Bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven. — Matthew 6:10
I see the Lord’s Prayer as something more than a model of how to pray or as something we say as a religious act. I see it as affirming our loyalty to the Father’s kingdom. It’s like reciting a pledge of allegiance. We’re saying that our ultimate loyalty lies with our Creator and our Creator’s wishes and desires. Everything else in our lives is shaped around that loyalty.
There’s something we should add to the Lord’s Prayer, though. Father Richard Rohr suggested in one of his writings that whenever we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we should follow it with, “My kingdom go.”
While not taking that literally, Father Rohr points us in the right direction.
How often do we pray for God’s kingdom to come, then unconsciously shape that kingdom according to our own wants, needs, and biases? Church history is an unfortunate example of this, when horrendous things were done in the Father’s name (Crusades, the Inquisition, etc.). But on a lesser scale, and on a more personal note, how do we use God to validate our little kingdoms? Vanity, fear, greed…whatever the classic deadly sins are, they’re the pillars of the kingdom we can unknowingly create.
Maybe we should occasionally pause whenever we pray, “Thy will be done.” We should reflect on how we might confuse God’s will with our own, and do a little repenting. That way we can better align ourselves with what follows: “…on earth as it is in heaven.”
Liked your letter in the West newspaper. Thanks for your insight here, too.
I read article also. You go, Greg.
Good thought for todays Christians.
Thank you Greg. I look forward to your posts each week and forward them to our children often.
I so appreciate your meditations. Always right on target for me. Thank You!