Kingdom Come
“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:9-10
Recently I was freshly gripped by the glorious vision the Apostle John was given regarding our destiny as believers in Jesus. He wrote…
“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order has passed away.”
Revelation 21:2-4
What a moment that will be when the Kingdom is fully realized! Think of it – no more sin, no more sickness, no more sadness.
Knowing that such a thing awaits those of us who have come to know Christ offers all sorts of perspective and gives all kinds of hope. We do well to eagerly anticipate that day.
Yet there’s a question that needs to be asked:
“What are we to be doing until that great event takes place?”
For some, the whole goal of life here is to just make sure they make it there. And, make no mistake about it, this is huge. To fail to plan for the most obvious and predictable event of human existence – death – is to be the greatest of fools.
But to think that embracing Jesus as Savior is the sum total of Christianity is to miss much of what Jesus had in mind both for you and for this world.
To think that embracing Jesus as Savior is the sum total of Christianity is to miss much of what Jesus had in mind both for you and for this world.
In what we know as “The Lord’s Prayer,” the Lord alludes to this.
He challenged His disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”
Jesus is not merely offering some lofty platitude here. He’s making a profound point, saying in effect, “To be sure, I’m very passionate about how you can get from earth to heaven; but I’m also quite serious about how you can bring heaven to earth.”
Put another way…
Christianity is not merely “how you get there” but “how you get there here.”
I’m increasingly committed to living that way. Maybe you are too.
What’s thrilling is to know that the King is looking for just such people.
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
2 Chronicles 16:9
God is ready, willing, and able to bring His power to bear upon those who long to see the Kingdom come not one day but this day.
God is ready, willing, and able to bring His power to bear upon those who long to see the Kingdom come not one day but this day.
That being the case, let’s move forward in holy boldness. Let’s commit ourselves to living with Kingdom values. Let’s invest our time, talents, and treasure in Kingdom expansion. Let’s look for ways we can share Kingdom truth. And let’s pray big, Kingdom prayers that sin, sickness, and sadness will be increasingly eradicated even now.
Let’s become “Kingdom come” Christians.
It’s what Jesus passionately wanted.
It’s what this world desperately needs.
PRAYER
Lord, I have to confess that all too often I long to see the Kingdom come one day. Help me to see that, increasingly, You want to see the Kingdom come this day. May I seek it. May I work for it. May I pray for it. Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
Devotionals for Every Day Disciples is brought to you by our partners.
To support Dave DeSelm Ministries by becoming a partner, CLICK HERE.