9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
What are we praying for when we ask God for His kingdom to come?
This means that the Kingdom the disciples were looking for was not yet present but would come in the future. It is God’s will that we pray for the coming of the Father’s Kingdom, a call for His sovereign rule to be established on earth.
Before Jesus’ public ministry, John the Baptist proclaimed:
2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and called us to be part of it. While it is a kingdom, it differs significantly from earthly political institutions.
20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Thus, the Kingdom was already present when Jesus walked the earth. It was not a visible [it did not come with observation], political reign, over nations but rather an invisible rule in the hearts of believers.
However, a time is coming when God’s Kingdom will be visibly established:
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
The visible Kingdom of God will come when Jesus returns. In this passage, the “sheep” on His right hand represent faithful servants who have made good use of the talents entrusted to them. This leads to an important conclusion: when we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we are asking for God’s sovereign rule to work within us, but we are also longing for His rule over all nations and desiring Christ’s return.
However, to sincerely pray this prayer, we must be actively laboring for His Kingdom. How can we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” while neglecting the gifts He has given us?
We should eagerly anticipate Christ’s return, when He will finally establish His everlasting Kingdom—a Kingdom founded on righteousness.
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Conclusion
When we pray “Thy kingdom come,” we are asking for God’s sovereign rule to be fully established—both in our hearts and ultimately over all nations. While Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom during His earthly ministry, its complete fulfillment will come with His second coming. This prayer expresses our desire for Christ’s return and His righteous reign. However, true anticipation of His Kingdom requires active faithfulness. We cannot pray for His rule while neglecting our responsibility in His work. Instead, we must labor for His Kingdom, eagerly awaiting the day when He will reign forever.
Ellen G. White
God is our Father, who loves and cares for us as His children; He is also the great King of the universe. The interests of His kingdom are our interests, and we are to work for its upbuilding. {EGW; MB 107.2; 1896}
The disciples of Christ were looking for the immediate coming of the kingdom of His glory, but in giving them this prayer Jesus taught that the kingdom was not then to be established. They were to pray for its coming as an event yet future. But this petition was also an assurance to them. While they were not to behold the coming of the kingdom in their day, the fact that Jesus bade them pray for it is evidence that in God’s own time it will surely come. {EGW; MB 107.3; 1896}
The kingdom of God’s grace is now being established, as day by day hearts that have been full of sin and rebellion yield to the sovereignty of His love. But the full establishment of the kingdom of His glory will not take place until the second coming of Christ to this world. “The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,” is to be given to “the people of the saints of the Most High.” Daniel 7:27. They shall inherit the kingdom prepared for them “from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34. And Christ will take to Himself His great power and will reign. {EGW; MB 108.1; 1896}
The heavenly gates are again to be lifted up, and with ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of holy ones, our Saviour will come forth as King of kings and Lord of lords. Jehovah Immanuel “shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one.” “The tabernacle of God” shall be with men, “and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Zechariah 14:9; Revelation 21:3. {EGW; MB 108.2; 1896}
But before that coming, Jesus said, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.” Matthew 24:14. His kingdom will not come until the good tidings of His grace have been carried to all the earth. Hence, as we give ourselves to God, and win other souls to Him, we hasten the coming of His kingdom. Only those who devote themselves to His service, saying, “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8), to open blind eyes, to turn men “from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified” (Acts 26:18)—they alone pray in sincerity, “Thy kingdom come.” {EGW; MB 108.3; 1896}