Matthew 6:10
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
King James Version (KJV)
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The second and third petitions of the Lord's Prayer, following the hallowing of God's name. These God-centered requests precede the prayer's turn to human needs.
What Does Matthew 6:10 Mean?
In this line of the model prayer, Jesus teaches us to ask that God's kingdom come and His will be done on earth just as it is in heaven. After honoring God's name, the prayer turns to longing for God's rule and purposes to prevail everywhere. These two requests belong together: where God's kingdom comes, His will is done.
To pray "Thy kingdom come" is to yearn for God's reign to be established -- in our hearts now and in its full reality in the future. It is a prayer that asks God to set right what is broken and to bring all things under His good rule. "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" gives the standard: in heaven God's will is carried out perfectly and joyfully, and we ask that the same become true here. This is a prayer of surrender as much as of petition, for to pray it sincerely is to align our own wills with God's. We are not merely asking God to do something far away; we are offering ourselves to be people through whom His will is done on earth. This reorders our desires, teaching us to want what God wants. Before we ask for a single personal need, we are taught to seek first the kingdom and the will of God -- a priority Jesus will state plainly later in the same sermon.
In the Original Language
The Greek basileia, "kingdom," means reign or royal rule. "Will," thelema, is God's purpose or desire. The petition genetheto to thelema sou asks that God's will be accomplished.
Cross References
“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
- Matthew 26:39
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
- Matthew 6:33
“Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.”
- Psalm 103:21
Application
Before bringing your own requests, learn to pray for God's reign and will to prevail -- and offer yourself as someone through whom His will is done on earth.