Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s prayer thus, in Luke 11: 2 “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.” We wonder what our blessed Jesus had in mind or what he meant when he taught his disciples to invoke the presence of God’s kingdom here on earth when they pray?
Meaning of “Thy kingdom come”
Thy kingdom come meant among others, a request for God’s eternal reign and rule on earth. It was a confession of willingness to submit unconditionally to God’s leadership, direction and instructions. In heaven, there is absolute obedience and faithfulness to God, hence Jesus wanted us to replicate this divine atmosphere here on earth because God is the same ruler.
The statement also invokes God’s sovereign power and authority over our lives. It is to invite God’s peace in our hearts. Jesus said in John 14: 27 peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. It is a submission to God without any reservation. It is a pledge to be faithful to God’s sovereign will. Revelation 2: 10 says Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. The crown of life brings eternal life, peace and tranquility.
It is an affirmation that God responds to prayer and that he is with us. The result of submission and reverence which is the invocation of God’s kingdom is internal transformation towards righteousness to always do God’s will. God’s kingdom is ever present with those who love and obey him. Jesus said in Matthew 28: 20 I am with you always, to the end of the age. He also said in Hebrews 13: 5 I will never leave you or forsake you. Is God’s kingdom in our hearts?
How do we revere God’s kingdom?
We do so by glorifying God in our lives. Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 6: 19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body. God is not only interested in the soul but also the body as his temple knowing that it belongs to God, first as his creation; and second by purchase with the blood of Christ Jesus.
We also reverence God’s kingdom by knowing our value in Christ Jesus. Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 7: 23-24 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters. In whatever condition you were called, brothers and sisters, there remain with God. Some of us complain why negative things should happen to us if God’s kingdom is here? God said in Psalms 50: 15 Call on me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. Psalms 9: 9 says the LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. We must know that God hears us in good and bad times.
We reverence God’s kingdom when we cherish who we are in Christ Jesus. Knowing our worth does not mean cherishing our worth. Jesus said in Matthew 6: 26; Luke 12: 24, Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than them? Matthew 10: 31; Luke 12: 7 say you are more than sparrows. When we cherish our worth in Christ Jesus, we will withstand adversity and remain steadfast in such times Ephesians 2: 19-20 we are citizens and members of God’s household. In Galatians 4: 7 that we are heirs through God.
Why must we invoke God’s Kingdom?
Because we are his servants who need his presence for our needs. Paul espoused Christ Jesus’ reasons in Romans 14: 8, If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord, so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. In other words, wherever we are and for whatever we do, our focus and priority should be to satisfy God’s will as is done in heaven. Jesus first espoused this in the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6: 9-13… hallowed be God’s name. Paul said in 1Thessalonians 5: 10 Christ Jesus died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.
In the absence of the kingdom or sovereign reign of God, our lives will be in vain. Only God can satisfy our needs because he presides as the sovereign Lord. Paul wrote in Philippians 4: 19 And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. In the Lord’s prayer aforesaid, God has made provision to accommodate our needs which include our daily bread; our forgiveness; and being drawn away from evil. Such are the benefits of the kingdom of heaven.
What are the rules of the kingdom?
For the kingdom of God to reign, we must have a positive relationship with God so that when we call him, he will answer us. Mark 12: 29-31 says… the first is, ‘Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God, the Lord is one… you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength… You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
From the above scripture, there is only one God who is our God. We must not worship or deify or revere other gods because they are not Gods. In Romans 16: 27 God is the only wise God. Deuteronomy 4: 35 says there is no other besides him. Isaiah 44: 8 says There is no other rock; I know not one. God spoke in Isaiah 45: 5, I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me. We must not give God’s glory to another. Isaiah 45: 21 says… a righteous God and a Saviour, there is no one besides me.
The second rule is to love God with all we have, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. This is so because it is God’s nature. 1John 4: 7-8 say Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God, for God is love. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. John posed a question in 1John 3: 17 How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 1John 4: 16 says … God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. This rule is not optional.
1John 4: 12 says No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. 1John 4: 20 says Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. If we love God, we will be faithful to Christ; live a righteous or virtuous or holy life as it is in heaven. Have we received God’s kingdom in our hearts?
Prayer
Dear Lord and Father in heaven, we acknowledge you as the only true and righteous God. Let your kingdom come into our hearts and reign in our lives on earth as it is in heaven. Let your will be done in our lives through Christ Jesus, in whose name we have prayed, Amen!!
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