- araratchurch
- Jun 12
- 3 min read
“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father 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 do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that foretold all the great kingdoms of the world beginning with that of Babylon. The dream also indicated that there would be a final kingdom coming along that would take down all the kingdoms of the world that had come before.
“And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.””
Daniel 2:44-45 NKJV
Yes, this would be the final kingdom, an everlasting kingdom, the Kingdom of God.
After 400 years of silence of the prophetic voice, as was prophesied, one came crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ””
Matthew 3:1-3 NKJV
Notice that John gave the way of preparation as being that people should repent. Additionally, there was a reason they should repent: The Kingdom of God was coming soon.
Indeed, after Jesus emerged from His temptation in the wilderness, He began his public ministry by echoing the proclamation of John the baptizer.
“Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””
Matthew 4:12-17 NKJV
Jesus, too, spoke of repentance being necessary to prepare for the coming Kingdom of God.
For today, we look at our next part of the Lord‘s Prayer: “Your kingdom come.”
Friend, our Heavenly Father is a King and He has a Kingdom! And think about this: Those of us who have received Christ, are already part of His eternal Kingdom. His Kingdom currently operates in heavenly places. Indeed, His Kingdom is not of this world.
“Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.””
John 18:36-37 NKJV
Now, make no mistake, even now, Christ’s Kingdom operates inside those who have received Christ. But one day soon, very soon, that eternal King Himself will also set up His Kingdom right here on earth. And we will rule and reign with Him forever. For now, as Jesus has instructed us, we should pray for His Kingdom to come.
We will talk more about His Kingdom in the coming Days.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jun 11
- 3 min read
“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father 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 do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
Recently, I saw a commentator on TV talking with great emotion about something someone had said about them. Now, this person, being a prominent commentator, is accustomed to having a lot of bad things said about them. But this comment was different. What had this person so upset about this particular comment was the fact that the person had made fun of their last name.
You see, we are inextricably connected to our names and come to see our name as part of us. When someone makes fun of our name, it feels personal. And it is.
In the model prayer that Jesus gave us, we see that when we pray to our heavenly Father, we are to recognize the holiness of His name: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
Honoring the name of the Lord is not a new concept. As a matter fact, one of the Ten Commandments addresses treatment of the Lord‘s name.
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
Exodus 20:7 NKJV
Taking the Lord‘s name in vain can be flippantly making an oath in His name, using His name as profanity, saying He has said something He has not said, or even living a life that reflects badly on His name.
Before Samson was born, the Angel of the Lord came to his parents to tell them how he should be raised. His father, Manoa, asked the angel of the Lord what His name was:
“Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.” And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord.) Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?” And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?””
Judges 13:15-18 NKJV
Indeed, the name of the Lord is truly wonderful. It is beyond our ability to fully grasp. No wonder the psalmist instructed that the people should glory in God‘s Holy name.
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!”
Psalms 105:1-3 NKJV
Child of God, what a privilege it is to know that our Heavenly Father allows us to call upon His holy name. Let us never forget what a privilege it is to actually be called by His name, making sure that we are careful to do that which brings glory to His name, rather than dishonor.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jun 10
- 3 min read
“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father 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 do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
While growing up, I believed my earthly father could do anything. If he was around, I didn’t need to be afraid. Then, when I was no longer a child, I was faced with the harsh reality of the dangers, the sorrows, he could not protect me from.
Now, as a parent myself, I think one of the most frustrating, yes, even scary, situations is when your child—no matter how young or old they may be—needs help you can’t provide. The possible reasons for such a scenario are many; but for me, the answer has always been to place them, and their need, in the care of the Lord. I know that is what my father and mother did for me.
One of my sons once called me, breathlessly saying that while trying to change his tire, the jack had slipped. He believed that if he made the wrong movement, the car would come down on him, crushing him. I was several miles away. I knew that the help he needed would have to be immediate. I cried out to the Lord with the urgent plea that he would be rescued. And, praise be to God, a person saw him and came to his rescue by stabilizing the jack.
Now, believe me, the incident I have just shared with you, is but one of many times that the Lord has intervened for our sons when their father and I could not help them.
When Jesus was giving the model prayer, He deliberately included the fact that God, our Father, dwells in heaven. Now, contrary to this being a limiting factor in terms of His ability to help us, this is actually the very reason that we can seek Him and find Him for help for whatever our need may be.
Indeed, the Psalmist contrasts our heavenly Father with the idols the Gentiles worshiped. The idols of the Gentiles had no power. They had no ability to hear and respond.
“But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands. They have
mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them. O Israel, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear the Lord, Both small and great.”
Psalms 115:3-9, 12-13 NKJV
Continuing on, the Psalmist also points out that our heavenly Father—not only has a heavenly perspective—He created the heavens in which He dwells!
“May you be blessed by the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men.”
Psalms 115:15-16 NKJV
Child of God, no matter what kind of earthly Father you had, or even if your father was absent, our heavenly Father always hears, always sees, and always answers. Only He can help us, no matter our need. Call out to Him! Call out to our heavenly Father!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!