Only when I pray is a short series of thought-provoking reflections based loosely around the theme of prayer as found in Luke 11:1-13.

Today’s reading is from Matthew 6:9-10

“So, when you pray, you should pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name always be kept holy [Hallowed be your name]. May your kingdom come and, what you want [Your will] be done, here on earth as it is in heaven.’” The Expanded Bible (a new translation for me)

“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what’s best— as above, so below. The Message

There you have it, with The Message hitting the nail squarely on the head once again. That’s what the scripture says. Read your own version, too – then let’s think about what we mean by this phrase, Your kingdom come. I’m not asking if you know spiritually or theologically what this phrase means when we use it as we do in The Lord’s Prayer, what I am really getting at is, what does it mean for you or me as individuals rather than what Jesus was suggesting in Luke 11:2 when He advised us to, “…pray along these lines”?

What are we thinking about when we use this phrase? What do we really mean when we say it? Are we consciously confirming we desire to see God’s kingdom come, globally, for His will to be seen to be done on earth as it is in heaven and for His kingdom with all of His kingdom’s power, resources and authority to be released? Or is the establishment of God’s kingdom intended to be much closer to home; i.e. right-here-right-now, in our hearts? Perhaps that’s a step too far at this moment for us with our comfortable lives.

Too many deep questions there and I promised there wouldn’t be, so let’s put the brakes on and listen to today’s song, Your Kingdom come.

Part of my thinking of this phrase in the song is that we use it often – perhaps without thinking or any real intention on our parts. We recite it in prayer in a way that it has become a mantra. Or, like so much in our lives, is it one more spiritual element that we work around, gloss over, zip past, neatly side-step or simply ignore, however unintentionally? Perhaps that was what Peterson was hinting at by his choice of words in The Message – prayer warriors who are prayer ignorant and who were peddling formulas, programmes and techniques. If we are reciting without thinking then what good is that!

Peterson goes on to say, “Reveal who you are…” before adding, “Set the world right.” This is the phrase he uses instead of Your kingdom come! This reminds me of the moment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy where Strider, a seemingly rough ranger of the land, is revealed as Aragorn, the true heir to a prior king. At the end of the story Aragorn helps defeat the evil forces and takes his place on the throne of Gondor where his kingdom was finally established and he set things right! Sound familiar? The parallel is simply this, we need to allow Jesus to establish His full kingdom authority - in us.

Today’s song also implies there are many ways we can utter this phrase - how many times/ways do we have to say that we just want to see Your kingdom come. We can say it, shout it, pray it, sing about it, beg it (Help me Lord, I need You right-here-right-now!), scream it in anger - and we may even fall on our knees and cry it out, sobbing in despair! The reality is, there’s a good chance we are using this phrase subconsciously much more often than we realise. We may not say the exact words – but rather, as a soul-deep means of communicating directly from the centre of our beings to the heart of God. When words fail us (and they will) our souls acknowledge we are in desperate need of something to be released from the kingdom to us! Your kingdom come.

Romans 8:26 puts it like this:

And in the same way, by our faith, the Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don’t even know [sometimes] what we should pray for, nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words. The Living Bible

In the same way the Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray; the Spirit himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express. Good News Translation

So, what should we do next? How can we apply this phrase to us?

May I suggest the first step needed is a big one; to allow God’s kingdom to be fully established in every element of your life; in your heart and your head, your soul, your home, your place of work, your whatever… and give Him full authority over everything that you wrongfully believe is yours; give Him your skills, your hopes, your dreams, your fears, your wants and your expectations.

Do it now by saying, Lord, right-here-right-now in me, I just want to see Your kingdom come!