Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10
Heavenly Father,
Forgive us for ever mumbling this prayer by rote,
not really thinking about what we are asking for.
The fact is, this is a radical prayer.
It is a prayer you invite us to pray daily.
It is a prayer for when a marriage falls apart,
for when economic woes threaten our business,
for when a house is under water after a flood.
When we pray this prayer,
we remember whose kingdom we’re seeking—yours.
You are a God characterized by “holy stubbornness,”
a “refusal to accept ruin.”*
You are the God who repaired broken creation
by becoming man and dying on a cross.
Your kingdom is characterized by shalom,
universal flourishing, “heavenly wholeness.”*
Your kingdom is the kingdom
that opposes the kingdom of darkness.
To pray “your kingdom come”
is to ask Jesus to defeat the destroyer’s efforts today.
To pray “your kingdom come”
is to repent of our tendencies
to create small kingdoms by placing ourselves,
our loved ones, our work, our homes,
or any other thing we see as ours,
on the throne of our lives.
Indeed, Lord, your kingdom come.
In Jesus’ coming name. Amen.
Read Matthew 6:7-15.
*Quotes from Nathan Bierma’s great book, Bringing Heaven down to Earth
