A Word to Control Freaks

“Thy kingdom come.”

In America, we don’t think in terms of kingdoms. We live in a nation, not a kingdom.

Yet we do live with a kingdom mindset. Each of us has our own domain, our own area in which we expect to be in charge. It may be your home, your family, your workplace. It’s your domain, and you’re in charge. It’s your kingdom.

Time to give up the throne.

One thing covid-19 has taught us: We’re control freaks. We like for things to be under our control. When we feel that matters are out of our hands, it’s terribly unsettling.

We do well to remember that we never really were in control. It’s God’s world. He’s the King. He’s in charge.

In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray for God’s kingdom to come. We pray for a kingdom beyond what we experience in this world. We invite the gracious rule and reign of God to invade and transform our world.

God will bring His kingdom in all its fullness when Jesus comes again. At that time, His promises will be fulfilled – promises of perfect peace and justice.

“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6) 

In that great day, those at war will be at peace. Not just wolves and lambs, but people of different skin colors, opposite political parties, and diverse ideologies.

Until that day, we pray that this world would more fully resemble heaven. We don’t naively expect a Utopian society. It’ll never be perfect. But with a perfect God in charge, it can be better.

Where the king is, there is the kingdom. If you have faith in Jesus, the King dwells within you. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can give the world a glimpse of God’s kingdom.

“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12)

Tomorrow: Needless Fret about God’s Will.

Yesterday: God’s Name Is Howard?

On Wednesday, July 1, we’re opening the church from 7-8 p.m. for a guided prayer experience. It’s titled “Speak Up: Prayer Vigil for Healing and Peace in America.” We’ll be walking through the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer and praying for specific needs in our nation.