Kingdom Come

It seems to me that the average Christian misses a major purpose of prayer. Most people understand that we should praise God in prayer and that we can petition him to act on our behalf. But I think that one of the most important aspects is lost.

Consider the Lord’s Prayer as found in Matthew. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. This is easy. We are to praise God. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. We’ll come back to this one. Give us this day our daily bread. We can petition God to help us. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. God will forgive our sins and deliver us from its grip.

Let’s return to the second petition. At first it seems unnecessary. Why should we have to ask God to do what he already wants to do? Setting aside for the moment that there are legitimate reasons for this prayer, perhaps it will make more sense when we personalize it.

If we apply the petition to ourselves, it would sound like, May my life be in the center of your kingdom and will as is the case in heaven. In other words, we don’t just pray that God’s will be displayed throughout the earth, but also that our lives are lived according to his will. After all, what good is it to God if his kingdom is manifest throughout the rest of the earth but not in his people? The request that God would forgive our sins and keep us from future sin already declares that we are not always in the center of his will. Therefore, we need to be oriented differently.

This is the aspect of prayer that I think is often missed: That prayer is a vehicle for orienting us within the kingdom. That the things that break God’s heart break ours as well. That the victories that make the angels rejoice are our joys too. That we are more concerned with the will of God than we are our own.

Let’s say that I go to God because I need a job. If I dedicate myself to his kingdom and wait for what he might tell me, perhaps I will realize a lack in my spiritual attitudes. If I confess this lack and commit myself to change, then I am better off than if he immediately provided a job. (And perhaps the change in attitude will help me get a job or make me a better employee.)

Remember, the petition for the kingdom to come precedes asking for even daily provision. If we are serious about the Kingdom of God being displayed on this earth, then we will align our will with his so that the manifestation of the kingdom begins with us.