Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Kingdom Came

This article is for both Christ-followers and those who are not yet. But this article's subject is something that both groups should know if they want to eventually meet the God they can know. Read on. 

It must have been mind-boggling to be one of the original disciples under Jesus' leadership. What they experienced was not the usual religion of that time. When Jesus taught, people were astounded. They understood what the Word of God was saying. Jesus spoke to them, not at them, in a personal and powerful way. For the first time in a long time, religion was alive, crisp, clarion, transformational, and applicable. 

But Jesus' ministry was not in word only. His ministry also consisted of compassionate, wise, and powerful words and deeds. Multitudes were healed. Thousands were fed with nothing but a few loaves of bread and a few fish. The haze of who God is and what God is like lifted. Then the disciples began to see everything clearly, even when clarity was a rarity. 

The disciples thought to themselves, “How does He do that? Where does he get that power and wisdom? How does he know what to do in every circumstance? Where does he get that compassion?”

After busy days of ministry to all people, they watched Jesus go to a secluded place by Himself in the evening. In the morning, He would come back, and they would be off for another day full of wonders and new beginnings. In the evening, He went back up into a secluded place. Then He would come back the next morning, and off they would go. In the morning, it was 'Thy kingdom come;' and by that evening, it was 'Thy kingdom came.' 

After asking many times, "What is He doing up there?" Someone said, "Oh, Jesus is praying." "Hmm, He prays before He ministers, and in the morning, Jesus has clarion direction for the day." The disciples knew about prayer. They heard those long, drawn-out prayers in the synagogues they grew up in. They could have passed a university test on the theology and methodology of prayer. 

Then it dawned on them, Jesus wasn't praying the old way to the Father. Jesus' way was different. The disciples began to ponder what they had seen. "Maybe Jesus did in the day what He heard the Father tell Him at night. Maybe real ministry is nothing more than doing what God just said to us in prayer. Maybe Jesus was reporting for duty, asking God, “OK, what do you want me to do or say today?”

Finally, they understood. The Bible gives us the disciples' response after they figured out the new type of prayer. "And it came about that while He was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray." Luke 11:1

Clarion direction, passion, compassion, and power came from God to Jesus in those times of prayer. Their response after receiving this mega-epiphany was, "Lord, teach us to pray the way you do." The disciples got an upgrade when they started listening to God, rather than always asking God for something. Jesus confirmed this by saying, “…and the things which I heard from God, these things I speak to the world.” John 8:26b I call this ‘Top-Down’ praying.

‘Top-Down' praying is a whole different way of praying than the ‘Bottom-Up' praying model we've all used from time to time. Jesus waited for God's direction and instructions before ministering. Jesus asked God for things (and so can we), but it was not until after He heard from God about God's agenda for the day. The first part of the Lord’s prayer is, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” That’s ‘Top Down.’ After the top-down part of prayer was downloaded in the person, then comes the ‘Bottom Up’ supplication type of prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.”   

Jesus didn't just instruct his disciples to pray. Jesus gave them revelation about how He prays, the ‘Top-Down’ model of praying. ‘Top-Down’ praying might seem difficult at first. You will have to be quiet, remember, discern, and apply. But after a while, you will be a beneficiary of hearing from God first, then speaking or doing what God has spoken to you. God communicates essential things to us. God communicates to us by a small voice, by a creative thought, or by the peace, faith, and confidence that suddenly resides in us when God’s solution comes. 

Here are some examples of checking in (praying) with God. "God, what do You want to do today?” “What wisdom do You want me to say to my hurting friend right now?” “What solution do You have for this problem in my company or job?” “What do You want me to invest money in?" "How can I repair this broken relationship?" "Should I change careers?" "What is your highest and utmost for me?" God says, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." Jer. 33:3

Here’s your takeaway. 'Top-Down' prayer involves seeking God's direction first, rather than starting with personal requests. This shift can transform your spiritual life and ministry efforts. Listening to God is not weird. It’s a normal, Christian way of life. And once you get the hang of it, your life likely will move from “Thy kingdom come," to "Thy kingdom came – on earth as it is in heaven.” 

Why not report for duty and call on the Resource who is The Source?