Matthew 6: Your Kingdom Come, Praying for Revival

Introduction

Shortly before his death, Tim Keller was asked what he would have done differently after decades of ministry. He answered without hesitation: "I should have prayed more." That sentence opens this message, preached at EGA Zürich Albisrieden, a FEG Switzerland church, in a series on the Lord's Prayer.

The aim of the series is to give prayer more weight, "not out of duty, but out of deep conviction." The preacher admits that he does not always find it easy to live out: it is sometimes a spiritual battle, a demanding discipline. But that battle is well worth fighting.

This Sunday, he focuses on Matthew 6:10: "Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth." What does it mean to pray this sentence? How do we pray it? And what does a prayer look like that can lead to a spiritual revival?

Message Outline

1. God's Kingdom, an Invitation for Life

In the Greek text, the word translated "kingdom" is basileia: kingship, the rule of a king. "Let your Kingdom come" means that God's reign would break into this world more and more, that more people would come under his authority and his way of life.
In his kingdom, people are connected to the Creator of life, like a light bulb screwed into a socket: it receives the current and it shines. It is first about God's glory, but along with it, the fullness of life flows into our lives: we are in his love and in his peace.
This kingdom is present in the world through Christians. Each person is invited to enter it by coming to Jesus and inviting him into their life as Lord. Then you can serve the King of kings, be "in the service of His Majesty." "It is the invitation of a lifetime."
To pray "Let your Kingdom come" is to say: "Jesus, let your reign be shown more in me and in this world." It is a prayer for revival, placed right at the beginning of the Lord's Prayer. It is Jesus' central concern.
Why pray? Because God is a particular kind of king: he does not want to impose his reign by force. Jesus wants people to draw near to him and freely accept him as king. Hence the need for prayer for revival.

2. What Revivals Have Always Had in Common

The first revival in Christian history broke out at Pentecost, in Jerusalem, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the hundred and twenty disciples. Other revivals have followed, in the Bible and afterward, and there are still some today.
The great revival in the history of the Church in Switzerland is the Geneva Revival, in the early nineteenth century. Starting in French-speaking Switzerland, it reached a large part of Switzerland and part of Western Europe. It gave birth to many free churches, including FEG Switzerland, as well as hospitals, deaconess houses, publishing houses and Christian ministries.
It all began in 1810: a group of young students suffered under the emerging rationalism, which placed human reason above the Bible, rejected miracles and pushed the heart of the Gospel into the background. They thirsted for personal devotion and began to pray intensely.
Foreign preachers arrived, such as the Scotsman Robert Haldane, who explained the letter to the Romans to the students in an entirely new way. The spark was lit. Among those who were awakened, Karl von Rodt founded the very first FEG in Bern in 1833, which still exists.
Studies of revivals show very different triggers: a sermon, a group of theology students, or a few elderly women of faith, as in Wales. Theological convictions varied too. But one thing was always present: prayer. Collective, intense prayer centered on God's kingdom. "Prayer was not a side effect, it was the central engine."

3. Revival Begins with Me: Repentance

Praying for our personal needs is good: the Lord's Prayer says "Give us today our daily bread," the theme of the last sermon in the series. But we must not forget the other prayer, the one aimed at revival. One pastor spoke of "front-line prayers," which are more demanding.
This prayer begins with me and my relationship with Jesus. We cannot manufacture revival within ourselves, but we can ask for it: "Jesus, show me my guilt, my bad patterns. Help me to humble myself and to be grieved by them."
Repenting does not mean punishing ourselves to get right with God again, "that does not work at all." It means wanting to get rid of what is wrong, regretting it, and knowing that we can only be set free from it through Jesus, who died and rose again for this. This leads to great joy and gratitude.
God's kingdom is a kingdom of new beginnings, grace, forgiveness and second chances. It begins when I stand before Jesus with my fault, without explaining myself or justifying myself: my selfishness, my lukewarmness, my lack of love.
I only dare to do this if the Gospel is not a theory, if I stand on the rock-solid foundation that is Jesus. I do not have to fear that he will reject me, because he loves me deeply.
Charles Spurgeon said that the state of a church is measured very precisely by its prayer meetings: they are a "grace-meter," showing how well the church has understood grace.

4. Facing Spiritual Laziness

When I notice spiritual lethargy, there are three possible reactions. The first: "I don't care." The second: beating myself up, "I'm so useless, I can't do it anyway." Neither of these reactions helps.
The third is far better: take it seriously, think it through with Jesus, make it the most important subject of the moment. Pray that he would give me a heart that feels sorrow, accept his forgiveness with gratitude, and keep seeking with him how he can transform me.
The starting point of prayer for revival is the Gospel touching the heart: "God loved me so much." If that does not truly move me, I cannot go any further.
This goes hand in hand with a deep desire to meet Jesus: "I thirst for his presence." God must be real to me, not a dry concept.

5. Praying for Your Church, and Praying Together

After myself, prayer extends first to my church and to other believers. The church is not only there for me to recharge: I also carry it before Jesus.
The preacher prays that people would mature in faith, that teenagers would be seized by Jesus, that young people would become pillars of the church, and for growth, including in numbers, because it honors Jesus. He prays that gossip would stop and spiritual laziness would recede, for the Sunday preacher, the elders and all those entrusted with responsibility. He prays for a fresh start among couples, families, singles, young people and older people.
"Let your Kingdom come" is also a communal prayer. That is why the church holds a prayer evening every two weeks: seventy-five minutes, the only gathering of the whole church. "One evening out of fourteen is not that much."
For centuries, Christians have known that they cannot do without praying together. In many countries, they go to such gatherings knowing they may be arrested.
Tim Keller compares communal prayer to the embers of a fire: gather them and the fire blazes up, scatter them and the fire goes out. If you are already burning well, come anyway, to pass your fervor on to others.
The preacher speaks frankly: at the last prayer evening, which included communion, there were 18 people out of 130 adults, and that number has not moved in years. He admits he struggles with spiritual discouragement. Without wanting to accuse anyone, he invites each person to check whether God is speaking to their heart: "How could we advance God's kingdom if we do not struggle together before him?"
He adds a piece of advice for couples: if you want to do your marriage some good, come to the prayer evenings.
Johannes Busch, brother of pastor Wilhelm Busch, used to tell this story: when one of his seven children came to ask him for something, he gladly helped; but when all seven arrived together to "storm" him, he was touched to the heart and gave in at once. The heavenly Father rejoices when all his children gather to come to him with their requests.

6. A Bold and Unusual Prayer

Prayer for revival is courageous. Abraham literally bargains with God over Sodom and Gomorrah: fifty righteous people, then forty, down to ten, and then he dares not go any further.
The story goes, though it cannot be verified, that a general of Alexander the Great married his daughter. Alexander offered him a generous wedding gift, and the general wrote down an enormous sum. The treasurer was outraged at such audacity. Alexander replied: "Give it to him." By this outrageous request, the general showed that he believed Alexander to be both rich and generous.
We have no right to expect God to answer our prayers. But bold prayer has its place, if it grows out of our relationship with him and matches our spiritual life.
Prayer for revival is also unusual. In Exodus 33:7, after the golden calf episode, Moses pitches a tent outside the camp, the tent of meeting. Anyone who wanted to consult the LORD had to leave what was familiar and do something unusual.
A few examples: pray for revival before the service, regularly take a thirty-minute prayer walk for a village or a neighborhood, interrupt your television evening with fifteen minutes of prayer, or put the church's prayer adventure in your calendar as a fixed appointment. "If we want more than the ordinary, we must do the extraordinary."

7. A Persevering Prayer

Why does God want us to repeat our requests, when he already knows everything? A prayer that does not persevere shows a lack of dependence, perhaps a form of self-sufficiency or a lack of urgency: "It's not that important to me."
If God always answered on the first try, I would be at the center, with the idea that I prayed well and that I am a mature Christian.
In Luke 18, Jesus tells the story of the widow who nearly assails the unjust judge until he gives in. And Jesus says: this is how God's children should pray. It is not improper before God, on the contrary: it is faith.
James 4:2 says it plainly: "You don't have, because you don't ask." And in Revelation 5:8, golden bowls in heaven hold the prayers of the saints. There are no bowls for our other activities, even important ones: it is prayers that are collected.
To close, the preacher recounts a story that was circulated in Christian media years ago. A pastor in Phoenix, Arizona, asks his church to pick 80 names at random from the phone book and pray for them every day for 90 days, and to set aside a second list of 80 names, for whom no one prays. After the 90 days, the 160 people are called to ask whether they would accept a visit from Christians coming to pray for them. On the list that was not prayed for, only one accepts. On the other, 69 out of 80 accept, and 45 invite the Christians into their homes, offer them a coffee and share prayer requests.
"Prayer for revival is the key." It takes strength and discipline, but it is born of grace.

Key Takeaways

To pray "Let your Kingdom come" is to ask that God's reign extend in me and in the world: it is a prayer for revival.
In every revival, collective and intense prayer was the central engine, not a side effect.
Revival begins with me: sincere repentance, made possible because Jesus' love is a solid foundation.
Communal prayer gathers the embers: alone, the fire goes out; together, it blazes up.
Prayer for revival is bold, unusual and persevering. God collects each one of our prayers.

Personal Application

When you pray, what place do you give to "Let your Kingdom come" alongside your personal needs?
Faced with your own lukewarmness, do you react with indifference, with self-flagellation, or by seriously bringing it before Jesus?
Who in your church could you pray for every week: the preacher, the elders, the teenagers, the families?
What place does your church's prayer meeting have in your calendar?
What unusual step could you take this week: a prayer walk, fifteen minutes taken from your evening, a list of names to carry for several weeks?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to pray "Let your Kingdom come"?

The Greek word translated "kingdom" is basileia, which refers to kingship, the rule of a king. To pray "Let your Kingdom come" is to ask that God's reign break into this world more and more, that more people come under his authority. It is a prayer for revival, placed right at the beginning of the Lord's Prayer.

Why do we need to pray if God is king?

Because God is a particular kind of king: he does not want to impose his reign by force. Jesus wants people to draw near to him and freely accept him as king. That is why prayer for revival is necessary.

Why does praying together matter so much for revival?

In every revival studied, one thing was always present: intense, collective prayer centered on God's kingdom. The preacher takes up Tim Keller's image: gather the embers and the fire blazes up, scatter them and the fire goes out. Praying together also means passing your fervor on to others.