Your Kingdom Come

Inauguration Day, which comes every four years in the United States, continues to be an occasion of great fanfare. Several presidential balls are customarily held on or near the day on which the newly elected commander-in-chief takes office. The day itself is not without its own pomp and circumstance. Americans may have rejected monarchy, but we tend to treat the president as a de facto king. Limousines have replaced horse-drawn carriages and secret service agents stand in for the royal guard. Nevertheless, the honor and ceremony given to the president is not much different from that paid to kings and queens.

Even with all the freedoms and comforts the United States enjoys, we might say her citizens sense that something is amiss. Human beings long to be ruled by a powerful, sovereign king. The real question we must all ask is: Which king merits our ultimate allegiance?

Jesus now speaks of the One to whom all honor, glory, and service is due (Luke 11:2b). A monarchy is characterized by the supreme will of its sovereign. Thus, in God’s kingdom, His justice is preeminent. Part and parcel of hallowing the Lord’s name (v. 2a) is submission to His kingly rule. Therefore, Jesus asks that His kingdom would come. Our prayers are not to be focused primarily on our own needs. Instead, as Dr. Archie Parrish has labored to say, we are to be kingdom-focused when we come before the Father. His concerns must be first and foremost in our minds when we approach Him. Effective prayers will be those that call for the kingdom to grow through the work of His people, by the power of His Spirit (Matt. 6:33).

Whenever we go before God in prayer, we have to remember to whom we are speaking as well as the identity of the one who is doing the speaking. In other words, we have to remember that we are addressing the Lord. We are not His equal. We do not give Him advice, since He knows our needs before we ask (v. 8). Still, He gives us the unspeakable privilege of coming into the heavenly throne room and offering petitions that He uses to bring His will to pass. May we therefore eagerly and reverently come before Him.