Your Kingdom Come

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”—Matthew 6:10

This sin-riddled world is not as it should be. There is pain, heartache, and brokenness everywhere. Just turn on the news. That’s why this phrase in the Lord’s Prayer resonates with me so deeply. We long for things to be made right “on earth as it is in heaven.” Don’t you yearn for God to mend all that’s been broken?

Jesus knows what it’s like to live in this broken-down world. And He knows how to pray His way through the heartache as well. In this passage, He teaches His followers how we’re to pray our way through the brokenness of this life.

So, what is the kingdom? And why are we to pray for it?

The kingdom of God, at its most basic level, is simply the reign of God. It is wherever God reigns as King, where His will is carried out. As Psalm 103:19 says, “The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” The sovereign rule of God has never been subverted; He is on His throne.

When we pray, we are asking for the rule of heaven to be brought down to Earth—for God to sync things up, to make everything right and whole again. The problem is that heaven and Earth are so very out of sync. In heaven, all is well; but on Earth, not so much.

The Bible tells us that this world has been hijacked by rebels. In the beginning, there was perfect peace, but then came the rebellion of Satan and, tragically, our first parents, Adam and Eve, fell into sin and darkness. Every time we disregard what God says and crown ourselves in His place, we ratify the rebellion. We desperately need the kingdom of God to break through and set all to rights.

When Jesus arrived, He declared, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). His miracles and His ministry were the evidence that the age of the kingdom had arrived. His death, resurrection, and ascension—where all authority in heaven and on Earth was given to Him (Matthew 28:18)—defeated sin, conquered Satan, and vanquished death forever. Through the church, God’s kingdom is even now advancing. As the Gospel goes forth, the kingdom of God is still coming. Every time a life is surrendered to King Jesus, the kingdom of God expands (Colossians 1:13).

Yet the fullness of the kingdom is still yet to come. One day Jesus will return, and His kingdom will come in all of its fullness. All that is broken will be mended, and everything sad will come untrue. At His return, “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

Here are three ways we can pray, “Your kingdom come” today:

“Your kingdom come in me.” This is a prayer of surrender, as we get off the throne of our own lives and yield ourselves in obedience to Him.

“Your kingdom come through me.” This is a prayer of offering, as we ask the Lord to use us to extend his kingdom rule throughout our sphere of influence at home, at work, and in all our relationships.

“Your kingdom come, surround me.” This is a prayer of expectation, as we recognize the world around us will never be fully set to rights until Jesus returns in all His kingly glory. We pray, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!” As Revelation 21:5 promises: “Behold, I am making all things new.”

No matter what life brings in this broken-down world, we can pray our way through the heartache as Jesus taught us, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”