“When we pray, ‘Your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,’
we are praying: May up there come down here.”
-John Ortberg
We are in week three of the “Prayer-Grasping the Heart of God” series. It has been insightful, helpful, and even encouraging as we are learning about prayer and taking a deeper look at The Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13. In today’s sermon, we looked at Matthew 6:10 (NIV) “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This short phrase really encapsulates the message of Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments leading to God’s plan and the Good News of Jesus. The message that Jesus came to preach is found in several verses (Mark 1:15; Luke 8:1; Luke 9:1-2; Luke 13:18-21; Acts 1:3). Let’s look at one verse now, “Mark 1:15 (NLT) “The time promised by God has come at last!” He announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” Jesus is inviting us into something bigger than ourselves!
Before and even after Jesus' death and resurrection, He spoke of the Kingdom of God. It is both now and for all eternity. In the Gospels, the word “kingdom” appears 123 times. Jesus, Himself, used the word 98 times. Jesus wants us to be part of His kingdom. Now let’s take this week to really dig in and study this phrase of the Lord’s Prayer. May your heart be open as you read, seek, and listen to what Jesus wants to say.
MONDAY:
Pastor Adam wasted no time in Sunday’s message to break down verse 10 of Matthew 6. Today, we will look at “Thy kingdom come”
Thy: (your) God’s will, not mine
Kingdom: His establishment, His rule, His grace on earth
Come: To be present, to be done, to happen
So in this we see we are praying that God’s will (NOT OURS), His rule and establishment and grace will be present, be done. As we learned, Kingdoms can be tricky. There is always someone who wants to overthrow a kingdom that belongs to someone else. There is sin and brokenness in this world, but not in God’s kingdom. God doesn’t intend to do His work alone, He always invites us to be part. We see in Luke 9:1-2, “Jesus calling the disciples to preach the kingdom of God. When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2) and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
Take some time today to read that small phrase. Have you been asking for God’s kingdom to come? In what ways have you experienced this? In what way is God speaking to your heart through this?
TUESDAY:
Let’s take a look at the second part of the first phrase, “Thy will be done”
Thy: (your) God’s will, not mine
Will: God’s purpose
Be done: Be accomplished, finished, completed
We’ve already talked about praying that God’s kingdom come. We also should pray His will be done. Lord, Your will, Your purpose and plan, be accomplished. NOT MINE! Oh how we can make a mess of things. First we ask for His Kingdom, a heavenly and righteous kingdom to come. That helps us remember the Good News message of Jesus and in turn helps us as we consider God’s will in all of this.
Take a few minutes to pray through this small phrase. Maybe pray it three times, each time placing emphasis on a different word. Where do you need to yield your will for God’s will? Ask Him to help you today.
WEDNESDAY:
The last phrase of Matthew 6:10 says “...on earth as it is in heaven”.
On earth: Happens here and now
As it is in Heaven: Divine, Holy, in His presence
Jesus wants us to experience Heaven on earth. Heaven is one of those things that we don’t have a full grasp on because it is something we have not fully experienced yet. This phrase is about having faith to ask God to do things here as He does there. We have some glimpses of Heaven in Scripture, Revelation 7:9-10 and 21:3-4 are just two examples.We read of unity and all brokenness restored. We do live in a very broken and divided world. However, as we live for Christ, we can be living out His kingdom down here on earth.
Take today to read and meditate on this part of Matthew 6:10. John Ortberg said this “When we pray, ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,’ we are praying: May up there come down here.” What do you think of when you think about Heaven? What does this phrase of Matthew 6:10 mean to you?
THURSDAY:
In Matthew 6:10 “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”, we see this is a prayer of hope. We are asking God to intervene in this broken and dark world. We are asking God to intervene in our relationships, in our struggles, in our fears.
What brokenness are you asking God to intervene in today? In your own personal life and also in the world?
FRIDAY:
The other thing about this verse “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”, it’s a prayer of commitment. In this prayer we are surrendering our will, our intentions, our plans, our preferences. We are asking the Lord to be part of the healing that we are in need of and praying for. If we really think about it, that is why we do many of the things we do. Donating and volunteering and helping. Not out of guilt or even obligation. Deep down, we understand that our mission is to help bring the “up there, down here.” One day we will be in heaven, but for now, may we be ambassadors of the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Pastor Adam said, “When the kingdom of God rules in us (personally/collectively)-here and now-His way, not our way-there is no limit to what we can see God do.”
Take some time to really consider the verse as a prayer of commitment. Do you need to pray this prayer and ask God to renew a heart of commitment to His kingdom work? Do you need to ask God to rule in your heart and yield your will to His?
SATURDAY:
Take today to read and meditate on Matthew 6:9-10
9“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.”
Pray through it slowly, phrase by phrase. Ask God to speak to you heart through His Word today.