“愿你的国降临。”太6:10

当你祷告说“愿你的国降临”，你就是在祈求基督在地上施行统治，如同他在天上统治一样。

当我们听到“王国”（kingdom）这个词时，我们往往想到中世纪的城堡、国王、骑士等等。但马太福音6：10中的“国”这个词的希腊原文意思是“统管”或“统治”。因此这句话也可以这样翻译，“愿你的统治降临”。这可以使我们更清楚地体会到基督的意思：让神的统治在地上和在天上一样明显。

神的国是基督事工的中心。他传的是天国的福音（太4:23），并且教导跟随他的人要把天国置于生命的优先位置（太6:33）。他用比喻告诉人们天国的特征和价值（太13:1-52），也批评那些文士和法利赛人，因为他们拦阻人们进入天国（太23:13）。他从死里复活后，又用四十天的时间向门徒显现，向他们讲述神国的事（徒1:2-3）。

当我们求“神的国降临”时，其实就是在求基督的主权性的统治在地上建立起来，如同在天上建立起来一样。从一个方面来说，神的国已经来临了——就在所有信徒的心中，包括公义、和平和圣灵中的喜乐（罗14：17）。但从另一个方面讲，神的国还没有完全来临。在路加福音17:21，耶稣对法利赛人说，“看啊……神的国就在你们中间”。他们的君王就在现场，但他们却拒绝了他。但将来有一天，这位君王要再来建立他的国度，他要统治每一个人。这就是马太福音6:10告诉我们的祷告的内容。

罪恶和悖逆在不断地蔓延，但基督的国来临时，它们将完全被清除（启20:7-9）。同时，神的国今天也正在扩展，而神也给你一个特权，就是用祷告和忠心的服侍来参与进来。所以，你要抓住今天的每一个服侍神国的机会，并且带着喜乐的心等候将来那一天，基督在得胜中登上宝座，作王掌权，得着荣耀，直到永永远远！

祷告建议

为着神给你和所有信徒预备的将来的荣耀向神发出赞美。

带着盼望为基督永恒国度的来临祷告。

进一步阅读

阅读马太福音13:1-52。耶稣用了什么比喻来教导门徒关于天国的真理？

声明：本文选译自《Drawing Near》。本翻译仅仅作为个人灵修和学习使用。

Praying for Christ's Rule

"Thy kingdom come" (Matt. 6:10).

When you pray, “Thy kingdom come,” you are praying for Christ to reign on earth as He already does in Heaven.

When we hear the word kingdom we tend to think of medieval castles, kings, knights, and the like. But "kingdom" in Matthew 6:10 translates a Greek word that means "rule" or "reign." We could translate the phrase, "Thy reign come." That gives a clearer sense of what Christ meant. He prayed that God's rule would be as apparent on earth as it is in heaven.

God's kingdom was the central issue in Christ's ministry. He proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:23) and instructed His followers to make the kingdom a priority in their own lives (Matt. 6:33). He told parables about its character and value (Matt. 13) and indicted the scribes and Pharisees for hindering those who sought to enter it (Matt. 23:13). After His death and resurrection, He appeared for forty days giving the disciples further instruction about the kingdom (Acts 1:2-3).

When we pray "Thy kingdom come," we are praying for Christ's sovereign rule to be as established on earth as it is in heaven. In one sense the kingdom is already here—in the hearts of believers. It consists of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). But in another sense the kingdom is yet future. In Luke 17:21 Jesus says, "Behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst" (cf. John 18:36). Their King was present but they rejected Him. Someday He will return again to establish His kingdom on earth and personally reign over it. That's the aspect of the kingdom we pray for in Matthew 6:10.

Sin and rebellion are now rampant, but when Christ's kingdom comes, they will be done away with (Rev. 20:7-9). In the meantime, the work of the kingdom continues and you have the privilege of promoting it through your prayers and faithful ministry. Take every opportunity to do so today and rejoice in the assurance that Christ will someday reign in victory and will be glorified for all eternity.

Suggestions for Prayer

Praise God for the glorious future that awaits you and all believers.

Pray with anticipation for the coming of Christ's eternal kingdom.

For Further Study

Read Matthew 13:1-52. What parables did Jesus use to instruct His disciples about the kingdom of heaven?