In the prayer model Jesus provided for his disciples begin with praise to God and a request, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt 6:10). It's a request most Christians have prayed with a genuine desire for God's reign and his will to be exercised on planet earth, but I wonder if we have directed that prayer in a personal way.
What I mean is to pray specifically that His kingdom peace come into your life, his kingdom strength, his kingdom power, his kingdom agenda, his kingdom forgiveness... Do you see the point? While we ought to pray that God's kingdom will is embraced by the world, even more we ought to seek that kingdom will into our own.
This kingdom seeking is the key to a holy and contented life on earth while awaiting the day when God's kingdom will be realized fully. Perhaps you'll remember Jesus' words in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you as well."
The world definitely needs the kingdom of God rule in order to escape the downward pull of sin and depravity we see all about us. But more important than a general prayer that God's will be embraced by the world around us, we need to be praying that His will is accepted and exercised in our lives, in the lives of our families, in the lives of the people with whom we come in contact.
We need to be focused on making the kingdom will of God a reality in our lives and modeling it before others, prepared to share it's truth when given the opportunity. As Peter instructs, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Pet 3:15). Always live out and be willing to share the kingdom hope you have. Jus' Say'n.
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