Thy Will Be Done

12/5- Lord’s Prayer- 2- “Thy Kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Read: “Father not my will but yours be done.”  [Jesus in the Garden before he died]. Luke 22:42
Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant.  May it be to me as you have said.”  Luke 1:38

Thoughts: When we pray to God we are not demanding from Him what we want.  He is God, we are not.  Whatever we pray, we want God’s will to be done.  God is the great King.  We, as God’s children, are a part of His kingdom and we want His kingdom to be great and that His will is more important than our will.  If anything, we want to pray that God’s will and our will would be the same thing (one). 

Activity: Smartphone prayer:  Take a phone- and pray for the last three persons you have called or texted.  Look at the last three people you took a picture of and pray for them too.  Trace the Lord’s prayer with the picture above as you pray it together. 

Prayer: Lord, you are Lord.  May your will be done in our family in my life.  Amen. 

Thy Kingdom Come

Thy kingdom come.

Thoughts: The Father has the kingdom.  The Father is the king.  It is His kingdom that is coming, and as His heirs it is ours.  But it is not our kingdom apart from Him- but because of Him.  As we are His, so we are heirs of the kingdom.  As we disown Him, we disown our rights to the Kingdom.
    That we pray that the kingdom would come means that it is not here yet.  There is a sense in which the kingdom of heaven is at hand (as Jesus said).  But there is another sense in which the kingdom of heaven is coming- when we get to heaven.  Jesus said that our response to thinking the kingdom of heaven is at hand is to repent.  We want to turn back to God and straighten up in order to be a part of the kingdom that is coming.  When the kingdom comes- if we do not repent- we are not just left behind- we are rolled over.  But if we repent we are given new robes- robes of the kingdom and made fresh.

Prayer: Lord, may your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.  May your kingdom come in me.

Listening to the Kingdom come

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

Thoughts: Listen... the kingdom comes.  It comes not with mighty banging of drums, parades, elephants marching, and trumpets blaring.  It comes not with talking heads in the media analyzing everything.  It comes quietly- one prayer at a time- one deed done with kindness at a time.  It comes with one person at a time doing the will of the Father, longing and praying for God's will to be done on earth.
     Jesus wisely taught us to pray and long for the will of God- the kingdom to come on earth.  As we pray for it, we desire it.  As we desire it, we work for it and focus on it.  As you pray, listen for the kingdom coming in your heart.

Prayer: Lord, come.  Let your will come to me- let me come to your will.  Let your kingdom come through me, with me, despite me.  Use me, O Lord, to bring the heavenly kingdom down to this lowly earth.