“…Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” - Matthew 6:10 (NKJV)
When we pray for the Lord’s kingdom to come, we are not necessarily begging the Lord for His Second Coming. God’s kingdom is not limited to heaven (when we think of it in terms of eternity). It’s easy to view the earth and heaven as very separate when actually, they overlap. As God’s living temple, our role is to be the carrier of His presence and serve as the intersection between heaven and earth. God’s kingdom is made real on this earth through the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us.
The kingdom of heaven does exist now in both places, but the difference is that the kingdom of heaven is perfected in eternity. It’s not yet perfected here on earth because it involves us—imperfect people.
Our responsibility as Christ-followers is to cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts to exchange our own desires and perspectives for His. When we pray for His kingdom to come on the earth, we are not asking God to fix all of our problems. We are asking God to change our hearts and equip us with His kingdom-perspective so that we can take it to the world around us. We are saying, “God, what are you doing, and how can we cooperate with you?”
Jesus was the perfect example of bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth. He was constantly collaborating with His heavenly Father to reveal His life and love. The more that we learn about Jesus and the more that we seek to be like Him, the more that we embody the kingdom to the world around us.
Each time we respond with love instead of hate, we bring God’s kingdom expansion. Each time we give generously, we cooperate with God’s kingdom purpose. Each time we forgive, we collaborate with God’s kingdom rule.
As we pray for a kingdom-perspective, we are praying for God’s perfect will to be done here on the earth. But how do we know if we’re praying God’s perfect will? That knowledge comes with relationship—spending time with God, reading His Word, and praying that He would change our hearts to match His will. In terms of person-to-person relationships, how would you get to know someone else and what they want? You spend time with them, you listen to them, and you get to know them. It’s the same with the Lord.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Would You mold and shape my heart to match Your will and give me Your kingdom-perspective? Father, would You move and accomplish Your perfect will in my life and the lives of those around me? Teach me what Your perfect will is and how I can partner with You to bring Your kingdom to those around me. Amen.”