Lenten Meditation: Kingdom Come

This meditation was part of Grace’s 2023 Lenten Meditations Series, As Jesus Taught Us to Pray (available via podcast). The meditations in this series were written and read by members of the Grace Pres community, and collectively follow the outline set by the Lord’s Prayer. You can listen to this episode here (podcast).

Today is Friday the 10th of March and this week we are focusing our prayers on the The Kingdom and Will of God as demonstrated in the Lord’s Prayer when Jesus prays: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

(Pause)

As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still, and to recenter my scattered senses upon the presence of God.

Call to Worship

The Lord calls us to worship today with the words of Psalm 103, and we join with the ancient praise of all God’s people saying:

¹⁹The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
²⁰Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
²¹Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
²²Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!

—Psalm 103:19-22 (ESV)

Confession

Today I am reflecting on the words of Acts 1:4-8 where, after staying with the Apostles for forty days post resurrection, Jesus gives his final instructions to them before his bodily ascension to heaven.

⁴And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; ⁵for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

⁶So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

(Pause)

Father, we confess that like the Apostles, we do not grasp the extent of Your power and authority. We seek comfort in what we know and what is visible. We want knowledge and control, trusting in our timing, planning, and abilities. We establish our own domains to feel powerful, to receive praise and glory. We use your gifts for our own agendas even as we claim to be their stewards. Sometimes we don’t believe you are with us, so we only ask for little things. Sometimes we ask you to be sovereign over big things but we don’t act in faith because of fear, or laziness, or complacency. Forgive us our doubting hearts and feeble wills. O come, Holy Spirit! Renew our souls and give us conviction! You who emboldened and empowered the apostles, who turn the hearts of kings and statesmen, embolden and empower us too.

Contemplation

As I return to the passage…

The disciples wondered, relatably, the fate of their nation, earnestly hoping for an end to its disgrace. Yet, even for a weighty, kingdom-centered question such as theirs, Jesus defied their expectations and turned their attention to the work of a greater kingdom.

We move through life often wondering, “What is God’s plan for us now?” We read signals, discern open and closed doors, choosing between exercising perseverance or accepting our lot. We want to know whether this partner is “The One,” whether this church is “The One,” whether this career is “The One.” We want to know when our tribulations will end and when the good life will begin. We want the Kingdom now, on our terms.

“It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” God not only defies our expectations, he exceeds them. The Maker of the universe gives us Himself: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He gives us an eternal kingdom to look forward to, a worthy mission to participate in, a promise of help and a hope of glory in the midst of sacrifice.

Let us ask God to give us sustaining faith.

What do you imagine when you hear “God’s kingdom”?

How would putting all your hope in the coming kingdom change your life’s priorities?

(Pause)

And now, as I prepare to take this time of prayer into the coming day, the Lord who loves me says in the book of Romans:

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

Closing Prayer

Now let us pray as Jesus taught us to pray…

Our Father, who is in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, forever. Amen.

Today’s meditation was written and read by Xuan Wu, produced by Jess Springer, with music by Michael Anderson.