"Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." (Matthew 6:13)
This is an everlasting truth, for the Lord himself has spoken it; yet to how many who daily utter the words are they little more than a form of speech.
As a matter of fact, it is a confession, which, if made with the spirit and with the understanding, brings the soul into the closest and most perfect relation to God.
The kingdom belongs to God. How exhaustive is it? "The Lord has prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all." (Psalm 103:19) "The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him." (Habakkuk 2:20) "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." (Psalm 24:1) "The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will." (Daniel 4:17) "For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding. God reigns over the heathen; God sits upon the throne of His holiness." (Psalm 47:7-8)
Wherever in the universe created beings can look up and see a canopy of space above them, there is God's kingdom. "O Lord, You have searched me, and known me. You know my downsitting and my uprising, You understand my thought afar off. You compass my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have beset me behind and before, and laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Where shall I go from your spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hides not from You; but the night shines as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to You." (Psalm 139:1-12)
People in general do not recognize God as universal King, but that makes no difference with the fact. A portion of God's dominion is in rebellion against Him; but that does not destroy the fact that the kingdom is His by right. Many people worship gods of their own making, but that does not destroy the fact that there is but one God.
In the beginning God gave the dominion of this earth to man "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27), but He did not thereby renounce His right to it. God is the King of kings, and it pleased Him to rule this portion of this dominion through man, whom He had made in His image. Man was to be simply the agent through whom God would manifest His power on earth. The fact that man has refused to be the instrument of God's will, does not in the least impair God's original and eternal right to the kingdom.
But our confession to God comes closer home. When the unbelieving Pharisees demanded that Jesus should tell when the kingdom of God should come, He replied: "The kingdom of God comes not with observation; Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21)
There is a story of a king who visited a school and questioned the pupils. Taking up a paper weight, he asked them to what kingdom it belonged. They replied, "To the mineral kingdom."
Then pointing to a plant, he asked the same question, and they said, "To the vegetable kingdom."
Then he asked, "To what kingdom do I belong?"
The children were afraid to say that he belonged to the animal kingdom, and, as they hesitated, one said, "To God's kingdom."
That was a truth, for every created thing in the universe belongs to God's kingdom, and there is but one law for all, namely, God's law. Someone will say, "But God does not rule in wicked men's hearts."
Quite true, because His rule is love, which they reject; but the fact remains that every human heart is God's rightful kingdom. His right is demonstrated by the fact that: "He gives to all life, and breath, and all things, ... For in Him we live, and move, and have our being." (Acts 17:25,28)
It was with His life alone that we live, for we have none of our own; and since the life belongs to Him, He alone has the right to direct it.
That which may be known of God, that is, "His eternal power and Godhead" is manifest in men, even in the heathen, as well as in all the things that God has made: "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:19-20)
But men, unlike the trees of the field, "hold down the truth in unrighteousness," (Romans 1:18) choosing rather to be their own masters than to allow God to rule. But, "The way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walks to direct his steps." (Jeremiah 10:23)
Man has no more power in himself than the grass of the field has, and therefore when he attempts to rule the kingdom himself, he makes a sad failure.
Who alone has the right to rule? He to whom the kingdom belongs. So when we say to the Lord, "Yours is the kingdom," we acknowledge that He alone has the right to rule, not only in our hearts, but in all the earth. But if we truly acknowledge the fact, we yield the kingdom fully to His control. Just here is where many make a fatal mistake. They say, "The kingdom is the Lord's, but people in general will not acknowledge it, therefore we must compel them to submit to Him."
Such a course as that is virtually a denial of the fact that the kingdom is the Lord's. To say the least, God is as able to use force as we are, and if He wished people to be forced to submit to Him, He would do it. The fact that He does not compel people to serve Him, is sufficient evidence that He does not wish man to seek to do so. His law is love, and therefore force is in direct opposition to His kingdom.
All that we are called upon to do, no matter who we may be, is to acknowledge God's right to the kingdom. Whoever acknowledges that the kingdom--that is, all mankind, including himself--belongs to God, will very naturally refrain from attempting to rule any part of it. He to whom the kingdom belongs has the sole right to rule, and if we are sincere in our acknowledgment of God's right, we will not meddle with His affairs. We will leave Him to deal with other people as He sees best.
By acknowledging His right to rule all the kingdom, we ourselves disclaim the right to rule any portion of it, even to our own lives. The only part of the kingdom, however, that we can yield up to God, is ourselves. When we have done this, then we may tell others how good His rule is, and persuade them also to yield to His dominion.
There is strength in the heartfelt confession, "Yours is the kingdom," for God is able to protect His own. The battle is not ours, but His to whom we belong--"the King of glory." "Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." (Psalm 24:8) "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's." (2 Chronicles 20:15)
In His hand is power and might, so that none is able to withstand Him. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." (Ephesians 6:10)
His thoughts toward us are thoughts of peace, and He desires nothing so much as our welfare both here and in eternity. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11)
What a blessed thing to know that: "The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us." (Isaiah 33:22)--Present Truth, August 20, 1896.