“Your Reign Come”
June 22, 2025
Henry Norkplim Anyomi, MDiv
Scrip. Reading: Luke 11:2-4, 9-13; Psalm 89:1-4, 24-26
Opening Prayer
Creator God, we know You are here. Enfold us with all of You and fill us with Your quickening word. Thank You that these lips are anointed and our hearts are open. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Message
Humans are social beings, it is widely held. Though our individual needs for social and emotional connection vary, we all require some level of interpersonal connectedness and bonding to thrive and be happy. We may not need to look very far for examples of such social relations – in homes, living rooms and dinner tables are normally sites for household interaction, community centers, parks, diners, and restaurants are usually meeting points for us and our friends and neighbors, lounges/common areas in schools and workplaces enable colleagues to socialize and “cross-fertilize,” and for those of us who live far from loved ones, social media and calls (regular and virtual), bring people beloved to us into our living spaces. So, we are inherently social, which matters to our health on various fronts – including emotional, cognitive, and biological.
I see some layers of relationality in our New Testament text. Jesus nurtured a close relationship with God, whom he called Father in our text. He also kept a relationship with his disciples – with the three – Peter, James, and John; the twelve; and the seven-two. We could even think of others outside of this set. What has become known to us believers as the Lord’s Prayer resulted from at least two levels of relationality – Jesus’ relationship with God and with his disciples.
Let’s now discuss the prayer a bit, beginning with the disciple’s request. That reads, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
I don’t know about you, but I was struck by the second part of the disciple’s request. The phrase, “as John taught his disciples,” brings up a lot of thoughts for me. For me, at least, it smacks of a desperation to fit in. It probably was a nice nudge to Jesus – the real point was, “why has it taken you this long to teach us to pray.” Notice that Jesus had just returned from a prayer session. The best approach would have been to refer to the Lord himself, but no. The disciple’s desire does not vary very much from the complaint among sections of the populace at the time. Earlier in Luke, some Pharisees had queried Jesus on why his disciples neither fasted nor prayed (Luke 5:33).
But maybe we shouldn’t dwell so much on the disciple’s misplaced motivation, because the Lord didn’t. And myself, have I been any better? Have my requests to God always been for pristine reasons? No! But let’s notice what our Lord Jesus does in the text – he points out and enacts the way out! He does so through the prayer he teaches and the teaching that follows.
In the interest of time, I will dwell on the words, “may Your kingdom come,” which I believe to be the crux of both Jesus’ prayer and teaching. By this, Jesus was essentially asking for God’s reign to come to earth, so God’s nature, will, and actions will be seen not only in the life of the one praying, but also throughout the earth. Indeed, ancient scholars translated this very verse as, “Your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us.” This couldn’t be more helpful as we all are fallible because of our human flesh, but with God’s Spirit and guidance we not only will do God’s will, but we will also go into our communities and advocate for what is righteous and just.
While this is reassuring, examining our own lives and those of people close to us, it sometimes is hard to bring ourselves to pray. We sometimes conclude that some prayers have yet to be answered and others were not at all answered. Jesus disagrees, however. He says, “everyone who asks receives, everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks the door will be opened” (v. 10). That is God is more than committed to granting the Holy Spirit to us when we pray. As we know, the Spirit is God’s own self and with God all things are possible. Yes, that health condition may be lingering and that financial hardship may seem to be going nowhere, but you have God. The children may not be turning out as you expect and that relationship “mountain” won’t give way, but You have God. Friends, God is working behind the scenes because of our prayers; God is transforming our hearts because of our prayers; God is guarding our hearts and minds because of our prayers … I know we asked, but let’s ask again. I know we literally just said “amen,” but could we pray again? As we keep praying, God will keep reining in our troubles and God’s reign will manifest in our lives and our world.
In recent months, my school, Drew Theological School, was honored to host a renowned catholic monk, Brother Emile of Taize for an evening of reflection and prayer, known as “Pilgrimage of Trust.” Their monastery, based in Taize, in the Burgundy region of France, has been actively involved in trust building work since the 1940s as part of what they believe to be their God-given mandate of peacemaking. In the midst of present multi-layered global challenges (war and polarization in the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the worsening climate change situation), Brother Emile believes what is needed to build trust is the desire for things to change.
In a world such as ours, which is riddled with difficulties at every turn, an ardent desire for change, as noted by Brother Emile, especially in the place of prayer does a lot to invite God’s move amid the brokenness we see around us – including mending relationships and building trust, changing our own hearts, and stirring others to turn from destructive habits. In Jesus’ teaching on perseverance in prayer, we can better appreciate God’s fidelity towards us. Jesus doesn’t equate the one whose friend calls at night to God nor does he say God’s ways are like those of the earthly father. He doesn’t because though these two really do their best, they are humans and are prone to error from time to time. But God is constantly faithful, constantly generous, and constantly loving. This is the reason Jesus asks to be persistent in asking, seeking, and knocking.
This unfading faithfulness and steadfast love is what the psalter sings about in our second reading. To him, God’s faithfulness and steadfast love are worth celebrating because God did not shift from God’s covenant to the house of David. This was in spite of the unfaithfulness and transgressions of David and others from his lineage. As we learn from other places in Scripture, this love and fidelity of God will transcend David, impacting the lives of Judeans through the centuries, Jesus, and beyond. As we read, David and his descendants will cry out to God, their Rock and Salvation and not be forsaken because God cannot renege on his covenant to David.
Friends, as believers in Christ, we can access this ever-faithful and ever-loving God through Jesus and prayer. As we connect with this God in the place of prayer, God’s reign comes upon our lives and our world, transforming our human brokenness into God’s righteousness. And because we know of God’s track record of love and faithfulness, let’s keep asking, seeking, and knocking. While we do, I can’t guarantee that God will do exactly as we request, but what I can guarantee is that God will always stay true to God’s promises to us in Jesus, granting us God’s presence and performing God’s will in our lives and in the earth. To God alone be all glory forever. Amen!
Benediction
Whenever we clasp our hands together, bow our heads, or close our eyes to pray, let us be reminded that we are enveloped by the steadfast love and faithfulness of our God. Prayer isn’t about fitting in or making ourselves feel better, rather, it is a true privilege to invite God’s reign into our lives and our world. Our ever-loving and ever-faithful God says to us: Lo! I am with you even till the end of the age. Go in God’s strength. Amen!