Heart Tracks - Your Kingdom Come?

"Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

Numbers beyond counting have prayed what is known as "the Lord's prayer" over many centuries. I believe He is, and has been answering that prayer, but a very direct question remains; is He answering it in you and me? One of our great shortcomings in prayer is that we tend to be a lot more vague than we are specific. This is certainly true of the 10th verse of the sixth chapter of Matthew. We may pray for His kingdom to come, but how passionately do we seek for His kingdom to come in us and through us?

In one of his devotionals, Chris Tiegreen suggests a prayer that each of us can shape to our own life situations, and make it very personal to ourselves. He writes, "Try praying this prayer with specifics. 'Your Kingdom come in my heart.' 'Your Kingdom come in my family.' 'Your Kingdom come at the office.' 'May Your Kingdom invade my Monday.' 'Let Your Kingdom rearrange my assumptions, my relationships, my world.' However you can think to apply it, pray it fervently. It's a prayer that is always according to God's will."

If we start to view the prayer, speak the prayer, with the desire to see the fullness of His Kingdom come into every aspect of our lives, than that changes everything. It's very easy to "offer" up some blurry, even shallow prayer about His Kingdom coming while leaving out our desire for it to come and reign in every part of our lives. We do this because there are parts of our lives where we don't really wish for His Kingdom to rule at all. When His Kingdom comes, our kingdoms fall. That's a very scary proposition for our flesh. The kingdoms of the flesh can be very deeply rooted in our hearts and minds, and they don't ever leave willingly. They can only be rooted out when the irresistable power of His Kingdom is invited in. When these false kingdoms are overthrown, His Kingdom advances....in all parts of our being. And we are more and more transformed and changed into His image. As His Kingdom forms more deeply in us, His will is done more fully in and through us. It reigns in all parts of our lives, and touches all who are part of our lives.

So if you tend to pray this prayer, how will you pray it now? Does it continue to be a vague, non-specific request, or a fervent, passionate desire of your heart and life. Of my heart and life? His Kingdom has come, and continues to come. Where has it come, and continues to come, in you and me?

Blessings,
Pastor O