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Q 123: What does the second petition mean? A: “Your kingdom come” means: Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you. Preserve your church and make it grow. Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force which revolts against you and every conspiracy against your holy Word. Do this until your kingdom fully comes, when you will be all in all.
The ‘Kingdom of God’ is one of those topics that has received thousands of pages of consideration over thousands of years. Rightly so. Scripture makes much of God’s kingdom, using multiple images and descriptions, describing it as already come while also saying it has yet to come. It is spiritual, cosmic, and eternal, but also makes its way into our physical world.
The succinct answer from the catechism is helpful, especially as we seek to pray for God’s kingdom to come. The kingdom of God is not a defined location – it is not limited to heaven or to a people. Rather, as the catechism suggests, it is where God’s rule is established. As our denomination states, “By God’s kingdom we mean God’s sovereign rule, God’s sphere of influence.” So in a way, God’s kingdom has always been here. He has reigned forever over all things (Psalm 97:1, 99:1, 103:19). But, due to sin, his rule has not been lived out entirely in this world – instead he was rejected. In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus told a parable about the kingdom of God. Verse 12 says, “A man of noble birth went to have himself appointed king and then to return.” Literally, it says he went “to receive a kingdom for himself.” But the man already had the land – he didn’t leave to get the realm. Rather, he left to get a kingship, to obtain kingly power and authority, then he would return and rule. It is no coincidence that the next passage in Luke is Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem as a king riding a colt. The kingdom is the rule and authority.
So, our prayer for God’s kingdom is really a prayer for his kingship to be realized; it is a prayer for his rule and reign to take full effect. It is a prayer of submission that we would be ruled by him. Although he ultimately rules all things, we still witness the evils of the kingdom of the world at work. So we await the fullness of Christ’s rule. We are caught between the ‘already’ of his coming and the ‘not yet’ of his return. We eagerly await Christ’s complete reign when he returns. This petition of the Lord’s Prayer is an acknowledgment that the present order of things will come to an end. Pastor Craig Barnes put it eloquently: “The present tense is vanquished every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer,” because as we pray, we realize we await a future order of God’s complete reign.
As a part of Christ’s church, you are an instrument of his kingdom. Our submission to the rule of Christ bears witness to his kingdom. Let us following the leading of the Holy Spirit to participate in his kingdom – to fight against the devil’s work and to fight “every force which revolts against [Christ]” and his Word. Let us strive to see Christ’s rule in all areas of life, even as we eagerly await him to return and establish his reign in fullness and for all time.
~ Pastor Tim