< Back

Read: Matthew 6:10
Listen: Matthew 6

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

Matthew’s biography of Jesus emphasizes Jesus’s coming as the long-awaited king. Jesus is king, and he has established his long-awaited kingdom. But Jesus’s kingdom differs from other kingdoms. It is not a kingdom focused upon political territories or even military power. It is a kingdom that finds its center in the human heart. Jesus’s kingdom is received by faith and implies Jesus becoming King or Lord of one’s life. Proper response to Jesus’s kingdom means we submit ourselves to the desires and decrees of King Jesus. This is the heart behind praying, “your kingdom come, your will be done.”

Putting the will of God first in our lives implies obeying God’s will expressed in Scripture. There are multiple passages in Scripture that expressly state what God’s will is. God’s will for our lives includes, among other things, becoming spiritually mature and abstaining from sexual immorality (1 Thess. 4:3), giving thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:18), doing good (1 Peter 2:15), and trusting Jesus (John 6:40). Where might your life be out of alignment with God’s will? Though it is common to stress about discerning God’s will in more ambiguous matters of life (such as where to work or who to marry), God’s primary aim is about the sort of people we are becoming. Are we obeying the clear markers of God’s will revealed in Scripture?

PRAYER DAY #3: Pray the Lord’s Prayer. As you get to “your kingdom come, your will be done” take time to confess any areas of your life that are out of alignment with the will of God. Confess these things honestly and openly to God, trusting that he is the God of grace and forgiveness (1 John 1:9).

Would you like to go deeper into The Lord’s Prayer? Then tune in to this week’s edition of the Beyond the Weekend Podcast.