Thy Kingdom Come...

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 (KJV)

This is a portion of what we have entitled “The Lord’s Prayer”. The whole prayer is found in the book of Matthew, chapter 6, verses 9 through 13. If you, like me, grew up in church reciting this prayer, likely you did so from the King James version, so you are used to the “Thy” way of speaking—at least in this context. J

Christ’s disciples had asked Him how to pray. He responded with these words. And although many of us recite it verbatim, it is better understood as a model for prayer. I will not break down all of the components of the prayer but would like to address this idea of the Lord’s kingdom coming and His will being done one earth.

“It was the Jews’ daily prayer to God, Let him make his kingdom reign, let his redemption flourish, and let his Messiah come and deliver His people. Dr. Whitby, ex Vitringa. ‘Let thy kingdom come, let the gospel be preached to all and embraced by all; let all be brought to subscribe to the record God has given in his word concerning his Son, and to embrace him as their Saviour and Sovereign. Let the bounds of the gospel-church be enlarged, the kingdom of the world be made Christ’s kingdom, and all men become subjects to it, and live as becomes their character.’” – Matthew Henry
The concept of the Lord’s kingdom coming to earth is well explained by Henry. Not only are we seeking the spread of the gospel so that the kingdom of God would expand; that the number of believers would increase, and that He would return for His people. But also for the reality of Spirit-led righteousness, peace, and joy (see Romans 14:17) to abound on this earth. I heard a preacher refer to this part of the prayer as not praying “loaves and fishes” types of prayers—meaning basic prayers for daily needs to be met—but praying for God’s supernatural movement to take place, which will yield supernatural results.
“Thy will be done…” Ok, this is deep. Weren’t these the very words of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane prior to the most horrific act known to man? Christ, knowing the torture He was about to undergo – from beatings to crucifixion to temporary separation from the Father – prayed to the Father, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Luke 22:42 I cannot imagine knowing the horror to come and being able to say those words. Can you? When we ask for the Lord’s will to be done, that means His will that is pleasing and enjoyable to us as well as His will that is less agreeable to us. Hebrews 12:1&2 says: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus scorned, despised, and had contempt for the shame that surrounded His circumstances. This does not mean that He was upset or hurt by it, but that He dismissed it – He gave it no power – He diminished its supposed power in the situation.
This is important to us as we face our shameful, challenging, demeaning, circumstances. We must run our race fully embracing a “Thy will be done” attitude and then enduring, as Christ did, all of those circumstances, for the joy that is set before us! We must pray that the Lord’s will would be done in our lives for our good and His glory. (Romans 8:28) Jesus modeled for us exactly how to do that. And remember:
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16b