When you say the Lord’s Prayer, do you ever wonder about the words, “Thy Kingdom Come” and how this relates heaven to us?

I know a mom who prayed the Lord’s prayer with her little kids and they specifically asked God to bring his Kingdom to earth in order to bless all the starving children in the world. Afterward, the wise mommy gave both of her kids a cookie and said, “These cookies taste just like heaven, and after your done eating them, let’s see if we can bring some heaven to earth!”

You know those brief and beautiful moments when we felt like we are in heaven.  It may have been when you held a newborn baby, or you felt the tingle of a first kiss.  We’ve also heard people say, “I’d be in heaven if I won the lottery,” or “this cake is heavenly.”  And after some big victory who hasn’t heard, “I thought I had died and gone to heaven.”  

It’s funny because the Apostle Paul even described our blessed moments on earth as glimpses of heaven when he wrote, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then (once we are in heaven) we shall see face to face” (1Corinthians 13:12).   Paul’s use of the word “dimly” was such a good depiction because, back in those days, mirrors were simply polished metal that gave a very dim and weak reflection.  This means, our blessed moments on earth, are just dim reflections of the glorious and long–lasting blessings of heaven!

And that’s why, in so many ways, the Lord’s prayer is asking God for so – so much more than circumstantial happiness.  Instead, we are asking God to help us, to bring the kingdom of heaven home – to earth.  Not like a glimpse in a dim mirror of circumstance, but alive in how we live.  

As for the mom and her kids, when they had finished eating the cookies, they went into the pantry where they found all kinds of food, including cookie mix, which they put into two grocery bags.  Then they drove to their local food shelf where the kids each carried their bag to give away.

When we pray, “Thy Kingdom come” we are asking God to help us make his kingdom live in what we say and do! “Thy Kingdom Come” is more than a request of God.  It is our pledge to live for God here and now so that his Kingdom can reign wherever we are!