Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
(Matthew 6:10)
A husband and wife were attending a county fair where, for five dollars per person, a
man was giving rides on an old biplane. The couple wanted to go up but they thought the
price was too steep. Consequently, they tried to negotiate a lower price. "We'll pay
you five dollars for both of us," they said to the pilot. "After all, we'll both
have to squeeze into that tiny cockpit that was built for only one person."
The pilot refused to lower his price, but he made a counter-offer. He said to the
couple, "Pay me the full price of ten dollars and I'll take you up. And if you don't
say one word during the flight, I'll give you all your money back." The couple agreed
and got into the plane.
Up they went and the pilot proceeded to perform every trick he knew, looping and
whirling and flying upside down and lots more. Finally, when the plane had landed, the
pilot said to the husband, "Congratulations! Here's your ten dollars; you didn't say
a single word." To which the man replied, "Nope, but I almost did when my wife
fell out."
Now, there are some people who would say, "Well, a person does have to have his
priorities!"
And so we do. All of us have our priorities. Some of us may even know what they are.
What are your priorities? I once heard someone speculate that he could take a man's
checkbook and determine what were his priorities. No doubt there is a great deal of truth
to that. What you give yourself to - your time, energy, money - is what is important to
you.
So we must take time to evaluate what are our real priorities. What is first, second,
third, fourth, and so on? As you examine your priorities, you may be surprised to find
that some things you think are high on your list are not as high as you think.
In teaching us how to pray, Jesus also taught us what is the single most important
priority in life. The top priority for the Christian is summarized for us when he prays, "Thy
Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven."
For Jesus Christ, the Kingdom was the priority. The Bible teaches us that Jesus'
message was primarily about the Kingdom of God. He went about "teaching in
their synagogues, preaching the good news of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and
sickness among the people (Matthew 4:23). The message Jesus preached was this: "Repent,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is near (Matthew 4:17). After His resurrection, Jesus
appeared to His followers "over a period of forty days, and spoke about the
Kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). In fact, over eighty times in the Gospels alone,
Jesus refers to the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is certainly the priority for Christ.
Therefore, it cannot be overlooked by us.
Therefore, Jesus taught us that the first order of business in our prayer, after
entering into God's presence through praise, was to affirm the priority of God's rule and
will being established in our lives.
What did Jesus mean when He taught us to pray for the Kingdom to come and
for God's will to be done? In order to answer that question, we might first
define the Kingdom of God. Most simply stated, the Kingdom of God is the dominion or reign
of God. The Kingdom of God is not limited to a place, or a people, or even a time. The
Kingdom of God is defined by the King and His reign. Where ever you find the reign of God,
there you find the Kingdom being manifested. The Kingdom has a great deal to do with the will
of God.
Where you find the Kingdom in operation you will also find the will of God being obeyed.
Of course, the will of God is perfectly obeyed in Heaven. The Kingdom of God is
perfectly displayed in Heaven. And now Jesus teaches us to pray that the Kingdom would be
manifested, and that the will of God would be done in earth just as perfectly as
it is in Heaven.
How is this possible? Well, the Kingdom in it's fullness will have to wait for the
ultimate return of Jesus Christ. But we can experience an increasing manifestation of the
Kingdom in our lives today. Jesus said in Luke 17:21, "Behold, the Kingdom of
God is in your midst." He said in Matthew 12:28, "But if I cast
our demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you."
Paul said in Romans 14:17, "For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking
but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." He went on to say in
1 Corinthians 4:20, "For the Kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in
power." And finally, Paul also said in Colossians 1:13, "For He
delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved
Son."
We have already been transferred into the Kingdom. Now it is our task to be those who
manifest the Kingdom on planet earth. It is our task to affirm the priority of Kingdom
rule over our lives here and now. We pray that God's Kingdom would come and that His will
would be done in every area of human endeavor. The Kingdom is manifested in power,
righteousness, peace, and joy as the Holy Spirit works among us and through us. The
Kingdom of God can be in our midst because Jesus Himself is in our midst.
And so when we pray for the Kingdom to come and God's will to be done, we are bringing
ourselves under the authority of the King. We are declaring that His will is the priority
for our lives. We are asking Him to over-rule our desires and establish His purposes for
our lives.
Let me suggest to you that there should be earnest prayer for God's Kingdom to come and
His will to be done all areas of our life. Four major areas that you will want to include
are yourself, your family, your church, and your nation. Your goal is to affirm the
priority of the Kingdom of God and the will of God in each of these areas and pray that
God would make that a reality.
In your own life, pray that God would give you the grace to truly seek His Kingdom
first. Ask Him to reorder your priorities to reflect His agenda. Summit yourself to Him by
praying about the decisions you have to make, the circumstances with which you have to
deal that day, the problems you will have to face of which you are aware, and everything
else that concerns you. Your heart attitude, your daily devotional life, your passion for
God, your personal hang-ups, your temptations, and everything else should be brought into
the light of God's purposes for us. We should declare that His Kingdom has priority over
every aspect of these things. And we should determine in our hearts to submit our wills to
His. Pray that God would make this a reality.
In terms of your family, there is so much for which you need to pray concerning the
establishment of the Kingdom of God and the will of God. You can pray for the overall
direction of your family. You can pray for your mate. You can pray for your children. You
can lift up to God all of the circumstances they face. As you do, you will ask Him to
bring the power of the Kingdom to bear in their lives. You will ask Him to cause His will
to be done in every circumstance they face. Be specific. Declare the primacy of His rule
over each individual area.
In the area of your church, again there is so much for which to pray. Jesus is the head
of the church. It is His church. If there is a place where the rule of Christ should be
manifest, it should be the church. Pray that this church would always remain absolutely
committed to and submitted to the King. Pray that the will of God would be done in every
area in our life and ministry. Pray for your Pastor. Pray for your Deacons. Pray for your
Sunday School Teachers. Pray for your Cell Group Leaders. Pray for those who serve in so
many different areas. Pray for the Youth Ministry. Pray for the Children's Ministry. Pray
for the Outreach efforts. Pray for a fresh touch from God. Pray for revival and renewal.
Pray for those who are stubbornly resisting the Spirit. And the list goes on and on.
As you pray, of course, you're not complaining or criticizing. You are declaring and
affirming that the will of God has priority over everything in Christ's church and asking
Him to bring everything in line with His purposes. You're asking for the anointing from
Heaven to fall upon each of us.
Then pray for your nation. Again, there is so much for which to pray. Pray for your
President, Vice President, Secretary of State, Cabinet Members, Congressmen, Senators, and
Government employees. Prya for those in the military, protecting our land. Pray for your
State Government, Local Government, Policemen, and others. Pray for their families. Ask
God to bring His Kingdom to bear upon our land.
You will probably beginning to understand the power that can be unleashed from praying
this way. Remember, Jesus is teaching us how to pray. He is instructing us
to affirm what is the real priority for humankind - His Kingdom and rule. As we do, we
will develop a Kingdom-consciousness. We will develop a greater understanding of His will.
And we will begin to see the manifestation of His rule in our life.
What are your priorities? Are they Kingdom priorities? Are they priorities that line up
with the Word of God, the will of God, the purposes of Christ? Have you considered the
implications of the desires of God concerning your life, work, marriage, career,
parenting, decisions, and service in the church?
We are taught to pray that the King's rule would be established and that His will would
be accomplished where we live. One day, when He returns in glory, that will be the case.
Until then, we are called to be those who not only reflect the Kingdom in our lives, but
also establish the Kingdom through our lives.
Lord, thy Kingdom come - thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Copyright (C) 1995 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property
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