Looking for the Kingdom to come

We pray, “may your Kingdom come and Your will be done.”  Are those just old, familiar words or do they flow from a real desire? Do we want Christ to be in charge?  Sometimes the frightful state of the world makes me pray with a sigh, “Lord, let Your Kingdom come.”  Sometimes the pile of problems that bring such pain to the people I care about cause me to pray in tears, “Lord, let Your Kingdom come.” Why pray for this?  Because where Christ reigns, there is hope, peace, and joy.

A long time ago, I accepted the invitation of the Holy Spirit into the family of God.  Christ is my King. In one sense, His Kingdom has come.  Let me quickly qualify that by acknowledging I am far from perfection! Like Paul, I know I am a work in progress. He said,  "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV)  He will be your Lord, Savior, and King, too, if you’ll receive His gift of life.

There is another aspect to praying for the coming of His Kingdom.  We anticipate the coming of the Lord!  This Creation, which was sold into sin and suffering by the choice of Adam, will only be made right when the King comes in power.  We do not hope for the coming Kingdom because of a few isolated texts in the Bible. That promise appears again and again. Isaiah looked for the Kingdom of God to come with peace. Ezekiel saw frightful visions of the Kingdom to come.  Daniel stood before the Babylonian emperor and recounted his dream that revealed the empires that would follow to the time of Christ’s birth. (Read the amazing dream – Daniel 2: 31-45)  But, the most amazing part of Daniel’s prophecy is about the Kingdom to come. “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.” (Daniel 2:44-45, NIV)

The hope of the coming of the Lord is often turned into sensationalism and speculation.  Rapture fever distracts too many Christians from living for Christ, right here and right now.  The Blessed Hope of the Church is turned into a silly superstition about escaping from the world.  That’s not what I pray for when I pray for the Kingdom to come.  The Scripture promises a renewal of all things, a final defeat of evil, and the revelation of God’s glory.  This is the Kingdom to come!

Are the headlines about war, poverty, and violence tearing at your soul?

Does the cruelty of sin get you down?

Are you weary, Christian, wanting to be holy but finding yourself failing too often?

Jesus will come. The word from the Word is His promise. “It will seem like all hell has broken loose—sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking. “And then—then!—they’ll see the Son of Man welcomed in grand style—a glorious welcome! When all this starts to happen, up on your feet. Stand tall with your heads high. Help is on the way!”  (Luke 21:25-28, The Message)

_______________

Mystery

Sweet Jesus Christ, my sanity.

Sweet Jesus Christ, my clarity.

 Bread of heaven, broken for me.

Cup of Salvation, held out to drink.

Jesus, mystery!

Christ has died, and

Christ is risen,

Christ will come again!

Celebrate His death and rising,

Lift your eyes, proclaim His coming!

Celebrate His death and rising,

Lift your eyes, lift your eyes.

Sweet Jesus Christ, my sanity.

Charlie Hall

© 2008 sixsteps Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055