January 5th: Your Kingdom Come
Today marks day 5 of our 21 days of prayer. As we prepare to spend time praying today, we are going focus our attention to what Jesus meant when He taught his disciples to pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt 6:10). Specifically, we are going to focus on what Jesus meant when He said “Your kingdom come…”
A lot of Jesus’ teaching ministry focused around “the Kingdom”. He spoke of it in terms of something that is coming (Mt 6:10), as well as something that is already here (Mt 4:17); as something hidden (Mt 13:44); but will one day be visible for all to see (Mt 25:31). At times He refers to it as the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God, though sometimes He just calls it “the Kingdom.” The Apostle Paul refers to it as the kingdom of [God’s] beloved Son (Col 1:13). It is a Kingdom that must be entered into to experience eternal life with God (Mt 5:20); a Kingdom that must be sought by believers (Mt 6:33), a Kingdom that are to faithfully live in now (Mt 5-7); and a Kingdom that we will one day experience the full manifestation of (Mt 25:34) following the second coming of Christ.
To pray “Your Kingdom Come” is to pray: that individuals alive today would submit to the leadership of God, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, and be saved; that believers would become more aware of and obedient to the leading of Christ through the Holy Spirit; and it is to look expectantly for Christ’s second coming and the full, visible manifestation of His Kingdom, along with His eternal reign.
As you spend time praying today, we want to invite you to pray “Your Kingdom Come”.