An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism · Martin Luther
THE SECOND PETITION.
Thy kingdom come. _What is meant by this Petition?_ The kingdom of God comes indeed of itself without our prayer; but we pray in this petition that it may come unto us also. _When is this effected?_ When our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word, and live a godly life here on earth and in heaven forever. * * * * * In this Petition we pray that the Kingdom of God may come to us[8] and to all men; that is, that we all by true faith and a godly life may become members of the Church on earth and in heaven. THE KINGDOM OF GOD is the Kingdom which Christ has founded, and to which all who believe in Him belong. It is the Kingdom of Grace in this world and the Kingdom of Glory in the next. [Mark 1:15, Matt. 25:34] COMES INDEED OF ITSELF WITHOUT OUR PRAYER. Christ has established His kingdom and will continue to extend it, whether we pray for it or not. [Isa. 9:7] BUT WE PRAY IN THIS PETITION THAT IT MAY COME TO US ALSO; that is, into our hearts. In other words, we pray that we may become true Christians; [Matt. 7:21] and if we are Christians, we pray that we may become better Christians. _Missions._ This petition is also a prayer for missions. [Matt. 9:37, 38+, Mark 16:15] We here pray that God's kingdom may come to all men. If our prayer is sincere, then we must be willing also to give liberally, so that the Gospel may be preached to the heathen (Foreign Missions) and to the spiritually destitute in our own land (Home Missions and Inner Missions).
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