This petition is closely connected to the message that Christ was preaching, that John the Baptist had preached, and that Jesus sent out His apostles to continue preaching; “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The kingdom of your Father who is in heaven, the kingdom of His “Messiah” – this is at hand and we are allowed to pray that it will come soon.
God created the whole world, so it is His own. He is our owner, but people disobeyed their Lord and left Him, as if they stole themselves from His hand. In spite of this disobedience, they remain His own. You too, brother and sister, belong to God in the full sense of the word.
God did not want to stay far from that which was His own, so He sent His Christ to be the King in His kingdom. He cured the sick, had mercy upon the poor, preached the repentant, wept over the disobedient and died instead of us. The kingdom of our Father is based on the atonement of His Son that has qualified the believing sinner to enter into His kingdom. Yet, the Holy Spirit realizes the spiritual kingdom in the world through His power and sanctifies the believers in Christ.
This divine kingdom continues today in the children of God. Just as His eternal kingdom is not of this world, we are also strangers in our world. We are spiritually separated from this world if we pray that the name of the Father be hallowed.
In this second petition, we also desire that His heavenly kingdom be spread on earth, that His kindness be accepted by all nations. The Heavenly Father gives His children and His churches the privilege to preach the gospel of His kingdom. We pray that it may be executed in our world. God is love, and He desires to fill the world with His presence. He “desires all men to be saved and brought to the knowledge of the truth.” Do you recognize these vast meanings when you pray, “Your kingdom come?” The intent of your Father in heaven is to move your heart that you may spread this message in your neighborhood and all over the world.
The kingdom of our Father will finally appear in glory when the King of kings comes again in the splendor of His power to govern His kingdom. Then all the conflict will be dissolved and Satan cast away. We then shall hurry back to our Heavenly Father to see Him and be with Him. Did you recognize the depth and the aim of the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer? The coming King offers you the privilege to prepare His way in word and deed through prayers and sacrifices that the kingdom of His love may prevail on earth.

Many religious people exhaust themselves trying to know the will of their Lord. Consequently, laws and rituals came into existence to teach people to carry out the commandments of God as proclaimed. These rules and laws strictly demand, “do this and abstain from that.” In reality, no man can carry out the will of God exactly or know it precisely, for men are sinners and ignorant.
Blessed be God who released us from the pressure of the Mosaic Law and its heavy burden and sent His beloved Son to declare to us His Father’s will. He does not ask us to do anything to satisfy Him, yet He is the doer, the giver and the blesser. He is the merciful Creator and Savior. He does not ask us to do any conditional duty in order to accept us, but asks us to be open to His grace and accept His salvational work. He is the source of all gifts. He is decided to be merciful toward us, to bless us and help us. If we again fail in keeping His commandments, He forgives us through His grace and merciful love. Did you understand the will of your Heavenly Father? He does not ask anything of you, but He looks forward to blessing you, saving you and filling you with the power of His Holy Spirit. Your Heavenly Father wants to give you all that He owns.
There is a great difference between the principal of religion and the true knowledge of our Father in heaven. Our God is not a dictator. He is a compassionate Father. His love lifted His punishment from us and removed fear from our hearts. This is why we thank Him joyfully and search for His will to carry it out to the full satisfaction of His great love. We believe that His Holy Spirit empowers us to keep His commandments through the manifold application of His love. His Law has become our pleasure and life.
We pray also that earth be made more like heaven by the observance of God’s will. This earth, through the active work of Satan, has become nearly like hell. We pray that the saints may be changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ in their devotion and obedience. However, we are still on earth, blessed be God, not yet under the earth. So let us search for the will of our Father and do it with the help of His Spirit.