“In the second request (your kingdom come) we pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed, that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, with ourselves and others brought into and kept in it, and that the kingdom of glory may come quickly.” – Shorter Catechism Q. 103
These words of Jesus remind me to trust God to bring his kingdom through his priorities of evangelism, discipleship, and life transformation. I am learning to pray that the reality of Christ’s future earthly kingdom would be made manifest today among those who put their faith in Jesus.
I live by faith in Christ in the “in between”. God’s kingdom has already come, is coming, and will ultimately come.
Confessing my self-centred approach to God in prayer
To be honest, my prayers are mostly preoccupied with wanting my own little kingdom to come. There is a selfish part of me that still wants: to assert my autonomy from God, to be my own self sovereign, and freedom to make my own identity, values, and priorities in comparison with others.
My prayers are often concerned about maintaining my comfort, expanding my influence, keeping my options open, and acquiring more possessions and social status. Even when my prayers sound spiritual and relate to God’s kingdom, I pray for the timing and way I want and envision his kingdom coming in a way that suits and benefits me.
At times I realize that my impatience with God’s timing of his coming kingdom is more about my desire for power, control, and influence. It isn’t wrong to pray for God’s reign to come quickly, but I have so little patience for and understanding of God’s overall timeline. I also tend to overestimate my importance in God’s overall plan. I want his kingdom to advance so that I can live the life I want.
God’s kingdom has already come, is coming, and will ultimately come.
We can pray “Your kingdom come” with certainty
The coming of God’s kingdom has to overcome bigger obstacles than I can deal with. Only Jesus can: destroy the works of Satan, judge the evil of fallen angels and humans, bring his full reign and rule to reality on earth, destroy sin and death, resurrect those of faith, and create a new heavens and new earth.
We are assured that God’s kingdom is advancing and will one day be the only eternal reality for those who trust in Jesus.
Let us pray for family, friends, colleagues, and neighbours, that together we all would be convicted of our sin and its consequences and turn to God in faith. Pray that we would see through all the deceptions of Satan’s worldly kingdom and that we would be attracted to the work, mercy, and grace of Jesus in his coming kingdom.
Prioritizing God’s kingdom in our prayers
We can pray with confidence knowing that God’s kingdom is coming with certainty as revealed in Revelation 21:1-5:
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
When praying in light of our heavenly Father’s unconditional love and matchless glory, we can pray with assurance that his kingdom will come, that we can taste a hint of it now, and be assured that one day we will experience it fully.
Written by Corey Porter.
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