By Benjamin H. Liles
Two things stand out to me when I hear the words, "Your kingdom come," being used in the Lord's Prayer. One is that when I was younger I thought it meant God would come back to judge and render His justice among all--nations, peoples, tribes, and tongues.
I have since felt that was not the right way to view what Jesus is saying here. The second is that the intent is for God to draw close. Imagine this with me, please.
When we read in scripture, "No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven--the Son of Man" (John 3:13, Berean Study), we're given the idea that God somehow allowed Jesus the Messiah to follow through on God's intent. It makes me think that this article shouldn't just focus on God's kingdom drawing close, but the secondary nature of what Christ says: "Your will be done." What is God's will?
I love the response Jesus gives to his cousin, John the Baptist, when he asks of Jesus, "Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Matthew 11:3, Holman Christian Standard). Jesus responds by quoting Isaiah 61:1, responding, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me" (Matthew 11:4-6, Berean Study).
So, then the kingdom of heaven drawing close is that God is going to accomplish this great thing in the midst of men: restoring sight to the blind, the lame to walk, cleansing of lepers, the deaf to hear, the dead being raised up, and the gospel of Jesus Christ being preached. We're also told, by way of Isaiah as well, that "the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14, American King James).
This name God tells Isaiah to use in terms of the child Messiah is rendered as "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). Think back to how many times God tells his people Israel, "I will never leave nor forsake you," and the picture gets ever clearer that God has never left His people, Israel, alone. Not for one minute. It is why through King David, his son Solomon, down to the father of Jesus, Joseph, that God said (to David), "Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16, New American Standard).
God allowed His kingdom to come down, through His Son Christ Jesus, so that through His atoning work on the cross we all have redemption and the right to become the children of God. And not only that, but that we who call on His name, Jesus the Messiah, are fully restored when we reach out in steadfast, child-like faith. He gave sight to this blind man. He has allowed me to walk the straight and narrow path when my feet were crooked. He unloosed my tongue and opened my ears so i can hear His word preached and praise His name! What more can God's kingdom being here do when it cannot be moved or shaken? I pray this helps you and shows you that God's love for you is immeasurable. His desire for you is to see you turn from your evil ways, to acknowledge him in faith, and to confess with your mouth, "Jesus, you are Lord of my life!" Then, and only then will you be saved. Just like that. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.