Our Lord and His PrayerНамуна

In High School, my dad was in the musical Camelot, a production about King Arthur. In many ways, the legend of King Arthur has shaped how we think about “kingdom.” Sometimes when we pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we envision the knights of the roundtable, for example. Is this what Jesus had in mind when He taught us to pray these words?

Jesus’ prayer is deeply rooted in Jewish history, and in today’s portion, Jesus has His eyes on both the beginning and the end of our story, as recorded in Genesis and Revelation.

As you read Genesis 2:7-25 and Revelation 22:1-5, notice the settings and players. There is a garden/city (Gen. 2:8; Rev. 22:2) with a river running through it (Gen. 2:10; Rev. 22:1, 2). Mankind has meaningful work partnering with God (Gen. 2:15,19-20; Rev. 22:3, 5), and their relationship was peaceful and harmonious (Gen. 2:25; Rev. 22:2, 3). In the middle of it all stands the Tree of Life (Gen. 2:9; Rev. 22:2).

The Bible opens and closes with nearly identical scenes. In the beginning, we see God’s desire to be with His people. In the end, that desire is realized. And for life between the trees, we have this instruction: “When you pray, say, ‘Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’”

Let’s define the three big words in this part of the prayer:

• Kingdom - The place where things are as a person desires and intends them to be.
• Heaven - The place where things are as God desires and intends them to be.
• Earth - The place where human desires corrode and corrupt what God desires and intends.

Jesus instructs us to pray: “May our kingdom come to where your will is done. May earth come up to heaven.”

Wait, that’s not what you read in The Lord’s Prayer? Me either. I read about a God whose desire is to bring His kingdom down to earth. A God who literally leaves His kingdom to make the unqualified qualified to become citizens of heaven. A King who is looking for citizens who will partner with Him to prepare our kingdom for the coming of His kingdom.

May you be partnering with God to bring His kingdom to earth.