Thy kingdom come
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Psalm 72; Matthew 6:5-15
First we remember who God is (Father) and where we have come in Christ in order to speak with Him (Heaven). At this point the Lord’s Prayer is wonderfully personal. The One on the throne is Father.
Then we ask that the Lord’s gospel character (His name) be more richly prized in our hearts. Here we pray for internal things, (though prayer for others is also included here).
Now the Lord’s Prayer really opens out to the world:
“Thy Kingdom come.”
God’s Kingdom is the place where God’s King Reigns. Wherever Jesus is known as Lord – there is the Kingdom. He reigns in the lives of believers today, and one day He will come and physically establish His rule to the ends of the earth.
And we can’t wait. So we pray “your kingdom come. May the just and gentle rule of King Jesus extend to all my family, all my friends, all my work colleagues. To my people, my nation, to the whole world”. We pray, “Thy kingdom come.”
Notice how we relate to the kingdom. We don’t build it. We don’t establish it. This is not like the tower of babel which began on earth and reached up into heaven. It’s the exact opposite. It’s God’s Kingdom and it’s always coming down to us as a gift. The direction of travel is always heaven-to-earth. Just as the King earthed Himself into our humanity and will live a human life forever more. Just as, one day, He and His Father will move from heaven to set up home on the new earth, so the church prays for the kingdom to come down. We could never drag the King down to earth, and neither can we drag the kingdom. It’s always something beyond us that can only be received. And so we pray “Thy Kingdom come.”
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