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Thy Kingdom Come, O God!

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven… Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth…” (Matt. 6:9-10 RSV).
At some point, I began to question the relevance of this snippet. Why do I need to pray for God’s kingdom to come, and for His will to be done “on earth” when it’s already a settled matter that Jesus will come again to establish that Kingdom and enforce compliance to the will of His Father? Then I understood, by the help of God, that I, I mean, we children of God have a crucial role towards making it happen in real time. I understood the reality of Peter’s charge that we keep “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God… (2Pet.3:12 EMTV)”.
Yes, this snippet from what we now know as The Lord’s Prayer represents the core desire of God for the world which He has made. And, from what I’ve learned from Scriptures, it will eventually be realised when Christ comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead; then His kingdom will have no end. Isaiah tells us that “of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end (9:7)”.
But then, the scope of the prayer, “…on earth”, was still too wide and unachievable for me. Well, I figured out that if I break it down in bits, I would be well able to play my role.
I figured out that if I begin seeking the Rule of Christ, first in MY LIFE – starting from one area and gradually spreading it to ALL areas of my life; then take it further to my family and immediate friends, who, when they catch it, will take it further to their individual cliques and from one clique to another clique… Then I take it further to my place of study (school) and work; then to my church and fellowship, and so on and so forth – even to you, my (online) friend, I would have set up a chain-reaction that will speed up things beyond my wildest imaginations.
I have come to realize that, like Andrew brought Peter to Jesus, one person I help establish the rule of Christ in his/her life can become so influential that s/he will replicate it in thousands of lives across generations! I know that if I consistently work this way, all those mockers who say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers died, all things continue as from the beginning of creation (2Pet.3:4 EMTV)” will weep and wail when they see Him come in glory, if they fail to repent.
Looking back now, I can point to several areas in my life that the Lord has taken complete control (sovereignty); but then, there are still some other areas I’m yet to fully hand over. I’m not stopping, for there is still a yonder to go. The rest I experience in the areas I’ve given in motivates me to hand over fully all that is remaining.
I join the cleric, Canon Lewis Hensley (1824-1905), and other faithfuls the world over who sing his famous hymn of prayer given to the Body of Christ in 1867, to pray:
[In my life, and from there, to others’ …]
Thy kingdom come, O God
Thy rule, O Christ, begin;
Break with Thine iron rod
The tyrannies of sin.
[I ask, Lord: …]
Where is Thy rule of peace,
And purity, and love?
When shall all hatred cease,
As in the realms above?
When comes the promised time
That war shall be no more,
Oppression, lust and crime
Shall flee Thy face before?
[I have observed over and over again that…]
Men scorn Thy sacred name,
And wolves devour Thy fold;
By many deeds of shame
We learn that love grows cold.
[Therefore, with all the saints the world over…]
We pray Thee, Lord, arise,
And come in Thy great might;
Revive our longing eyes,
Which languish for Thy sight.
O’er heathen lands afar
Thick darkness broodeth yet:
Arise, O morning Star,
Arise, and never set.
___
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer!
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