Second Petition: May Your Kingdom Come.
We hear in the Small Catechism, “In fact, God’s kingdom comes on its own without our prayer, but we ask in this prayer that it may also come to us.”
This coming Kingdom is not something that is way out there, just beyond our reach at any moment. God desires that we would be a part of it and we ask that it would break in upon us, among us, and around us, that we would not miss it but be included in it.
It seems that no matter how often we teach that the Kingdom of God is in the here and now and also in eternity, many believers do not hear the first part of that sentence. In my experience, speaking and teaching about the in-breaking Kingdom of God almost always draws a response about heaven. While this is not a bad thing, it misses a very vital aspect of what God is doing in the present time. For the local church to be in mission, we have to continue to articulate this concept so that eyes will be open to the Kingdom of God all around us!
“What is the Kingdom of God?” Luther explains that it is summed up in the Apostles’ Creed that, “God sent his Son, Christ our Lord, into the world to redeem and deliver us from the power of the devil, to bring us to himself, and to rule us as a king of righteousness, life, and salvation against sin, death, and an evil conscience.”
So that we might be a part of this Kingdom, God sent the Holy Spirit to open the Word of God for us for the sake of strengthening our faith. As believers and followers of Christ we ask boldly through this petition that God’s kingdom would indeed come in eternity AND in our presence, and that we would have the privilege of participating in it.
Recognizing and engaging in God’s Kingdom is a daily endeavor. As we dwell in the Word and spend time with God in prayer, as we open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit working within us, we grow each day and are strengthened for the journey ahead. As we are strengthened something amazing happens-we are more able to discern the in-breaking Kingdom of God. We become more drawn to it as the Spirit leads us into situations where we can be of help to others, where we can share the Good News of Jesus Christ and his benefits. Like the trunk of a tree as it grows bigger and stronger each year, which is evidenced by the rings you see in cross-section, we too as disciples of Christ grow in strength and Spirit as God calls us to be a part of his holy Kingdom. All this is done by Christ alone, we can take no credit for it ourselves; we simply submit to God in obedience to his will and ask that would be a part of his divine work on earth.
Since it is God’s command that we come to him in prayer, he wants us to ask for more than crumbs from the table.
Luther likens this bold query to an emperor who was willing to give a poor beggar anything he wanted. The emperor was ready to provide the poor man the most lavish gifts his heart could ever desire or dream about, but instead the “fool” only asked for a simple cup of broth. For this meagre request Luther asserts that he would be “considered a rogue and a scoundrel, who had made a mockery of the imperial majesty’s command and was unworthy to come into his presence.”
Because God has commanded us to ask and promises to give us more than we could ever desire or comprehend, he is thus angered if we hold back on our prayer, asking only for the bare minimum. To only ask for the least acceptable thing is to lack trust in the One who created everything out of nothing at all. Is not the God who put the stars in the sky, who set the world in motion, who redeems the world through the cross of Christ capable of answering our heart’s desires and fulfilling our deepest needs? “The fault lies wholly in that shameful unbelief that does not look to God even for enough to satisfy the belly, let alone expect, without doubting, eternal blessings from God.”
We are commanded to ask for the best, without doubt, when we pray for God’s Kingdom to come. We pray that prayer for ourselves, our neighbors and the world; holding nothing back, we ask God for those things we think we will never see in our lifetime: radical, worldwide peace, an end to all hunger, suitable employment for all, successful schools, an end to conflicts in families, churches, and communities. Those things we thought we had no right to ask for, God is urging us to come to him in trust and faith so that his Kingdom will come, in eternity but also in the here and now.
"ask boldly through this petition that God’s kingdom would indeed come in eternity AND in our presence, and that we would have the privilege of participating in it."
ReplyDeleteI had read this before work yesterday and in the middle of the afternoon a cool thing happened. I was working with a middle aged lady who has had two strokes, she is unable speak and doesn't often make good eye contact; but, I looked up to catch her looking me straight in the face. She was smiling and her expression was one of kindness, possibly that of affection or maybe just thankfulness. I am not sure but - I sensed God's kingdom had indeed come and felt both humbled and privileged to participate in it!