This month, I would like to spend a little time visiting with you about the Second Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, "Thy kingdom come."

I hope you won’t take it amiss if I say that the Second Petition has always been a rather special one for me because of the strong mission emphasis attached to these words. In fact, there are those who have even gone so far as to designate this petition as the "mission petition" of the Lord’s Prayer.

When I say this, please know I am not minimizing those other items for which we find ourselves praying in the other petitions. Who of us could ever minimize, even for a moment, a first-petition prayer that God would make His name holy in our lives, or any of the other petitions of the Lord’s Prayer? But this Second Petition has always had a very special place in my heart because of my own personal heart-tie for missions, both at home and throughout the world.

Focusing a little more directly on what we find ourselves praying for in this petition, I have always found a threefold prayer emphasis in these words. Let me comment briefly on each.

When we find ourselves praying in this petition, "Thy kingdom come," we are first asking something of God for ourselves. We are here asking the same glorious God who has personally brought us to saving faith in Christ to keep us in that faith until the end. This is often referred to as God sustaining us in His Kingdom of Grace.

Like many of you who find yourselves reading this article, I was first brought to faith when saving faith was created in my heart through the sacrament of Holy Baptism. As such, there is no time in my own personal life that I have not known and believed in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. How thankful I am for a mother who early in my life brought me to the Lord in this way. However, for others of you reading this article, this coming to the Lord may not have happened until later in your lives as God’s Holy Spirit worked saving faith in your heart through the Spirit-filled Word.

However it happened for you and for me, by the grace of God we have become members of Christ’s Kingdom of Grace. We, by the fantastic grace of God, are saved by the "blood of Jesus which has cleansed us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). When in this petition we find ourselves praying, "Thy kingdom come," we are in effect saying, "And do Lord continue ever to keep us in that saving faith until that day when we join all of those believers who have gone on before into your Kingdom of Glory in heaven."

What we are asking for in the Second Petition does not stop there. It goes on to reach out to all the people around the world who have not yet come to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. It is for them also that we find ourselves praying in this petition.

For example, when it comes to those around us in society today who do not know Christ as Savior, we pray here, "By your goodness and grace, bring these people also into saving faith, even as you have done for me."

I like to call these the people who are mission prospects within our arm’s length. We can find them at our work place, or at school, or down the street in our neighborhood, maybe even within our family. No matter where one turns, they are there and their numbers are many. Consequently, when in this petition we pray, "Thy kingdom come," we are asking God to bring these people also into a saved relationship with the Master. Now, read this next statement very care— fully:". . . and even to use us in the process of doing this." Let me repeat that: "...and even to use us in the process of doing this."

But it doesn’t stop there. When we find ourselves praying this Second Petition, we are also lifting our eyes to see that mass of people in countries all around the world who do not yet know Christ as Savior. They work, they play, they laugh, you name it. . . but they are people who, unlike us, have not yet become a part of Christ’s Kingdom of Grace. Whoever they are, and wherever they may be, we are asking in this petition, "Here also, God, use all of our fellow members, and use us, God — yes, use us — in bringing to them also the Good News of your salvation."

In a way, what we are praying for is that God will take us and all of our fellow members and make us a bold mission congregation — and a bold mission church body — in reaching out to these people also with the Gospel, and to do this while there is still time. It is for that reason, consequently, that this petition, again, has gained for itself the title, "The Mission Petition of the Lord’s Prayer."

So, the next time you find yourself praying these three words.. . "Thy kingdom come".. . may I encourage you to slow the pace just a wee bit and say to yourself, "Really, Lord, really!" Then under the blessing of God’s Spirit, go forth and work to make this Mission Petition a reality in your life.

Yes, Lord, this day we would boldly pray, both for ourselves and for our beloved Synod: "Lord, Thy kingdom come!"

May God so bless!

A.L. Barry

Jude 24-25