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Editor’s note: This is the third installment of a series on the Lord’s Prayer, line by line. Rev. Campbell Markham is a Presbyterian minister in Perth, Australia.
“Thy kingdom come…” — Matthew 6:10 (NASB 1977)
Look on the back of any Australian coin and you will be reminded that, though we are ruled by the Federal Government, Elizabeth II is still our Head of State. She is the Queen of Australia.
Everyone knows, however, that though Elizabeth has a great title and honor, she has no actual power. For this reason, though we associate kings and queens with pomp and circumstance, we do not associate them with true power.
God owns the universe and all who live in it.
In biblical times kings wielded real power. They owned the land and the loyalty of their people, and truly ruled them. Legislative, executive, and judicial power, rather than being separated as it is in Australia, was seated in one person wearing one crown.
So, when the Bible describes God as King, it means us to understand that God owns the universe and all who live in it, and rules absolutely. It also means that God—being a good King—protects and provides for his people, rules with perfect justice, and decrees perfect laws that bring true order, peace, and flourishing to those who obey them.
The coming of Jesus was the return of the King.
The Bible also teaches that all of humanity has rebelled against God our King. We’ve broken his Ten Commandments. We’ve put ourselves under the rule of the devil: a false and cruel prince who wills only to enslave and murder us. We’re foolish rebels and traitors who deserve nothing but God’s justice and death.
The coming of Jesus was the return of the King to end the rebellion, to re-establish his reign over the lives and hearts of his people, and to restore his kingdom from the grief and ravages of the devil’s reign. Jesus’ miracles proved that “the kingdom of God has come among you” (Matt. 12:28).
“Come, Lord Jesus!”
“Thy kingdom come” is a daring prayer! We affirm that the world is not right and that we suffer under a cruel rebellion in which we are all complicit.
We pray also that all people will own Jesus as King and bring their lives under his protection and rule. “Kiss the Son...blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2:12).
And we pray that King Jesus will hasten to return to set all things right in this broken and rebellious world: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20).
Dare to pray, “Thy kingdom come!”
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Campbell Markham has been a pastor in the Australian Presbyterian Church for over twenty-two years and lives in Perth, Western Australia. He blogs at Campbell Markham: Thoughts and Letters.
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