Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
What comes to mind when you hear the word Kingdom? The Kingdom of Great Britain with all its royalty? Or a fictional kingdom as in the Lord of the Rings novels or King Arthur and Camelot?
A kingdom is defined as a country, state, or territory ruled by a king or queen. When a king or queen rules, we call that a monarchy, a government in which a single person is sovereign.
Jesus’ hearers in Matthew 6 knew about kingdoms firsthand—historically the Kingdom of David divided into 2 kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel and Judah and both went on to be conquered by the Kingdoms of Assyria and Babylon. “Kingdom” meant power, rule, and authority.
Throughout the Gospels Jesus speaks of a kingdom, the power, rule and authority of the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God. He repeatedly illustrates what the Kingdom of God is like—comparing it to a mustard seed or an expensive pearl or a wedding banquet at different times. But as Americans, who fought a war against being controlled by another kingdom, we bristle at the thought of an outside power telling us what to do.
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray “Your Kingdom Come”, we can deduce there are other Kingdom options.
I have great allegiance to and great affection for another kingdom—-the kingdom of ME.
When Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, Seek first the kingdom of God… he is well aware that another kingdom is vying for our loyalty. There’s another kingdom I can seek first. And every day I wake, I must choose between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of ME.
Truth be told, the kingdom of me is pretty awesome. I get to rule. It’s all about me! It likes what I like, it hates what I hate, it primarily functions to agree with my desires, my emotions, my feelings and habits. The kingdom of me is easy and comfortable because it always wants to do what I want to do.
There will always be the temptation to choose MY kingdom and ignore the Kingdom of God.
When I pray, “Your Kingdom come” to the God of the universe, the ruler of all creation,—I’m saying yes to your Kingdom Lord, and no to my kingdom. I’m saying, Father, you rule better than I rule, your agenda and purposes matter more than mine do.
Father….Your Kingdom come
God, what I truly want is to see your rule, your power and your authority manifest over the whole of creation, and in every way, over my life today.
Amen
Donielle Winter