Thy Kingdom Come

To everyone who has been eagerly waiting the arrival of my next post on A Thinking Woman, I apologize that it has taken so long. My husband is a school teacher and he has been home from work this summer. And to be honest, I enjoy hanging out with my hubby more than blogging! :)

This post will be about the example our Lord left us on how we ought to pray.

"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."

Would our Lord really tell us to ask for something that would never realistically happen? As trusting children, would our loving mother tell us to go ask our generous father to give us some great thing, knowing full well, that our father would never give to us that which she is telling us to ask of him? If that happened in real life, we might say that this mother is not loving after all. It would seen she is playing a cruel joke on us.

James 1:6 tells us that when we pray to God, we are to ask in faith, not doubting, for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed about. I realize that in the context of the first chapter of James, the author is referring to asking God for wisdom. But I think it easily applies to any prayer we pray. We should always pray, believing that God is able to grant that which we ask if it is in accordance to his will.

Jesus tells us to pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. How is God's will done in heaven? Perfectly. I am not denying that there will always be sin in this present age. It is my belief, however, that as the gospel goes forth conquering the nations, making the enemies of Christ his footstool, God's kingdom here on earth will look more and more like his kingdom in heaven. If it would never be so, Christ would not have asked us to pray for it.

In the Great Commission, Jesus says "all authority has been given to me"...so go disciple the nations. Notice, he did NOT say go and try to convert the nations. He said disciple the nations. You cannot disciple that which is not already converted. Conversion takes place first, then discipleship follows. Why is Christ so confident as to tell us to disciple the nations (which is in itself making the assuption that they will be converted first)? Because ALL authority had been given to him.

God does not work apart from means. God uses our prayers and evangelism to bring about gospel success. So, first we pray that God's kingdom come and that his will be done perfectly on earth as it is in heaven...then we get out there in everyday life, and fulfill the Great Commission. And in case we doubt that God will use us to disciple the nations as he told us to do, never fear, because he who commanded us to do so has ALL authority to grant that it happen. And so I exclaim with the Apostle Paul..."O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen." And Amen.