This is a continuation of the series, “Meditations on the Lord’s Prayer.” Click here to read the introductory post.
“God’s kingdom certainly comes by itself even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may also come to us. God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and lead a godly life now on earth and forever in heaven.” (Luther’s Catechism, Northwestern Publishing House: Milwaukee, 2017, p. 254)
The 2017 edition of Luther’s catechism asks two important questions to lead off a closer look at the Second Petition in the Lord’s Prayer:
- What is ruling your heart?
- Who or what is in charge of your life?
As I considered my answers, dear Christian, I was struck by how crafty the devil can be. I knew what I wanted my answers to be. I wanted to say that Christ rules my heart and is in charge of my life. Just like that, I fell for the devil’s trap!
How was it a trap? At first glance, those are good answers . . . aren’t they?
Of course they are!
The clever trap was that I focused on myself—my shortcomings and failures. Me, me, me. I thought to myself that far too often I do things that go against God’s Word. Far too often I live and act like my sinful nature is in charge of my life. And I thought miserably, I wish Christ were ruling in my heart instead. He’s the one who should be in charge of my life.
Christ ruling in my heart and being in charge of my life aren’t things that I wish would happen—they’re already a present reality!
As a dearly loved child of God, Christ rules in my heart. He has rescued me from sin, death, and the power of the devil—I am no longer a slave to those things. I’ve been set free!
The same is true for you, dear Christian.
Consider what the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:11, right after listing all the sorts of people in whose hearts sin rules and whose lives are swallowed up by sin’s darkness: “That is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (emphasis added).
Christ rules in our hearts.
His kingdom is in our midst, coming to us in Word and sacraments—strengthening our faith in Jesus and what he has done for us.
As we focus on Christ’s rule in our hearts and listen to his voice in his Word, we pray, “Your kingdom come.”
Pastor Richard E. Lauersdorf had a great way of looking at this petition in his book, As Luther Taught the Word of Truth: Devotions on the Small Catechism (Northwestern Publishing House: Milwaukee, 2002, p. 144). He wrote this:
“Your kingdom come” is my prayer of appreciation, my looking heavenward with grateful eyes to the one whose grace has plucked me out of Satan’s kingdom of darkness. It’s also my prayer for assistance, showing clearly my realization that faith continues, only as it comes, by the working of the Spirit. And it’s my prayer of assurance, expressing my confidence that he who, by creating faith, has brought me into Christ’s wonderful kingdom will also keep me in faith until I reach its fullness in heaven.
Strengthen our hearts, Lord, in your Word and sacraments, so that we may live each day for you and to your glory. Help us gladly hear and learn your Word so that we may be rooted in your promises, and that we may defy the devil, the world’s temptations, and our sinful nature that all try to convince us to listen to them instead.
Help us also share your Word with those whose hearts still hide in darkness, bound captive to sin. Break their chains, Lord, as only you can and set the captives free.
Your kingdom come.
As Luther Taught the Word of Truth contains 58 devotions that will deepen your understanding of the Bible. Each message is summarized in an applicable way, and author Richard Lauersdorf also uses personal stories that connect with events we all experience. At the heart of each devotion is the comforting message of the gospel.
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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