Thy Kingdom come.
Matthew 6:10
Jesus describes the Kingdom of heaven in many parables and teachings. In Matthew 13:47-50, we read:
“Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.”
In this instance, there is a warning that the Kingdom of heaven will not be for everyone, but rather for the righteous, those whom God has deemed righteous. God will evaluate every life and make a decision who enters the Kingdom of heaven and who does not. This is why it is incumbent on us to understand God, and to understand what righteousness is, so that we pursue both.
In Matthew, 13: 44-46, immediately preceding the last verses, we read:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
The prospect of entering the Kingdom of heaven should not just bring us trepidation—i.e. will I make it—but it should bring us joy—i.e. God wants me to make it, it is for me to choose to work my way towards the Kingdom. In these two brief parables, Jesus tells us that the prospect of the Kingdom of heaven should be something that drives us to center our life on the journey there. In the ideal life, we make pursuit of the Kingdom our greatest investment of time and energy.
By referring to a kingdom, Jesus is identifying God the Father as the King, the Ruler over everything. In praying the Lord’s Prayer, we proclaim God the Father as King, which means that we then place ourselves as His servants.
In the Divine Liturgy, we proclaim the Kingdom as present here and now. The Divine Liturgy begins with the words “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages.” (Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, official translation of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 2015, p.3) In this exclamation, we now confess that the Kingdom is not only of God, but of the Holy Trinity. We also proclaim that the Kingdom of God is present right now, it is not just some far off reality. In Luke 17:20-21, we read, Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is’ or “There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
God’s Kingdom comes now when we allow His will to fill our hearts and His purpose and power to direct our lives. In living like this, we live in God’s Kingdom today. The Kingdom will come in full when Jesus comes again.
It pleases God tremendously when we pray for His will on earth. In fact, our prayer life is insufficient if we neglect to pray for His Kingdom and His will and only concentrate on our own needs. This is why in the Divine Liturgy we pray for the salvation of all and unity in the Church. In Romans 14:17, St. Paul writes, For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. We pray for this for everyone.
Most of us spend little time thinking of the Kingdom of God either as a present reality or as a future/eternal one. It is not only the destination but part of the journey. We all spend time daydreaming about things like what life would be like if we won the lottery. If we internalize the words of the Lord’s Prayer which we pray so often, we would shift our thinking to dreams of God’s Kingdom and what that will be like for eternity, as well as thoughts of how that Kingdom comes alive for us in our lives today.
I will extol Thee, my God and King, and bless Thy name forever and ever. Every day I will bless Thee, and praise Thy name forever and ever. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty and on Thy wondrous works I will meditate. Men shall proclaim the might of Thy terrible acts, and I will declare Thy greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of Thy abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and His compassion is over all that He has made. All thy works shall give thanks to Thee, O Lord, and all Thy saints shall bless Thee! They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and tell of Thy power, to make known to the sons of men Thy mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of Thy kingdom. Thy Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all His words, and gracious in all His deeds. The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to Thee, and Thou givest them their food in due season. Thou openest Thy hand, Thou satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The Lord is just in all His ways, and kind in all His doings. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of all who fear Him, He also hears their cry and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love Him; but the wicked
He will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy name, forever and ever. Psalm 145
Points to ponder: Do you find it difficult to seek the kingdom of God first and truly believe that everything else will fall into place? Why or why not? What are some specific ways you can pray for the kingdom of God to reign more in your life?
