Last week, we began unpacking the first part of the Lord’s Prayer:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
Matthew 6:9 (English Standard Version | ESV)
Jesus used this as the opening framework for how we approach God, not with flashy words or empty repetition, but with a heart that recognizes two truths. First, we come with the relational understanding that God is a loving, caring Father who provides, guides, and corrects us. Second, we approach with the posture and humility that comes from knowing He is holy and divine. This shapes both our attitude and our actions in prayer, leading us to focus on Him fully and honor Him in how we come before Him.
Today, we continue by looking at Matthew 6:10 (English Standard Version | ESV)
“Your Kingdom Come, your will be done.”
ASK: What is a kingdom?
A kingdom is the area that belongs to and is ruled by a king. In the Bible, the word used here is “basileia,” which means the Kingdom of God, the place where God SOVEREIGNLY rules as the all-powerful King. The word “sovereign” means having complete authority over everything. This can be hard for us to picture, especially in America, because we don’t live under a king and we’re used to leaders who are only in charge for a short time and can be voted out. But God’s kingdom is different. His rule isn’t temporary, and it can’t be voted away, ignored, or overthrown. When the King speaks, His words carry power and His authority covers everything, whether people want to recognize it or not.
A theologian named Bruce Barton wrote in his commentary, “Jesus’ followers recognize that the Kingdom began with his coming to earth. Matthew’s readers understood the Kingdom to be present in believers’ hearts as Christ reigned there (Luke 17:21). To look forward to God’s coming Kingdom is to pray that more and more people will enter it.” Praying “your Kingdom Come” is asking for God to have authority in our lives and the lives of everyone who submits to him.
The word “will” means the desire or intention. So another way of saying this is “your desires be done” or “your intentions be done,” or even, “that which you wish the most be done.” This is again hard for us to truly grasp, not because of where we come from, but because of who we are as human beings. Many people grow up with a skeptical mindset, and as a result, we don’t trust the desires or the “will” of others. We’ve had bad experiences with men that make trusting God difficult. Especially when what he desires doesn’t make sense to us at first.
But we must remember our context. We are not praying to a man. We are praying the divine Holy Father who truly loves us, created us from nothing, and exists eternally in yesterday, today, and tomorrow. His will is good because it comes from an entirely different perspective than anything we can truly grasp. Romans 12:2 tells us that God’s will is “good, pleasing, and perfect.”
Not that his will is always easy? But trusting in it will always bring about something greater. Remember Jesus’ words in the garden, “not my will but yours be done.” Jesus prays this while asking for a different path, but he understood that God’s will is “good, pleasing, and perfect.” He knew that what he was doing was difficult, but he also knew that at the end of the day, God would do something greater.
So when we go to prayer and we pray over a situation, we start by remembering who we are talking to, our loving Father in heaven, who is also holy and worthy of our respect. Then, we submit to His rule by asking for His Kingdom to come, not just in the world but in our hearts. Asking for Him to have FULL authority in all that we do, say, and even what we think. This means intentionally laying down our plans and inviting Him to guide our steps, even when we don’t fully understand. We can pray something like, “Lord, I want what You desire more than what I want. Show me how to follow Your will in this situation.” By doing this, we acknowledge His authority, trust His goodness, and open the door for Him to work in ways that are “good, pleasing, and perfect.”
Adventures in Student Ministry 