Todays devotion is written by Mike Loveridge
We are onto the third line of the Lord’s Prayer today which is ‘Thy kingdom come’. If we are asking for God’s kingdom to come, what is His kingdom? The kingdom of God is the place in which God rules and reigns, so it is both in the heart of believers but also in the world as a whole.
God’s kingdom coming in the life of believers
Let’s look first at the implications for believers in saying this. It is the first request that Jesus teaches us to make in prayer and it is a request that should be a central desire of all Christian’s. As we ask for God’s kingdom to come in our lives, we are once again submitting ourselves to God. When a kingdom comes it comes with a ruler and a king. God is the king and the ruler of His kingdom so in asking for God’s kingdom to come we are welcoming God as our king and ruler. This line of the Lord’s Prayer realigns our will with God’s will as it asks for God to once again become ruler and king of our lives, our whole lives. As we do this, we need to be aware that God’s Kingdom may not always coincide with what we have in mind! "God's ways are not our ways; God's thoughts are not our thoughts.” That means that we have to give up the place of ruler of our own lives and submit to the rule of God. At times that will mean that what we thought we wanted isn't what we will get since God is in control and that is ok. It can even go as far as God turning our thoughts on their head. We may end up doing the opposite of what we planned. Asking God’s kingdom to come in your life means handing over the reigns fully. Have you done that?
Gods kingdom coming in the world
God is also the ruler of the entire universe and so as this line is prayed we are also saying “set the world right." This world is far from the way in which God created it to be and there is evil and injustice everywhere. There is a kingdom of darkness which was never intended and vast numbers of people who are not in God’s kingdom. As we ask for God’s kingdom to come, we are asking that evil will be banished and that people will come to a saving knowledge of who Jesus is. Jesus teaches us to pray in this way because He wants us as His followers to act for justice, to get to the core of the causes of poverty and addiction and be moved to do something about them. Jesus would tell us to talk more about peace and less about war. We should be longing to see the world return to the way and order in which God created it and therefore doing all we can to move the world in that direction.
Today do you long for God’s kingdom to come? Both in your heart and in the world? Do you earnestly pray, ‘Come Lord Jesus’ and mean it?
Prayer for today
Why not today pray ‘May your kingdom come more and more in my heart and my desires and use me to bring your kingdom to the world around me’. Ask God to show you where you can reach out to others to display the kingdom of God in this world.
Heavenly Father,
We thank you for another new day where we can come before you and worship you for who you are. Thank you that you are the awesome creator God who loves us so much. Thank you for all you do in our lives and we ask that daily you will be transforming us more and more into the image of your Son.
Father, we pray today that your kingdom will come in to our hearts afresh, may we fully surrender the rule and reign of our lives to you and follow where you lead. We ask that you will use us to bring your kingdom here on earth.
We pray all this in Jesus’ name,
Amen
Song for today
You can listen and sing along here
Great is the darkness
That covers the earth
Oppression, injustice and pain
Nations are slipping
In hopeless despair
Though many have come in Your name
Watching while sanity dies
Touched by the madness and lies
Come Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus
Pour out Your spirit we pray
Come Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus
Pour out Your spirit on us today
May now Your church rise
With power and love
This glorious gospel proclaim
In every nation
Salvation will come
To those who believe in Your name
Help us bring light to this world
That we might speed Your return
Great celebrations
On that final day
When out of the heavens You come
Darkness will vanish
All sorrow will end
And rulers will bow at Your throne
Our great commission complete
Then face to face we shall meet
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