Every Sunday, many of us pray the familiar words of the Lord’s Prayer:
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
But have we paused to consider what we’re really asking? “Thy kingdom come” is a prayer asking for God’s rule and reign to become tangible and visible in the world. When you pray that prayer, you are saying: “God, let the world be ruled by you, not by human pride, evil, or injustice.”
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is a request that our desires and actions align with God’s desires. In heaven, God’s will is followed perfectly and joyfully. There is no resistance, sin, or rebellion. This prayer asks for that same kind of obedience, peace, and holiness to exist here on earth.
In other words, when we pray that prayer altogether, we are essentially saying: “God, may your rule take over our world. Let your plans and desires be fulfilled here, just like they already are in heaven. May we live, act, and obey in harmony with you.”
Do you fully understand the implication of that prayer? We’re asking God to overthrow every empire, government, or system that goes against Him and to take charge. We’re asking God to take charge not just in the world around us, but in our communities and our own hearts. This is a revolutionary cry.
The Tension We Live In
But sadly, even though we pray this prayer every day, the world is still under the rule of flawed and unjust human empires and systems. Political empires rise and fall, corporations and systems dominate, and people suffer under human-made structures that often resist the values of God’s kingdom. So, where is this kingdom we pray for?
The Bible does not shy away from this question. It recognizes that worldly powers and systems still exist, but boldly declares that a greater and more lasting kingdom has already begun through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The kingdom is already here, planted like a seed (Luke 13:19), growing quietly and often unnoticed. But it is also not yet fully visible, not fully realized. That’s the tension we live in: the in-between space of what is and what is to come.
The Final Fulfillment
In the book of Revelation, we see this prayer finally, fully answered.
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15).
We are given a vision of a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21–22), where God dwells with His people, where death and sorrow are no more, and where His will is done completely and joyfully, just as it is in heaven.
God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, like a parent wiping the tears of a hurting child. God will draw close to us in the new creation and say, “No more sorrow. No more grief. I am here.” In God’s eternal kingdom, suffering will not have the final word. He will undo the effects of sin, death, and brokenness. Every loss will be reversed, every injustice will be made right, and every pain, both physical, emotional, or spiritual, will be gone forever.
The kingdoms of this world will not last. Their days are numbered. As history has proven, great empires like Babylon, Rome, and colonial powers once seemed unshakable, yet all have crumbled. Why? Because they are built on sand, not on the righteousness and justice of God.
But the kingdom of God is eternal, and it’s coming to restore all things. God cannot and will not allow injustice, oppression, and evil to reign forever. His justice demands a reckoning—a day when every corrupt system is dismantled and every wrong is made right.
God sent Jesus to usher in a new kingdom that starts in our hearts and will one day fill the whole earth when Jesus finally returns.
How Should We Respond?
If God’s kingdom has already begun, and if its full arrival is still to come, then the most important question is: Where do you stand in relation to it?
The rule of God begins not with political revolutions or military takeovers, but in your heart. Jesus doesn’t force His rule upon us; He invites us to willingly lay down our crowns, turn from self-rule, and follow Him as King.
If you’ve been chasing your own path, bowing to the kingdoms of this world, He calls you to something better. He calls you into His kingdom, where true life begins.
When you give your allegiance to Jesus and embrace Him as the authority over your life, you become part of this kingdom now. You begin to experience His peace, His purpose, and His transforming power in your life, even as the world around you groans under brokenness.
And while we wait for the day when God’s kingdom comes in full, when Jesus returns to set all things right, we live as citizens of heaven, shaped by His will and marked by His love.
A Kingdom Prayer
Lord, we see the brokenness of this world, but we choose not to give in to despair.
Let your kingdom come in our hearts, our homes, our cities.
Let your will be done in our decisions, our relationships, our desires.
Use us, Lord, to bring a taste of heaven into the earth we walk on today.
Until the day when heaven and earth are one, and you dwell with us fully,
keep us faithful. Keep us kingdom-minded. Keep us close to you.
Amen.
