The Kingdom of God

Thy Kingdom Come

When his disciples asked how to pray, Jesus gave them words that have been prayed ever since. Near the very start he set the Kingdom: ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.’ To pray this is to ask God to bring his gentle reign into our world and into our own hearts, and to make us willing to be part of the answer.

What Jesus said

A reflection

Look how the prayer is shaped. It begins not with our needs but with our Father and his Kingdom, ‘hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come.’ Only then does it turn to daily bread, forgiveness, and protection. Jesus is teaching our hearts to want first what matters most, and to trust the Father for the rest.

‘Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven’ is a daring thing to ask. It invites God’s reign into the very place we stand, our homes, our work, our failings, and it makes us willing. And it ends where it began, in God: ‘thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.’ The Kingdom is his, and prayer is how we hand our lives back into it.

Frequently asked questions

What does 'Thy kingdom come' mean in the Lord's Prayer?

In Matthew 6:10 Jesus taught us to pray, 'Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.' It asks God to bring his gentle reign into our world and hearts, so that his good will is done here as fully as in heaven.

Why does the Lord's Prayer begin with the Kingdom?

Jesus shaped the prayer to seek God and his Kingdom first, 'hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come', before turning to daily bread, forgiveness, and protection. It trains the heart to want what matters most and to trust the Father for the rest.

How do we pray for the Kingdom of God?

By praying as Jesus taught: hallowing God's name, asking his Kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth, seeking daily provision, forgiving as we are forgiven, and asking to be kept from evil (Matthew 6:9-13).