Garry continued looking at the prayers of Paul this morning, focussing on Colossians 1:9-13 again. Jesus spoke much about the kingdom of heaven (see Matt 4:17, Mark 12:32-34), and the kingdom really is simply where God rules. When we pray, ‘Your kingdom come’ (as in the Lord’s prayer) we are asking God to establish His rule (something which will ultimately be universal, as Phil 2:9-11 makes clear). God’s rule is not that of a despot or villain; He is our loving, heavenly Father who wants the best for us.
God is pleased to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32), and as children of the kingdom, we are promised an inheritance (Rom 8:16-17, Gal 4:7). If we endure, we will reign with Christ (2 Tim 2:12). Being an heir means we anticipate a promise that is not yet fulfilled. An inheritance is dependent on someone’s death (and is therefore bitter sweet), but the good news here is that Christ has already died for us and His death means we are now brought into His kingdom (Col 1:13).
We can have a foretaste of our inheritance now as we experience God’s love, mercy, liberation and deliverance. We no longer have to live in the kingdom of darkness, we can surrender to Christ and know so many blessings right now, even as we wait for the fulfilment of all He has promised us!