Kingdom Come!

As I see the world’s chaos, I often breathe a phrase from Jesus’ prayer – “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” It is a settling benediction, reminding me that I belong to a mighty God, that His plan is sure, my hope secure. My heart turns often these days to longing for the Coming of the Lord.  Jesus will return. It was His final promise and it is the Blessed Hope of the Christian Church. 

Those mysterious chapters near the end of Matthew’s Gospel contain Jesus’ own words about His coming kingdom. “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matthew 24:30-31, NIV)  In the face of the growing godlessness of the world, in a time when Self is worshiped as supreme, I breathe  “Lord, let Your Kingdom come.”

This hope is not formed around a few isolated texts in the Bible. 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 interpreted that pagan king’s dream that revealed the plans of God. Centuries before the first advent, Daniel peered through time and saw that Day of Christ’s 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)  

Paul urges us to look up, expecting the Lord’s return. "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, NIV)

Let us not forget this important truth. There is an aspect to that prayer-“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” - that is a call to service. How so? When I pray with Him for His Kingdom come, I am committing to live now as a citizen of that as yet unseen Kingdom!  I am an ambassador of Christ, the King, who is to seek justice, practice compassion, to be merciful, and to faithfully call people to be reconciled to God. Kingdom Christians make their King known in the middle of the pain, the problems, the panic of this present world. (Or, at least they ought to.)   

When Christ is my King, not just in rhetoric, nor just in a Sunday sense, but in the actual practices of my day to day life, I am bringing His Kingdom to earth. Remember when Jesus sent out disciples for ministry? What did He tell them to say?  "Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’" (Luke 10:9, NIV)  Those preachers were told to tell people that God was not ‘out there, somewhere’ but that He is active, loving, and ready to save them.  Yes, Christian, when pray for the “Kingdom Come” we are not only longing for that future revelation of His return, we are seeking God’s provision, protection, and power to be revealed right now.

Though we long for the glory of sin’s defeat and the wonder of the full realization of our salvation at His glorious return, there is much to do while we wait.  The Scripture’s promises of a renewal of all things, a final defeat of evil, and the revelation of God’s glory is not meant to distract us from doing the work of the Lord. It is a promise to keep us on purpose, boldly facing the world, our sinful nature, and the Devil himself with tenacity in proclamation of Christ’s Gospel.

Are the headlines of pandemic, war, godlessness, the emergence of world government, disasters, and chaos tearing at your soul?

Is your heart broken for the suffering that is presently visited on millions around the world?
Are you weary, Christian, wanting to be holy but finding yourself failing too often?

Pray with me - “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

The word from the Word says - "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:11-14, NIV)

_________

The Lion And The Lamb

He's coming on the clouds

Kings and kingdoms will bow down

And every chain will break

As broken hearts declare His praise

For who can stop the Lord Almighty

Our God is the Lion

The Lion of Judah

He's roaring with power

And fighting our battles

And every knee will bow before Him

Our God is the Lamb

The Lamb that was slain

For the sins of the world

His blood breaks the chains

And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb

Every knee will bow before Him

So open up the gates

Make way before the King of kings

The God who comes to save

Is here to set the captives free

For who can stop the Lord Almighty

Who can stop the Lord Almighty

Who can stop the Lord (Almighty)

Brenton Brown | Brian Johnson | Leeland Mooring

© 2015 Meaux Mercy (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

The Devil Is A Liar! Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055