“Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe.”
That is how just about every Jewish prayer begins.
I love the awe and reverence of that address.
Jesus taught us to come to God as "our Father in Heaven." He retained the awe and reverence but added to it the intimacy and affection of a loving father and a beloved child.
Yet, this Father of ours is the King.
Jesus calls us to pray that His kingdom would come soon.
I never understood that. If God is, in fact, the King of the universe, then isn’t His kingdom already here?
Yes and no.
In legal parlance, God is King de jure. De jure means “by law.”
That is, He is legally King. He has legal claim over everything that He created – including you and me. His creation is rightfully His. He is, in that sense, the King of the universe.
The prayer Jesus calls us to is that God would reign as King de facto. De facto means “in practice.”
That is, we would submit to Him as King. We would live out His will in practice.
When we pray that God’s kingdom would come soon, we are not asking that God would be King. He already is. We are not even asking that He would come as King. He already is and will.
We are praying that we would obey Him as King.
That His kingdom would be de facto in our lives.
That He would reign over our lives – not just in theory or even just in theology, but in how we live out every moment.
In our thoughts and our attitudes.
In our speech and in our conduct.
In our decisions.
In how we spend our money.
In how we spend our time.
In how we handle our relationships.
In how we give and serve.
In how we work and how we rest.
In every single aspect of every single moment.
God is your King de jure – by law.
Is He your King de facto – in practice?
May Your kingdom come soon, and may it extend to every corner of my life, God.
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