Do We Really Mean It When We Pray, “Your Kingdom Come”?

Why I Pray Daily for God's Kingdom to Come

Almost every morning, I pray the prayer Jesus taught His disciples.

And there are four words in that prayer that I have probably repeated thousands of times:

“Your kingdom come.”

But recently I began thinking more deeply about what those four words actually mean.

When I pray, “Your kingdom come,” do I really mean it?

Jesus said:

“Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.”
— Matthew 6:9–10

Those words are so familiar that it is possible to say them without realizing the tremendous prayer we are making.

We are asking God for His Kingdom to come.

We are saying, in effect:

Father, I want Your Kingdom more than I want this present world.

What Are We Really Praying For?

When Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come,” He was teaching us to look beyond the world we presently see.

This world is temporary.

Our houses are temporary.

Our possessions are temporary.

Our careers are temporary.

Even these earthly bodies are temporary.

But God's Kingdom is eternal.

That doesn't mean our lives here are unimportant. Quite the opposite. What we do with our lives today matters because eternity is ahead of us.

We have been given a limited amount of time to love God, love others, serve Christ, share the Gospel, use the abilities He has entrusted to us, and invest our lives in things that have eternal value.

That is why Jesus said:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth... but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
— Matthew 6:19–20

Jesus was teaching us where our hearts should be invested.

And then He said:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
— Matthew 6:21

That raises an important question:

Where is my treasure?

Because the answer may reveal whether I really mean it when I pray:

“Your kingdom come.”

Sometimes We Hold Too Tightly to This World

There is nothing wrong with enjoying the blessings God gives us.

We can enjoy our families, our homes, our friendships, a beautiful morning, a good meal, or simply walking outside and thanking God for another day.

These are gifts from our Father.

But there is a difference between enjoying God's gifts and building our entire hope around this present life.

Sometimes we become so comfortable here that Heaven almost becomes an afterthought.

We say we believe in eternity.

We say we are looking forward to Heaven.

We pray, “Your kingdom come.”

Yet if we are not careful, our hearts may quietly be saying:

“But not yet, Lord. I still have too much here that I don't want to leave.”

Perhaps that is one reason Jesus taught us to pray these words every day.

They help realign our hearts.

Your Kingdom—not mine.

Your will—not mine.

Your purposes—not mine.

“Your Will Be Done”

Notice what comes immediately after “Your kingdom come.”

Jesus said:

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Those two thoughts belong together.

If I truly desire God's Kingdom, then I should also desire God's will in my life today.

That changes the way I think about following Jesus.

Instead of asking only:

“Lord, what can You do for me?”

I begin asking:

“Lord, what would You have me do for You?”

What opportunity have You placed before me?

Who can I encourage?

Who needs to hear about Jesus?

Whom can I serve?

What ability have You entrusted to me that I should be using for Your Kingdom?

That is Kingdom living.

And we don't have to wait until Heaven to begin.

We Are Preparing for a Kingdom

The Bible doesn't end with mankind trying desperately to preserve this present world forever.

It ends with something infinitely better.

John writes:

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth.”
— Revelation 21:1

Then comes one of the most beautiful statements in Scripture:

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them.”
— Revelation 21:3

Think about that.

From Genesis to Revelation, God's great plan leads toward His dwelling with His people.

And Revelation tells us that a day is coming when:

“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.”
— Revelation 21:4

No more funerals.

No more disease.

No more broken relationships.

No more loneliness.

No more sin.

No more death.

That is where God's plan is taking us.

So why would a believer want to cling desperately to a fallen world when our Father has promised something so much greater?

Maybe We Should Pray It Differently Tomorrow

The next time we pray the Lord's Prayer, perhaps we should slow down when we reach those four words:

“Your kingdom come.”

Don't just recite them.

Think about them.

Perhaps we could pray:

Father, I really do want Your Kingdom to come. Help me not to become so attached to this temporary world that I forget the eternal one You have promised. Help me use whatever time You give me here for Your purposes. Help me invest my life in things that will matter in eternity.

And then pray:

“Your will be done.”

Not reluctantly.

Not fearfully.

But trustingly.

Because our Father knows where history is going.

He knows what He has prepared.

And He knows what is waiting for His children.

One Final Question

Jesus taught us to pray:

“Your kingdom come.”

So perhaps each of us should ask ourselves:

Do I really mean it?

Am I living primarily for the kingdom I can see—or for the Kingdom that is coming?

Am I investing everything in a temporary world—or am I laying up treasure in Heaven?

And if Jesus called me home today, would I feel that I had faithfully used what He entrusted to me?

We don't know how many days we have remaining.

But we know where we are going.

So while we are here, let us love.

Let us serve.

Let us forgive.

Let us give.

Let us share the Gospel.

Let us faithfully use whatever God has placed in our hands.

And every morning, let us pray those four words with greater understanding and anticipation:

“Father... Your Kingdom come.”

May our lives show that we really mean it.