
A Prayer about Praying for the Kingdom to Come
Heavenly Father,
Forgive us for ever mumbling this prayer by rote,Â
not really thinking about what we are asking for.
The fact is, this is a radical prayer.Â
It is a prayer you invite us to pray daily.Â
It is a prayer for when a marriage falls apart,Â
for when a global pandemic destroys our business,Â
for when a house is under water after a flood.Â
When we pray this prayer,Â
we remember whose kingdom weâre seekingâyours.Â
You are a God characterized by âholy stubbornness,âÂ
a ârefusal to accept ruin.â*Â
You are the God who repaired broken creationÂ
by becoming man and dying on a cross.Â
Your kingdom is characterized by shalom,Â
universal flourishing, âheavenly wholeness.â*
Your kingdom is the kingdomÂ
that opposes the kingdom of darkness.Â
To pray âyour kingdom comeâÂ
is to ask Jesus to defeat the destroyerâs efforts today.Â
To pray âyour kingdom comeâÂ
is to repent of our tendenciesÂ
to create small kingdoms by placing ourselves,Â
our loved ones, our work, our homes,Â
or any other thing we see as ours,Â
on the throne of our lives.Â
Indeed, Lord, your kingdom come.
In Jesusâ coming name. Amen.
Read Matthew 6:7-15.
*Quotes from Nathan Biermaâs great book, Bringing Heaven down to Earth