Thy Kingdom or My Kingdom?
Jesus instructed us to pray to the Father by first declaring and petitioning, “Thy kingdom come…” (Luke 11:2-4)
This is a term that has, unfortunately, become very religious in rhetoric. We impiously blab it and “pray it” with much familiarity. In many people’s mind, it’s become a prayer that’s recited with no passion and very little understanding. If we really knew the power behind it, our lives would be totally different.
Praying for God’s kingdom to come over our lives is a very dangerous prayer to pray. What we’re really asking is for God’s laws, policies, ordinances, decrees, rules, system, regulations and structure to rule and govern over our lives. We are asking for God’s complete government to run our private lives, our jobs, our business and our family.
By praying that prayer, we are literally giving up any claim to our own personal and private “freedom.” By praying that prayer, we are now inviting God to interfere with every decision we make. By praying that prayer, we are surrendering, to God, every area of our lives that we deem to be “private.”
God’s kingdom is a totalitarian, authoritarian and one-party government that doesn’t oppress people rather sets us free from ourselves! It’s not democratic by any means. It’s never been “for the people and by the people.” After all, He’s the author of life and the creator of the universe. I think He knows what He’s doing as well as what’s best for our lives.
My question for you today is this… When you pray, “Thy Kingdom come…” are you really saying “My kingdom come…?” Think about it…
“THY” is an old word meaning “YOUR”. When we pray “your” kingdom come, I strongly agree with you Pastor, that many of us really have no clue what we are asking God for. That is why – when I pray, I am extremely careful on what I am asking God for.
More like the “BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR”.
I have refrain myself from using familiar words and have learned to simply connect with God just like if I was connecting with you; HOWEVER, with God, I have learned and use the true foundational meaning of “SubMission”.
Submission is a powerful signature to a King. Submission, which stands for Under – (Sub) Authority – (Mission), shows the King your true Honor to him.
I have learned not to ask the King for prosperity but to teach me the process in how to get to prosperity. I have learned not to ask God for wealth in business but to teach me how to prosper and gain wealth through him.
In the past, I have prayed to God for many directions in becoming a very successful business man, but what I failed to do was wait on his timing. This led to many disappointments in my life.
Today, I have learned so much, that I no longer ask God about anything for my convenience but for God’s convenience. I ask God for his timing and NOT my timing; But most importantly I ask God to teach me on how to do HIS will, and understanding that I am submitting to ALL of his extra excruciating process in how to Honor and Receive his glory. It’s a process I strongly believe that many of us are really in need of learning.
I am silently proud to say – God has giving me the green light and I will go forward with my plea. I will become that successful business man with GOD FIRST. 🙂 ….. One day – I will share with you, on a one – on – one, my incredible testimony. So far my best buddy David McFarlane has been able to here my testimony and I am so grateful that he was there at God’s timing to listen.
God Bless you Pastor for all you are doing to pour in our lives. I am sure receiving what the kingdom of GOD has to offer. 😉
That’s awesome Peter… One day, I’ll get to hear it! 🙂
I suppose if we could have the attitude of Esther and lay at the masters feet, we would get up to half the kingdom; at the end God wants to give us more than we could ever imagine. If we only we would give him our lives, I want to have that attitude, that attitude of abandonment…The attitude of complete trust..The attitude of love and honor!!
Thinking deeply about it for sure. Pastor you have clearly broken it down for me. Sometimes we just recite words because we have memorized them without thought to what we are really saying. I believe that I will be searching my heart and motives before praying Thy KIngdom Come. Lord, let your will be done in my life and teach me to allow you to do so.
Hi Pastor,
You sure ask some tough questions. They are not always so easy to answer. But I thank you because they are very necessary in our growth process as Christians.
God’s will being done requires total submission of whatever the situation is. God’s will is not necessarily that things work out how you envision them. The key is acceptance of the outcome whether it is what you thought the outcome would be or not. Then trusting God’s ultimate wisdom in whatever the outcome that actually occurs.
It’s still hard for me to totally submit something to God every time. I’ve made progress but I still have a long way to go. When situations arise I’ve always used my human ingenuity to try and solve it, so I think (LOL). But the reality is that when left in God’s hands it always works out for the best. Eventhough I may not see it that way when it happens. So my prayer is for God to teach me to let go of preconceived outcomes. To allow me to trust that everything works together for my good and the good of others. Getting to that level is where I strive to be.
Well Pastor when we pray we are talking to the lord and he will answer any question you have. so I think that when we really pray it becomes our kingdom.
I enjoyed reading this thought provoking blog. After much internalizing, I believe when I pray “thy kingdom come” it comes from a sincere place but maybe I dont know how to completely allow it to be executed. My will can easily & convincingly mirror God’s will & even with the greatest intention, be way off course. I just ask – “God make it plain, make it clear & help me stay out of the way”
I read this blog today and I thought about one of my favorite songs from Casting Crown
‘Somewhere in the Middle”. It doesn’t matter what level you find yourself spiritual. We all have eternal warfare.
“Somewhere in the Middle”
Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle
Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You’ll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You’re by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I’m caught in the middle
In my hard times I am learning to hear the voice of God in my life in a greater level and I listen to the prophetic words spoken over my life often. It has helped me to push though. Thy Kingdom is my prayer.
You are so right, I remember as a child and even as an adult… I knew this prayer as just a prayer… give us our daily bread.. I honestly thought it was bread, bread, food…. then again im always eating so it was great to pray for this…. lol… but anyway it is amazing the meaning behind every sentence of that prayer… thank you for emphesizing this subject and making me really think about this….. good Pastor, thank you
I think that goes against our american mentality so hard that we don’t like to have a monarch above us. God is the king that has a kingdom and everyone his kingdom have to submit. The problem is that the king make all the decisions not the people. Although in history we know that there’s been so many bad monarch we are afraid that this new monarch will be the same. But our God is a righteous king, all powerful, all loving and as you said if He created all the universe, then I also believe He knows exactly what He is doing. My answer to the question is yes, I pray it and it is a dangerous prayer because many times it goes against my decisions, but I most be obedient.
I think it is different when you are talking to him because at the moment that you are praying you are not thinking of the words my kingdom come. Its just starting to have a conversation with him.
I think at times we do want my kingdom come, but we have to understand that my kingdom is not the plan that God has for us. I was reading in a book that one day we are going to thank God for all the prayer request that he did not answer because we were so far from praying God’s will. My prayer is that I fast and pray and submit my thoughts and ways to God and he supernaturally transforms me to think like himand my flesh dies daily. May God change each of our hearts and may his word transform us and may we hear him audibly and clearly so we can know his kingdom.
I would love to say it’s “Thy Kingdom” but I know “my kingdom” is mixed in there somewhere. All week I thought about that as we did coporate and individual prayer. I can see that freedom when we just say “God have your way”. Freedom comes from that surrender. Let surrender be daily in our lives.