on earth. He talked of the Kingdom coming and of it being already here. In fact, one of the most popular passages of Scripture is found in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added to you.” No wonder then that when Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He taught that we should pray for God’s Kingdom to come and for His will to be done here on earth even as it is in heaven.
The Kingdom of God is the domain of God where His reign is exercised. To be sure, God rules over everything as aptly captured by the Psalmist, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein…” (Psalm 24:1). To pray then for God’s Kingdom to come is to pray for His reign to be established, it is to pray that more of our world would become subject to the rulership of God. It is also to pray that the attributes of God’s Kingdom – righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit – would be revealed in our world. Therefore, one who prays for God’s Kingdom to come is one that must be burdened by the lost and by the brokenness in this present world. The other aspect of this prayer is also that Jesus would return and forever establish His reign. Thus we join the saints of old in crying out, ‘Maranatha – O Lord, Come’.
Reflections
1. What things happening around you make you long for God’s Kingdom to be established?
2. In what ways should your life change as you seek to pray, ‘Your Kingdom come…?’
