Thy Kingdom Come

I wonder what we are thinking at the moment we say "Thy kingdom come..."  Are we thinking about the world in general, the need for world peace and cessation of violence -- surely a prayer we need to pray without ceasing?  Or are we thinking at this moment about --- this moment?

Sometimes when my mind is wandering over situations that concern me, whether of my own health, or something that concerns my children, my friends, my neighborhood, etc., I suddenly sense the presence of God, and I pray, almost as a breath:  Thy kingdom come....right now...in this moment...in this situation.

I remember when I first started reading the bible.  I had won a bible from a local bookstore promotion -- go figure-- at the exact moment in my life when the Holy Spirit awakened in me the desire to read the bible.  I chose The Living Bible, a paraphrased edition that was easy and enjoyable to read.  Later, of course, after I had gotten hooked on the bible and wanted to know the exact translation instead of a paraphrase, I invested in a more accurate translation.  But phrases and ideas from The Living Bible have remained with me all these years, because of the surprise element in them.  One of those phrases was this:  My body, too, knows full well that you are my God.

I gave that bible to a neighbor about 30 years ago, once I had acquired a new one, so I cannot locate the place that phrase occurred -- one cannot find it in a "regular" translation.  The closest I have come to its meaning is Psalm 16:  ...my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.  You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

My heart leaps with joy when I read Psalm 16 because God has planted in me the truth of David's song, and I know it in every fiber of my being.  But in the moments I am thinking about a condition in my aging body, the phrase that always intersects my thoughts is the one I first read from the Living Bible:  My body, too, knows full well that you are my God.

My spontaneous thought and re-assurance to the situations that we all face on a daily basis is what the Holy Spirit has shown me and taught me from the bible.  When I say, "Thy kingdom come," I am thinking about what the Word of God says about the situation I face at the moment:  My God will supply all my needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus; My body, too, knows full well that you are my God ....or whatever the Holy Spirit ministers to me from the Word of God in the moment.

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses tells the people just before he dies:  Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.  It is not up in heaven so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey it?"  No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so that you may obey it (30:11).

And after Moses' death, the Lord tells Joshua: Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful (1:8).

When we pray "Thy kingdom come..." in the moments and situations of our own lives, we are affirming everything the Word of God has to say about the situation.  We can pray that prayer without knowing what the Word says, but we can pray with confidence and assurance only when our hearts and minds embrace fully what God has said, what God has to say, about our situation. 

It is good to pray for world peace and for the conversion of the terrorists -- thank God there are people whose passion is to pray daily "Thy kingdom come!"  For most of us, though, who struggle through each moment, each minor situation (as measured on the world scale), it is so good to be able to say "Thy kingdom come today, in my life, in my body, in my finances, in the health of my children, in my neighborhood, in the lives of my friends..." -- and even more, to rest assured that we know the mind and heart of God regarding those situations!