DRAWN, NOT DRAGGED

Part 6: “Thy Kingdom come”

When we pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” we are not asking for something far away. We are asking for His Life to be lived—here, and now. In the original language, this is not a gentle suggestion. It is more like a cry: “Let…Make your to be Kingdom present! But what is this Kingdom?

Not a place on a map. Not a political system. Not something we build. The Kingdom is God’s reign—His Life—His Presence. As the Great Saints teach, where God’s will is done, where His Name is made holy, there His Kingdom is already present. In fact, in some early Christian traditions, this line was even prayed as: “Let Your Holy Spirit come upon us.” Because the coming of the Kingdom and the presence of the Spirit are one and the same reality.

So when we pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” we are not only asking for the end of all things— we are asking that God’s Life take deeper root in us now. This changes everything. Because we often imagine the Kingdom as something we will enter one day. But Christ says: The Kingdom is already among you. Within you. And yet—we know this from experience—we do not always live His Life, His Kingdom. We step outside, whenever we cling to our own will, our own control, our own way.

So, this prayer becomes a turning. Not dragged into obedience—but drawn into Life. To say, “Thy Kingdom come,” is to say: Let Your will shape my Life. Let Your Holy Spirit dwell ever more fully in me. Let Your Way become my life.  And, it is also a prayer for the whole world. That every person might be drawn into this same Life. Not forced. Not compelled. But invited—as we are.

There is a quiet test hidden here. If the Kingdom were to come fully into my life—what would need to change? What would I need to let go? Because the Kingdom does not arrive by adding something to our lives. The Kingdom comes more fully by transforming our lives. And yet, this is not something we accomplish. We ask for this. We open ourselves to this Kingdom. We receive Him. And slowly—sometimes quietly— His Kingdom begins to take shape in us: in patience where there was anger, in humility where there was pride, in love where there was fear. This is how the Kingdom comes. Not all at once. But truly.

Question Where in my life am I resisting the coming of His Kingdom?

Prayer Our Father, let Your Kingdom come, Come into my life, into my heart, into all that I am.Not my way—but Yours.Draw me into Your Kingdom, even now. Amen.

Fr. Ray Dobson
©2026