Have we ever wondered why in the gospel of Luke chapter 11, one of the disciples asked the Lord, “teach us how to pray?” Was it meant to be for them a prayer that they could recite, or that they saw an existential necessity for this request?. It was not far-fetched that the Apostles gave themselves to prayer and the word in Acts chapter 6 because they saw an existential prerogative in the prayer that the Lord taught, for they saw in Him in the days of His flesh that His life and ministry depended on prayer. Have we ever prayed the Lord’s prayer as if our lives depend on it? Maybe not because we do not see it beyond our learned recital. The Lord Jesus, in response to the disciples’ request, thought them what is popularly referred to as the Lord’s prayer. In the model prayer, two core existential items stand out, namely: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The prayer call for God’s kingdom connotes a cry for something better, an existential exchange. Likewise, the cry for what obtain in heaven, that is the will of God, to be replicated on earth demonstrates a desire for something that is all surpassing. In all, there is an urgency in this petition to have God’s kingdom come, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
The urgency inherent in this prayer is lost on us through the ages, such that it has become a recital and there is no earnestness about it any more. Neither is there an equally responsible desire to live it. In the book of Acts chapter 16 verse 9, Paul had a vision of a man pleading: “Come to Macedonia and help us.” The urgency in the plea of the Macedonian man bears parallel semblance to the urgency in the plea for a better kingdom and a surrender to the all surpassing (good) will of God on earth.
Thy Kingdom Come
A call for the kingdom of God to come, first and foremost, is acknowledging God as God, as King, and as the Self-Existing, Immanent Creator. It is to acknowledge His dominion and His governmental authority. Thy kingdom come is a fervent desire for something better. Songs of Solomon chapter 1 verse 3 says this of the LORD, whose kingdom is the object of our urgent desire in the Lord’s prayer: “There is a fragrance about you.” Something desirable about Him, therefore, does the virgins love You. The virgins are the ones who are pure in heart.
What makes this kingdom desirable is a question worth asking.
This prayer and the fervency inherent in it implies it is not just a religious prose. It is a desire borne out of an intelligent self-interest. Psalm 45 verse 6 and 7 says: Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” Sceptre is a symbol or object of authority, power, and sovereignty. The Sceptre of God’s kingdom is our Lord Jesus Christ, upon whose shoulder the government rests (Isaiah 9: 6). He is right and righteousness, and there is no wickedness in Him. Let us compare this to the kingdoms of the world (Luke 4:5), which the devil said “for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will” (Luke 4: 6). So there is a kingdom of the world where Satan rules, and we know from Ephesians chapter 6: 12 that there are rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in heavenly realm in this kingdom. These are the forces man contends with in the kingdom of the world. The propitiatory death of our Lord Jesus not only saved our souls, it delivers us from this kingdom of darkness. We read in the book of Colossians chapter 1 verse 13 of Apostle Paul giving thanks to God the Father: “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” We see the existential essence of this prayer and hence an urgency of desire for God’s kingdom because it is a kingdom of marvellous light (1 Peter 2: 9), and the Sceptre of the kingdom is a right and righteousness Sceptre.
Secondly, the kingdom of God is desirable because it is enduring and everlasting (Psalm 145: 13) compared to the kingdom of this world that is passing away. In the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 31, we read: “For this world in its present form is passing away.” The book of 1 John 2 verse 17 echoes the same thing: “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” The LORD God declares in Isaiah 13 verse 11: “I, the LORD, will punish the world for its evil…” So why would anyone want to invest in what is fading away and which will be punished for its evil, seeing that the kingdom of this world is ruled by rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness. Again, we see the existential necessity in the earnest desiring of God’s kingdom.
Interestingly, our Lord Jesus made us know that the kingdom is in us (Luke 17: 21). He also admonished in Mathew 6 verse 33: “But seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” So it is a matter of choice, and it is not a one-off thing but a life-long pursuit. It is akin to the LORD God declaring in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 15: “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil.” We have for our choices the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. But as we receive admonitions in Mathew chapter 6 verse 33, we should seek first the kingdom of God. The prayer “Thy kingdom come” is more than a recital but an affirmation of what we are to live for and what we are to seek after. The book of Romans 14 verse 17 says: “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” It is not a set of rules that must be observed” (Luke 17: 20). It is living a Spirit-led life of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God has been given to us ( Luke 12:32), it is ours to desire after it with the urgency that it deserves so that it is not taken away from us. For the kingdom of God suffered violence, and only the violent takes it by force (Mathew 11:12). As the called us ones of the LORD, a kingdom-centred life should be our existential top priority. It is what we are to seek out first. When we do, we inherit power and the glory of the kingdom.
