What does it mean to pray, “Thy kingdom come”?

Answer

The phrase “Thy kingdom come” is a part of the Lord’s Prayer, a prayer that Jesus taught His disciples (and all future servants of His kingdom) as a pattern for prayer.

In Luke 11:1, the disciples observed Jesus praying and wished to learn from Him how to pray. They recognized that Jesus’ day-to-day actions flowed from His intimate prayer life with God, and they wanted their lives to reflect the same. So Jesus taught them this model prayer: “Whenever you pray, say, Father, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone in debt to us. And do not bring us into temptation” (Luke 11:2-4;CSB).

A more detailed version of the Lord’s Prayer is featured in Matthew 6:9–15 as part of Jesus’ extensive teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. In both passages, Jesus includes the statement “Thy kingdom come.”

One aspect of Christ’s teaching on prayer involves understanding that God’s kingdom has not yet been fully realized on this earth. “Thy kingdom come” is not just an expectant yearning for the coming of Christ in the future, even though this longing is contained in the plea. Instead, “Thy kingdom come” also expresses the prayerful desire of Christ’s servants to see God’s Kingdom expand and become increasingly established throughout the world in the present.

In our prayers, we should have a mindset that recognizes God’s kingdom purposes and is concerned with advancing those purposes. Primarily, the Lord’s dominion must be evident in the lives of His followers. Praying, “Thy Kingdom come,” means asking the heavenly Father to help us in our own lives to be faithful, obedient, authentic, and effective Christians. We spread God’s kingdom not only through words but also through our actions and the visible qualities of our lives.Character (Matthew 7:16,20; John 13:35; 1 John 3:10).

We also know from Scripture that God desires all sinners to be saved (Ezekiel 18:23; Matthew 23:37; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). Therefore, in Christ’s prayer model, we are assured that praying for the salvation of souls through intercession is a valuable pursuit. When we pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” we are essentially asking, “Dear Lord, please open the hearts of my loved ones, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to receive Your gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.” The expansion of God’s kingdom occurs as more individuals turn to Christ for salvation, entering the kingdom by acknowledging the crucified King. It is crucial for people to hear the gospel.

Another approach to advancing God’s kingdom in the present is by praying for the manifestation of God’s attributes in the world. We can petition God to reveal His holiness to us and others so that everyone may witness and comprehend it, leading to transformation. In Isaiah 6:1–5, when the prophet Isaiah glimpsed God’s holiness, he was profoundly affected. Isaiah’s encounter was so powerful that he perceived the glory of God’s holiness filling the entire earth: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (verse 3).

When we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we implore God to illuminate the world with His light so that others may respond to Him with wonder and reverence (John 1:1-15). Jesus, the light of the world, dispels the darkness of sin through His sacrifice on the cross, as stated, “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life’” ((Matthew 5:14-16). God’s Word also illuminates the world, unveiling His kingdom so it can be manifested on earth (Psalm 119:105,130;Proverbs 6:23;2 Peter 1:19).

As followers of Jesus, we recognize God as our King. Praying, “Thy Kingdom come,” signifies our longing for His supreme authority over our lives here on earth, as we yield to His control in every aspect of our existence. Similarly, praying, “Thy Kingdom come,” expresses our deep desire for God’s reign to be established worldwide and over all humanity. We pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” so that God’s sovereign rule will be fully and permanently realized both now and in the future.