“Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”” (Luke 17:20–21)
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,” (Colossians 1:13)
The Second Petition of the Lord’s Prayer
What image do you see in your mind when you hear the word, “Kingdom”?
When people hear the word kingdom, they often picture a place.
But when Jesus speaks about the Kingdom of God, He is talking about something much greater.
God’s Kingdom is His gracious reign.
It is wherever He rules through His Word, bringing people out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of His Son.
That’s why Luther explains this petition by saying,
“The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.”
Notice that again.
Just as God’s name is holy whether we pray or not, God’s Kingdom is advancing whether we see it or not.
So this petition is not asking God to become King. He already is.
We are asking that His gracious rule would reach us and others.
How does that happen?
It’s not through political power or military strength. This is not praying that Christians would take over the government or control society.
God’s Kingdom comes through the Gospel.
Jesus stood in front of Pontius Pilate and told Pilate His kingdom was not of this world. Or, as he said in our passage, you can’t point to it here or there.
On Palm Sunday, Jesus said He would be lifted up and draw all the world to Himself. He was lifted up five days later. Lifted up on a cross. The world thought this was the end of Jesus, but really, Jesus was ascending to His throne. The sign on the cross read, “King of the Jews”. In fact, it was the King of the world, establishing a kingdom of grace that would have no end.
Jesus compared His Kingdom to a mustard seed. It begins small and almost unnoticed, yet it continues to grow. Much of what God does happens in ways we don’t normally associate with a reign—in a sermon, in a Bible study, in a conversation between friends, around a hospital bed, at a baptismal font, or at the Lord’s Table.
The world may not notice those moments, but Heaven does…and so do the citizens of God’s kingdom.
This petition also reminds us that God’s Kingdom is not only something we enter.
It is something we long to see completed.
We still live in a world marked by sin, suffering, temptation, and death. We pray for God’s Kingdom to come because we look forward to the day when Christ returns, evil is finally defeated, and His people live with Him forever.
Until then, we pray that His Kingdom would continue to come to us and our faith would grow. We pray that our neighbors would hear the Gospel and more people would come to know Christ as their Savior.
Because there is no greater gift than belonging to His Kingdom.
Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father,
Let Your Kingdom come to me and to many others through the power of Your Word and the work of Your Holy Spirit. Strengthen my faith, bring those who do not yet know Christ to saving faith, and keep me looking forward to the day when Your Kingdom is revealed in all its glory. Through Jesus Christ, my King.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
