Teach Me to Pray Thy Kingdom Come Day 3
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaaven.
Luther’s Insights for Prayer
The Second Petition
Thy kingdom come.
What does this mean?
The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.
How does God’s kingdom come?
God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.
“Some Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. His answer was, “The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. No one will say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, “There it is!’, because the Kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21 GNB
The key word is “within”. By God’s grace we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit and led to faith. Faith in one sense is very personal. It lives within us, shaping our lives and the way we live them. Yet in another sense it is anything but personal. Faith strengthens us to lead lives that truly are godly, reflecting God’s love and forgiveness, out in the real world where they can be seen and known by all who interact with us and come to know us.
- Pray earnestly that God so strengthens and empowers you that your godly life will truly impact the world around you.
- Thank Him in prayer that your life of faith will bring you, by His grace to be with Him in eternity.