Your Kingdom Come: A Prayer in Everything

If I’m honest, I can be kind of socially awkward at times. I’ve certainly grown more comfortable in social settings since being in ministry, but there are still moments where I get quite nervous and struggle to know what to initially say to people. One thing that has helped me the most is having a pre-determined discussion starter. Once I begin an interaction, the conversation can start to flow somewhat naturally – I just need to know how to begin.

I have found the same to be true in prayer. Often, I will set some time aside for prayer, only to stagnate at the start. I don’t want to just rush into making requests – I desire to be with God and make conversation with him. But then, how do I begin? Sometimes, prayer can flow naturally – but then other times, I just don’t know what to say.

Also, being in ministry, I’m often asked to pray for others and their situations. Early on in ministry, I struggled with knowing how to pray for certain circumstances. Whether it be sickness, a broken relationship, or some other emergency – many situations just seemed so complicated! I desired to pray for healing and positive outcomes, but I was also very aware that things don’t always end well.  How do you pray in a world that is so messy?

I’m comforted by the fact that I’m not the only one who has struggled with prayer. The disciples couldn’t even pray for one hour when Jesus needed them most. At one point, after seeing Jesus pray up close, the disciples asked that he would teach them to pray. In that request, Jesus gave us all one of the most gracious gifts we could ever receive. He gave us words to pray.

The Lord’s prayer has been a great source of encouragement for believers throughout history. In recent years, it has allowed me to remain grounded and confident in conversing with God. In particular, the phrase “Your kingdom come” has become my go-to phrase for all situations. Below are three reasons this phrase is effective in every season.

Reason #1: It reorients our hope to God’s promise for the future.

This life can weigh heavily on us. As a result, we can become nearsighted. Praying for God’s Kingdom to come lifts our eyes to God’s promise to completely restore creation. In doing this, it reminds us of the fact that God will one day eradicate sin, defeat evil, and conquer sickness and death.

When we focus our attention on the Kingdom of Heaven that is coming to earth, it strengthens us. It creates an ability to endure difficult seasons. It makes you willing to go through suffering in this age because you know that the next age will be worth whatever you might lose to get there.

Reason #2: It reveals the future in our present day.

As I mentioned earlier, I often struggled to know how to pray for people who were sick and suffering. I would ask God to work a miracle, but in the back of my mind, I would often wonder – what if that isn’t God’s will?

What I’ve come to learn is that while I certainly pray for God to do the miraculous, I am much more confident in the fact that God intends to reveal his kingdom. Sometimes the Kingdom of God is revealed through supernatural healings and miracles. Sometimes the Kingdom is revealed through our willingness to endure suffering. When God answers prayer in this age, it serves as a picture of the Kingdom to come. When God allows us to remain in suffering, - again - it serves as a testimony to the world that God’s future Kingdom is worth whatever suffering we go through.

Reason It realigns our behavior with our future state.

I like to refer to the Sermon on the Mount as the Kingdom Platform. Jesus was not a political figure, but many desired him to be. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reveals what character traits would be required for entrance into the Kingdom of God. If you read through his message, you see that it’s a high calling.

When you pray for God’s Kingdom to come, God will often seek to bring about His Kingdom in your own heart and behavior. At first, it appears that living out the Sermon on the Mount is impossible. And truthfully, on our own, it is. But the good news of the gospel informs us that Jesus brought the Kingdom of heaven near himself. He was perfect in every way. By being united with him in faith, his life and righteousness are placed within us and increase as we walk with him. The Kingdom is now near to others through us.

If you’re in a season where you’re struggling to pray, let me encourage you to make a habit of praying through the Lord’s Prayer. Take the time to go through it slowly and methodically. Consider every phrase and expound on how it might pertain to you in your current state. And take heart knowing that it is God’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom.

Lord, let Your Kingdom come! Amen.