Eld Chew Chong Kiat

When we pray, we pray to God in heaven, our Father. This should inspire us to pray confidently for ourselves and each other! God is in heaven, and we are on earth (Ecc 5:2), therefore let us draw near with holy fear. God is our Father, and we are born again through Jesus Christ His Son. Let us therefore draw near with child-like faith and affection.

In the first petition “Hallowed be Thy Name”, we pray that God will enable us and others to glorify him. God, through His providence, always glorifies Himself. We pray that He may be glorified through us, for that is the chief end of our existence. “For of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all things: to whom [be] glory for ever. Amen.” (Rom 11:36)

In the second petition “Thy Kingdom come”, we pray that “Satan’s kingdom may be
destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.” (WSC Question 102)

There is no hope in the kingdoms of this world. One kingdom rises and falls in succession through the history of men in the hope of a better world, which is short-lived and grossly imperfect. Only the Kingdom of Christ is perfect and can bring everlasting peace and joy. (Daniel 2)

In this prayer, we acknowledge only two kingdoms -- of Satan and God.

On the one hand, we pray that Satan’s kingdom will be destroyed, who is the god of this world (2Co 4:4) that blinds the minds of everyone outside of Christ and deceives them to do his will. Every man is in bondage to sin and sins, proving that they belong to the devil. (1John 3:9-10) They promote and indulge in carnal things, pandering to the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1John 2:16). They cannot not sin, and cannot and will not come to the light to be saved (Jn 3:19-20). They have enmity against God and with things that are spiritual and holy, and they hate the truth (Rom 8:7). There is no hope that they will be saved without the grace of God (Eph 2:12).

Thank God that there are mercies with the Lord. Thanks be to God who will deliver us from this bondage through Jesus Christ when we are born again.  We become children of God and are enabled to do righteousness by following the word of the Kingdom. We can now walk in the light as God is in the light and have fellowship with those in the same Kingdom. 

Jesus demonstrated His power over Satan on earth when He cast out the demons from those who were possessed. Thank God that children of God have the indwelling of the Spirit of God, to be their guide and comforter, the seal of God that we are His. Thus, the Kingdom of God has begun in our hearts (Luke 17:21).  

Thank God for God’s grace to open our eyes, transform our hearts of stone to hearts of flesh, and to enlighten our darkened minds with the light of God’s Word, so that we may repent from our sins and know Christ as our Saviour, and serve Him as His willing disciples to extend His Kingdom by the gospel that first reconciled us to Himself.

By this is the Kingdom of God, which is the kingdom of grace, advanced. As those redeemed by the blood of Christ, we hold forth the Word of life, that others may know that Christ is the way, the truth and the life, so that they may be translated from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light (Col 1:12-14). This is the will of God expressed in the Great Commission. We are empowered by Christ to win some souls from the kingdom of the devil. We are to go and preach the gospel, and when they believe, teach them all things they are to do (Mt 28:18-20). We can bring them to church so that they may serve, and can be served and supported by one another in the body of Christ. We can sojourn together on this earth to the celestial city promised by God. 

The Kingdom of God is advanced when we put on Christ (Gal 3:27) and show forth Christ by our conversations; when the Word of God dwells in us richly (Col 3:16), and we adorn the doctrines of Christ in all things (Tit 2:10); when the citizens of God are skilful in the Word of life so that they can teach, admonish, exhort and provoke one another unto love and good works. What a force to be reckoned with when all the redeemed are actively engaged in doing so! What a blessing it will be in the body of Christ! We will be served as we serve one another, and the Kingdom of God will prosper.

When we pray Thy Kingdom come, we also pray for God’s Word to have free course where it is preached and that the messenger may be delivered from the hands of evil men who believe not (2Thess 3:1-2). We pray that the Word of God may build the hearers up in the most holy faith, and they will grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (1Pet 5:10). Paul was greatly used by God and full of spiritual gifts. Yet, he desired prayers from the saints at Thessalonica. God is pleased to answer our prayers in this matter, for it is according to the will of God and we know that when we pray according to the will of God, God hears us (1John 5:14).

We also pray in the second petition that the Kingdom of God’s glory may be hastened, in that Christ will come soon, reign on earth and establish a glorious Kingdom in the Millenium, and finally bring in the New heaven and New earth at the end of the Millennial reign.

When we pray the second petition, let us remember that we are praying for the kingdom of darkness to be destroyed, the kingdom of grace to be advanced, and the kingdom of glory to come soon. Amen, Maranatha!