“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
These familiar words are prayed often in churches of all different denominations, churches on every continent, churches in many different countries all around the world – these words are prayed by solitary individuals and they are prayed corporately by large gatherings of people. Every hour of every day, somewhere in the world this prayer is being prayed in many different languages simultaneously. But the words remain the same, the request is the same – believers everywhere are asking for God’s kingdom to come to earth, for God’s will to be done, for life on earth to look like life in heaven.
This request has not changed over the centuries and today we continue to pray – “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We are still waiting to see this prayer answered. And yet I read what Jesus said about this very thing back in His day –
“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ He said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’ ” (Mark 1:14-15)
That was more than two thousand years ago, when Jesus said God’s Kingdom was close at hand. In fact, Jesus told this good news to everyone who would listen,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17)
I don’t think the people realized just how near heaven had come. Heaven was in their midst. The promised, long-awaited Messiah had come and was now walking among them, but they did not realize it because they did not recognize Him.
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. . . . He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:14, 10-11)
“His own” were currently oppressed by the Roman government. They had long been desiring and looking for a powerful political leader to arise who would overthrow this government and set them free. This would be the deliverer that God had promised His people so long ago. Or so they thought. They were expecting a person with position, with power, with wealth and influence – they were not expecting a baby born in a stable in an obscure village such as Bethlehem was, a baby born to poor parents who had no fame or fortune at all – they were not expecting a baby such as this to be the Savior of themselves and of the world.
So the very people who were waiting and watching for the Messiah from heaven, did not recognize heaven even when heaven came down to earth in the form of God’s only Son, Jesus. God’s Son didn’t fit the profile they had constructed of their Messiah, even though ironically, Jesus fulfilled every single prophesy of their own prophets, all of which had been meticulously recorded in the Old Testament.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. (from days of eternity)” (Micah 5:2)
The prophet Micah predicted it – a baby born in Bethlehem would bring with His birth, the kingdom of God to earth. The angels proclaimed as much on the night of Jesus’s birth, saying –
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” (Luke 2:14)
Later Jesus, Himself, would say –
“The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is already among you.” (Luke 17:20-21)
Jesus brought the kingdom of heaven with Him when He came to earth, but He didn’t remove it when He left and ascended into heaven. He left His Holy Spirit here with us.
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see Me anymore, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:16-19)
Christ abides with us here through His Holy Spirit, which Paul referred to in this way in Colossians 1:27 saying about the mystery of Christ’s presence –
“which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
God’s kingdom has come and His kingdom is on its way. Both are true. The kingdom of heaven is here, but not fully or completely as the battle between good and evil still rages daily everywhere we look. We are surrounded by this war being waged all around us and as if that’s not enough – this same war is also being fought within each one of us every day. No wonder we are exhausted!
As I look around, often evil appears to be winning. I begin to feel discouraged and defeated. However, I am reminded that I am to be calling down the kingdom every moment of every day. That’s the prayer – isn’t it? “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
So that’s what heaven looks like? – God’s will being done instead of my own. I keep waiting passively for the kingdom to arrive when as it turns out, it’s already here and I have an active role to play in calling down the rest of the kingdom in its fullness, which I so desire to see here on earth. As an intercessor, I am “called” to be calling down the kingdom through prayer – to pray for the people and the situations around me every day. And there’s more.
What does “calling down the kingdom” really look like? It looks like turning the other cheek until I lose count. It looks like a helping hand, it sounds like kind words being spoken instead of hurtful ones. It looks like forgiveness rather than revenge, generosity instead of selfishness. It is peace replacing violence, empathy replacing judgement, truth replacing lies, care replacing indifference, humility replacing pride, kindness replacing cruelty, acceptance replacing rejection, love replacing hate. All of these are choices I can make every day. They are hard choices. I will need courage and perseverance to continue to make these hard choices every day in the face of opposition – which is others choosing the opposite of what I am choosing.
Calling down the kingdom is hard work. If I want to see more of heaven here on earth, I have to follow God’s instructions about “loving my neighbor as myself,” knowing that God considers everyone and anyone my neighbor! I don’t get to pick and choose. That makes it a bit more challenging, doesn’t it? I find more instructions about how I can bring about God’s kingdom here on earth in Romans 12 –
“Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. . . . Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. . . . Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, . . . Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:9-21)
The kingdom has come! The kingdom is coming! I want to be a part of calling down the kingdom every day until it is fully and completely established here. And so I will continue to pray along with others all over the world –
“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
sincerely, Grace Day (aka kingdom caller)