A Prayer To Encourage Us As We Live in The Never Ending Kingdom of God

 Yesterday we spoke about finding hope in the Kingdom of God that never ends during this time of pandemic that seems to go on and on. 

What is it about God’s kingdom that can give us encouragement and hope today?

When we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we are born into the family of God.  We still live in this world but we become of a new heavenly country.  

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. Colossians 1:13, Matthew 7:21

We don’t have to go through long waiting periods or take exams or learn a new language in order to become citizens of this wonderful new Kingdom.  We simply choose to turn to God and put our lives into His care and control.  No one loves us or pays attention to us like the God who created us. 

God gives us clear instructions for a blessed and satisfying life and as long as we take His hand and follow His will, we will experience those good things no matter what chaos and trouble comes close to us.  And we don’t have to try to do all this on our own but God gives us His own power to help us succeed.

The Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.  1 Corinthians 4:20

Not only do we have the joy of living in God’s care today but we have the promise of heaven forever with God. 

We are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.  Philippians 3:20-21

I could go on with all sorts of other details of life with God here and in eternity, but I think we get the basic picture.  If it’s good, it’s an expression of God’s beauty and character that God wants us to experience today.  If it’s ugly, God will help us overcome the way the evil one seeks to harm and destroy us and steal life from us.

The Word [Jesus] gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. John 1:4-5, 1 John 5:5

Loving God today we want to give thanks that we can be citizens of the Kingdom of God and know power and care and life that nothing in this broken world can take away from us.  You created us. You bring light to us that the darkness cannot extinguish.  No matter what we face we can overcome it as people in Your Kingdom as we hold our faith in the Lord Jesus steady.  

The whole world thought You were dead and gone, Jesus, on Good Friday, but then Resurrection Sunday came and You showed that You weren’t just a person with words that were encouraging but You had the power to make happen every single thing You promised.  Nothing in this world can stand up against Your amazing power and when You live in us, that same power is ours.

And so we simply echo the prayer Paul prayed in the New Testament.  We pray it for ourselves and all those we hold up to You today:

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  Ephesians 1:18-21

Jesus taught us to pray that God’s kingdom would be more and more realized in our broken world and I think it would be lovely to pray that prayer together as we end today.

Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever.  Amen

Well, when we live in the Kingdom of God we have hope every moment of every day.  Let’s live as citizens of the Kingdom today.