"Let Your Kingdom come..."
“Father, let Your Kingdom come
Father, let Your will be done
On Earth as in Heaven
Right here in my heart”
The Lord’s Prayer, Matt Maher
“6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:6-8:
Jesus, in teaching His disciples to pray, starts His prayer with: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
The prayer starts with an emphasis on the coming of His Kingdom.
Jesus commands His disciples, upon their asking if the kingdom will be restored to Israel, to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
With the Holy Spirit comes the power, dominion and authority of the Kingdom of God - the power of Christ IN us by which He works THROUGH us to affect the world AROUND us.
God wants to establish His throne within our hearts.
He wants to reign and rule IN us and THROUGH us.
Jesus' ascension is the crowning of His exaltation - the point at which any doubt of His divinity is completely removed. He very much is the physical manifestation of the Right Hand of God.
Before the ascension Jesus was fully God, and fully man walking on the Earth, leading His disciples through word and deed. After the ascension He is still fully God but now leads us through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, moving in our midst and enthroned, not only in Heaven, but also in our hearts.
His ascension does not make Him less present in our lives, but rather, makes Him more present as He pours Himself into every vessel willing to believe and waiting to receive.
He commanded the disciples, at His ascension, to wait in Jerusalem.
What are we waiting for?
My social media is full of people talking about church growth and revival - but almost none of them even mention prayer.
In Bible college we used to sing a song which roughly translates as, “early in the morning, and late in the evening, I will wait for You upon my knees…”
The mistake that many of us have made is that at the first hint of an encounter with God’s Spirit we leave the upper room and stop waiting - but there is always more - more of Him to be found. The waiting should never stop. We should always be waiting on God for a richer, fuller and deeper experience of who He is.
How can we ever get enough of an infinite God?
God moves in prayer. His will and purpose for our life is conceived in His heart and birthed in our prayers. Revival comes forth from the womb of prayer.
I want more of God in my life. I want His Kingdom established here in my heart. I want His will to be done here in my life - and then through me in the lives of others.
I want to invite you today to want the same.
Whatever we have experienced of God, it is not even the tip of the iceberg. There is more - there is deeper.
Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, saying: “Let Your Kingdom come, let Your will be done in the earth as in Heaven…”
Let us wait upon the Lord.
Prayer: Jesus, be my desire. Let me not look to the left, or to the right, but let me keep my eyes fixed upon You. I pray Lord that You would come and guide me, lead me deeper into Your heart and will for my life. As I wait upon You today Lord pour out Your presence. Let Your Kingdom come, let Your will be done here as in Heaven. In the Mighty Name of Jesus - the Name above every name - Amen!