Your Kingdom Come
Every Sunday, we pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” as part of the Lord’s Prayer. What do we mean when we lift that petition up to God? I’ll admit, a lot of times I just kind of breeze past that petition, not recognizing all that is included in that short phrase. If we truly want God’s kingdom to come, then we must be prepared for what that would entail. If we truly want God’s will to be done, then we must recognize that it may not align with our will.
I have a deeper appreciation for that petition after the last several months, and last several days, in our country. Debbie has a high school friend who is an airline pilot who now lives in Australia with his wife and two school-age children. He recently shared on Facebook that when he and his wife discussed with their children the possibility of moving back to the United States, their teenage daughter pleaded with them to not move here. Why? “Because we’re afraid of the guns.” That is how the world views our country. It is how we have become indifferent to the norm of this earthly kingdom of violence.
Perhaps more than ever, we are yearning for God’s kingdom to come. We are yearning for God’s children to beat their swords and guns into plowshares, so that 2-year-olds don’t become orphans while watching a parade. We are yearning for God’s children to see one another as God sees them, not as divisive forces say we should see one another - as enemies and rivals. We are yearning for God’s children to tackle the deep, complex problems that we are facing – hunger, poverty, racism – rather than blaming others for these very problems.
We may be yearning for God’s kingdom to come, and we indeed pray for that every time we pray the prayer Jesus taught us. But in doing so, we also must be willing to accept what God’s kingdom will bring. It may shake us from our comforts. It may take us to places we never expected. It likely will change us in ways that causes us fear and uncertainty. And yet, even through all of that, we can trust that God is with us – and will always be with us as we await God’s kingdom to come.
With a full and grateful heart,
Frank
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