The Lord’s Prayer can be rote and without thought or true petition of the heart, or it can become a divine force unleashing God’s glorious blessing. One may pray “Thy kingdom come” without any regard for the intent of Jesus, or one may pray “Thy kingdom come” and the world itself begins to change. That is the power for daily living I am looking for. But how is “Thy kingdom come” a prayer that literally changes the world?

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come…” (Matt. 6:9-10).

Chasing Armadillos

When I was a boy, I chased armadillos. If you have never seen an armadillo, they look like a possum with a turtle shell. Well, actually, they just look like an armadillo and nothing else. Aunt Eva would ask, “If you were to catch that filthy thing, what would you do with it?”

Praying the Lord’s Prayer can be like chasing an armadillo. We all believe that the Lord wants us to pray it, but what if you really understood what you were praying? And what would you do if God began to answer your prayer?

To pray “Your kingdom come” is to be involved in a gospel conspiracy to take over the world! It is a prayer that changes the make-up of the cosmos, beginning from your very heart and moving out in space and time to everything under creation. Are you really ready for that?

Here are eight biblical truths about the kingdom of God as it is revealed in Scripture and eight ways that this prayer changes our world.

The Kingdom of God Is Divine

The kingdom of God is the reign of God.

The word for kingdom is taken from basileia, the word for king, and simply means “the reign of the king.” It means all of the territory of His realm.

The king is God; His territory includes the whole cosmos. But the question of the ages is this: Is your life part of the territory of the reign of this King? It is important to remember that the kingdom of God did not start with Jesus’ appearance; it just made a giant leap forward. The kingdom of God has always been. God has always been on the throne.

“The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psa. 103:19).

Wherever God is, there is His rule and reign. If you will not submit to His rule and reign, the kingdom of God still exists. If you resist the Spirit of God who is moving upon your heart, the kingdom of God will still exist and the intent and purposes of God Almighty will go forward.

God ruled through creation. The heavens obeyed Him, even when man did not. The beasts of the earth, the winds and waves and the heavenly bodies obeyed Him.

God ruled through providence. God was working all things together for our good and especially preparing a people, the Hebrews, to bring forth Messiah for the world.

The person who prays “Your kingdom come” is surrendering his will to the reign of God in his life.

This prayer changes the world through a conviction that God must be glorified in your heart and in the hearts of others.

The Kingdom of God Is Messianic

The kingdom of God is disclosed to man through Jesus Christ.

In Jesus, the plan of God is disclosed to us personally. In Jesus, our King has come. He is here.

Jesus came healing and teaching. When He cast out demons, He said, “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt. 12:28).

Every person healed, every demon cast out, every word spoken to sinners was an advancement of the kingdom of God in the world. On the cross, Jesus, the Son of God, shed His blood for His people — all of those who would ever trust in Him — and on the morning of the first day of the week, Jesus arose and the King inaugurated a resurrection that would extend to all of His people. At the ascension, our King ascended, and we are told that He ever lives to intercede for us.