Continuing with our family discussions of The Lord’s Prayer, we talked about what God's Kingdom is like and how we have experienced it in our own lives.
We considered the concept of 'already but not yet' in that His Kingdom has already come but not yet in full until Jesus comes again to establish His complete reign over the "new heaven and new earth" (Rev 21). In the meantime, we are often torn between staying under His Kingship and authority while being tempted to go over to the other side and relinquish the authority He's given us to the enemy.
This struggle could come in many different forms. For instance, we might not have a proper understanding of what it means to be princes and princesses of God. For some, we may not realise the authority and the riches that He has given us and continue to live with a poverty mindset. For others it could be the other extreme where we flaunt God's gifts and blessings or Lord it over others with a holier-than-thou attitude.
There are also those who may appear to be doing God's Kingdom work actively but end up building their own kingdoms instead due to pride, relying on their strength, or following their own plans rather than God's plans.
In fact, from OT times God had been telling His people how to live in such a way that His Kingdom would be actualised through them. But they didn't quite get it so when Jesus came, He explained it to them again in a different way through His teachings such as in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7). Unfortunately, these lessons are so counter-intuitive that many of His children still don't really get it.
So although His Church is meant to display such Kingdom values and way of life, in reality we often find it lacking. Yet, all is not lost because we can still enact God's Kingdom in our own lives as well as through our families and communities. For through the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we build His Kingdom here when we display His fruit through our words and actions, love one another with His love, and submit wholly to His Lordship and authority in our lives.
Therefore, when we pray, "let Your Kingdom come," we are asking for His help to teach and mould us so we can be empowered to reveal His Kingdom to the world through us!
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