When Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, He gave them what we call “The LORD’s Prayer.” That’s a bit of a misnomer, since it really is our prayer. It is how we are to approach our Father God.
We first must have a relationship with our great God; He is “our Father.” We must also honor His name, “hallowed be your name.” We must not by our words, actions, attitudes, do anything that brings reproach to our Father’s Holy Name.
Next Jesus reminded us to be ever seeking His kingdom. “Your kingdom come.”
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us that must be our priority to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” [Matthew 6:33 NIV]
Every desire, every need, every want pale before that command. When we pray for the Kingdom of God to come, we are asking for two things. We are asking first for God’s Kingdom to live in us. That relationship with which we began this prayer, “our Father,” is more than an acknowledgement of words. It must become a personal relationship that changes our lives from the inside out.
When God is truly present in us, when we surrender to Him and allow Him to take over by the power of His Holy Spirit, we cannot remain the same. Because when God is present, His Holiness, His Righteousness, His Truth will also be present. And when the attributes of God present within us conflict with the attitudes of our former life, something must change, and it won’t be God.
Our testimony to the world demands that the reflection of God’s Kingdom in us accompany it. When we pray, “Your kingdom come” recognize that first of all you are praying to surrender all to Him. You are giving God’s Spirit permission to change you!
Tomorrow, the second part of “Your Kingdom Come.”
