May Your Kingdom Come

When I wrote about the phrase “hallowed be your name” at the beginning of Jesus’s model prayer (also known as the Lord’s Prayer), I hadn’t intended to write any follow up posts. But I recently found myself pondering the next phrase in that prayer: “may your kingdom come,” and I wanted to study that more deeply as well.

I notice that when I pray, I tend to add a sentiment like “your kingdom come, your will be done” at the end of my prayers. I don’t think this is unusual. I remember reading a book about prayer where the author said he does the same thing, feeling it makes a better summation than an opening idea. Still, Jesus put this phrase at the beginning of His model prayer. We don’t have to follow that model exactly (it’s a guide and outline rather than a prayer to just repeat word-for-word all the time), but I have to think there’s a reason He organized the model prayer the way that He did.

Prioritizing the Kingdom

Two gospels record the model prayer. In Matthew, Jesus gives this outline as part of the Sermon on the Mount when He’s talking about good and bad examples for how to pray (Matt. 6:5-15). In Luke, He uses this prayer to respond to a disciple’s request that Jesus teach them to pray (Luke 11:1-13). Both versions are about the same, though Luke’s is a little shorter depending on the translation (it seems that later manuscripts borrowed from Matthew’s gospel to expand the prayer in Luke’s [NET footnotes on Luke 11:2, 4). Let’s look at the version recorded by Matthew.

So pray this way:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored,
may your kingdom come,
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

Matthew 6:9-13, NET

We begin by addressing “our Father in heaven.” It’s an intimate, relational way to speak to the one true God. Also, by saying “our” instead of “my,” we’re reminded that He’s the Father of a whole family that we’re part of. “May your name be honored” continues properly aligning how we view and approach God. We should regard Him as holy, and we should also pray that others come to the same realization.

Then, Jesus says, “may your kingdom come.” It’s the first thing He prays for after acknowledging God’s holiness. I wonder if He prioritizes this part of the prayer for the same reason that He counsels us to prioritize God’s kingdom just a little later in this Sermon on the Mount.

So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:31-34, NET

We shouldn’t get preoccupied by worry about physical things. God already knows that we need them and we can trust Him to take care of us. More of our focus should be on pursuing His kingdom and righteousness. Other translations often use the phrase “seek first” (Matt. 6:33, WEB). If we arrange our prayers so all of our requests for ourselves crowd into the first part of the prayer and then tack on “your kingdom come” at the end, maybe that’s a sign that we’ve gotten into the habit of prioritizing something other than His kingdom and righteousness.

What Is the Kingdom?

What does it mean to “seek first” or “pursue” God’s kingdom? To answer that, we first need to understand what His kingdom is. Jesus spoke often about the kingdom in the gospels (especially as recorded by Matthew and Luke). At the beginning of His public ministry, “Jesus began to preach this message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!'” (Matt. 4:17, NET). He came here to preach the good news about God’s kingdom (Matt. 4:23; 9:35; Luke 4:42-44; 8:1). The kingdom of heaven, or God’s kingdom, is a central part of the gospel message.

The kingdom of God is both a future thing and a present reality. It’s where we’re heading, and it’s also our homeland right now. For example, John’s opening salutation in Revelation says Jesus has already “appointed us as a kingdom, as priests serving his God and Father” (Rev. 1:6, NET). But we’re also still waiting on the future time when the seventh angel will sound his trumpet and voices proclaim, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15, NET). When we entered into a covenant relationship with God, we placed ourselves under His authority and became citizens of the kingdom of heaven (Phil. 3:20) even though that kingdom isn’t physically present on earth yet.

giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:12-14, NET

The kingdom of God is where God rules and where His people belong. Right now, it’s growing in the world in little pockets. It’s like yeast kneaded in flour, grain sowed in a field, or hidden treasure (Matt. 13:23-51). In certain senses, the kingdom is already here among us. It “came near” when Jesus or His followers arrived in a city to preach the good news and heal the sick. At one point, Jesus even said “the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 10:9-11; 11:19-20; 17:20-21). But at the same time, He had to correct people who “supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately” (Luke 19:11, NET; see Luke 19:9-28). The kingdom was there in Jesus, it’s here now in His people, but Jesus hasn’t yet visibly taken up the authority God the Father has given Him to directly rule the entire world.

We’re still waiting on the full realization of the promise that Jesus “will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32-33, NET). Most of that has already happened. We’re just waiting for His kingdom to fully arrive here on this earth (Luke 21:5-36; 1 Cor. 15:20-28). When we pray, “may your kingdom come,” we’re looking forward to that time.

Keep On-Track Toward the Kingdom

In the future, Jesus will come, separate out the kingdom-people, and settle accounts with them (Matt. 18:23-35; 20:1-16; 25:1-46). He’s hoping to pass good judgement and welcome them fully into His kingdom, but there are also warnings. You don’t get into the kingdom of God at the end of the age unless you’re doing God’s will, living righteously, and producing good fruit (Matt. 5:18-20; 7:21; 18:1-3; 21:43-22:14). In other words, as Paul says, those practicing unrighteous things have no inheritance in the kingdom (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5). The warnings are to motivate us out of complacency so that we actually live the lives that God called us to live, not to terrify us.

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out—a treasure in heaven that never decreases, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Luke 12:32-34, NET

God chose us out of this world and made us “heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him” (Jas. 2:5, NET). That has already happened. We could choose to leave that kingdom, but God is highly invested in making sure we stay part of His family. His kingdom is unshakable (Heb. 12:28) and He can bring us “safely into His heavenly kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:18, NET). We just need to do our part to “live in a way worthy of God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory” (1 Thess. 2:12, NET).

 Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to be sure of your calling and election. For by doing this you will never stumble into sin. For thus an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be richly provided for you.

2 Peter 1:10-11, NET

By praying, “may your kingdom come,” we remind ourselves of our goal. It helps put our lives into perspective to remember that we belong in God’s kingdom and, because we’re under His authority, we’re supposed to live a certain way. It also helps us remember not to get bogged down in the day-to-day stuff, and instead remember that we’re part of something bigger and longer-lasting than this present world.

---

Featured image by Prixel Creative from Lightstock