Did you know that God has a kingdom? Sometimes we think of God as some distant being or a “force” in the sky, but one of the primary ways the Bible describes Him is as a King. He rules and reigns over all things, and one day Jesus will return and establish His kingdom fully on the earth. So when Jesus teaches us to pray, “Your kingdom come,” He is inviting us to see the world from a different perspective and reminding us that life is about something much bigger than whatever is happening right in front of us.
It’s easy to get discouraged when you see everything that is going wrong in the world. Scroll through the news for five minutes and you’ll read about war, corruption, violence, and suffering. Sometimes the problems seem so overwhelming that we wonder if our prayers even matter. But “Your kingdom come” is an invitation for God’s power and presence to invade the earth. And even in a dark world, you can see little glimpses of heaven everywhere.
In February 2023, something remarkable happened in the small Kentucky town of Wilmore. A routine chapel service at Asbury University ended like every other service. Students were free to leave, and most of them did. But a handful of students stayed behind to pray. There was no famous speaker or special music, and no attempt to manufacture anything. A few students simply lingered in God’s presence. Over the next few hours, those few students became dozens. Dozens became hundreds. Before long, word spread, and thousands of people from around the country began traveling to this small town, including me. I drove to Asbury because I wanted to see it for myself. For over two weeks, Hughes Auditorium remained open nearly around the clock. Students confessed sins, reconciled relationships, sang, worshiped, and prayed. As I looked around that auditorium I felt a little piece of heaven.
Of course, God’s kingdom doesn’t only break through in a chapel service. Sometimes it looks like a foster family welcoming a child into their home, or a volunteer working at a recovery center to help an addict find freedom. It’s missionaries serving faithfully halfway around the world. And sometimes it’s a simple act of forgiveness between two people. Heaven is all around you if you’re looking for it.
Every Person in Every Place
Several years ago, I heard my pastor Kevin Gerald teach that we should pray for God’s kingdom to specifically come to places and people we are near, so every morning while taking my kids to school, we decided to do what Pastor Kevin said, and when we passed a school bus we would pray, “God let your kingdom come to the kids on that bus.” Or when we would pass a business office, we would pray, “God let your kingdom come in that business.” Those daily prayers started to change me. What began as a small act of obedience became a daily reminder that God cares about every person and every place I pass. I started noticing people I used to overlook and I began to see them not just as strangers, but as people God wants to reach—people who need to experience heaven.
That’s what “Your kingdom come” does—it opens your eyes. It turns ordinary routines into divine opportunities. When you begin praying this way, your office becomes a mission field. Your neighborhood and school become a place where heaven can break in.
Over time, this simple prayer became more than a habit—it became a way of life. I found myself walking into grocery stores and quietly praying, “Let Your kingdom come in this aisle.” I’d sit in traffic and pray for the cars around me: “God, move here. Rule here.” I’d sit in the bleachers at my kid’s games, and while I wanted our team to win, I couldn’t help but think about all the people in the stadium who needed a taste of heaven in their life. Praying “your kingdom come,” gave me an expectation that God could show up wherever I was.
On Mission
The Bible uses the word “ambassador” to describe what it’s like for Christians to live on earth. An ambassador lives in one country but represents another. They speak on behalf of their government. They live in another country but their little piece of land is home away from home. That’s exactly what Jesus meant when He taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come.”
As Christians, our citizenship is not in this world. We belong to another kingdom. We live here, work here, raise our families here, and pay our taxes here, but our values and priorities come from somewhere else. We represent King Jesus wherever we go. That means when you walk into your workplaces, your cubicle is an outpost of heaven. When you teach your classroom is heaven on earth. When you change diapers, or mow the lawn, or host a meal around your table you are taking care of heaven’s embassy. So don’t underestimate the power of, “your kingdom come.” Whisper it on your drive. Speak it over your home. Declare it in your prayers.
But it doesn’t stop there. We pray for God’s kingdom to come, but we also play a part in bringing it here. Over the centuries, Christians have cared for orphans, built hospitals, established schools and universities, fed the hungry, fought to end slavery, translated the Bible into thousands of languages, dug wells, started homeless shelters, cared for widows, adopted children, and served the poor. They have visited prisoners, welcomed refugees, and risked their lives to bring the hope of Christ to places of darkness.
Philosopher and theologian Cornel West often tells a story from his childhood. As a young boy attending Vacation Bible School, one of his teachers, Sarah Ray, gave him advice he has never forgotten. She would tell him, “Little Cornel, if the Kingdom of God is within you, then everywhere you go, you ought to leave a little heaven behind.” I love that picture. That’s exactly what Jesus meant, too. Wherever we go, we have the opportunity to leave behind a little glimpse of heaven.
Even with our best effort, this world will never fully become heaven until Christ returns, but it is a taste of what it will be like when God sets up his kingdom on this earth once and for all. When you pray, “Your kingdom come,” you are asking God to make it more like heaven on earth. And God answers that prayer through you and me. Every morning, we wake up with the privilege of praying, “Lord, let Your kingdom come—and let my life be a glimpse of heaven.” We don’t just pray, we participate.
Practice:
Take a moment to pause and look around—your home, your workplace, your neighborhood. Where do you long to see a glimpse of heaven today?
Prayer:
Father, I want to see the world the way you do. Open my eyes to the people around me and the places I pass each day. Let Your kingdom come in my home, in my conversations, in the everyday moments of my life. Teach me to carry Your presence and expect You to move. Interrupt my routines with Your purpose. Rule in my heart so that You can rule through my life. I surrender my agenda and ask for Yours instead. Let Your kingdom come—in me, around me, and through me. Amen.
