Our Sunday Thirst

Lord Jesus, this morning we find ourselves longing deeply for Your Kingship to become earth’s reality. Our kings will never be able to bring about the answers to the cries of our hearts. We thirst for righteousness to be exalted, but there is a global presumption that righteousness must come from somewhere else than your own throne.  The nations cry for mercy and peace, but humanity’s well has run dry of these things.  From Your throne come joy and love and grace and liberty – but as we scan the headlines we keep finding news of the antithesis of these things.  Terror, war and murder are the produce of my generation, while the fruit of the Spirit are in short supply. Jesus, we confess that we not only want Your Kingdom to come because it ushers in all the good You have promised, but also because we are so very tired of all the badness down here. The heart of man has been corrupted to the core and we can no longer mask it over. Depravity is undeniable. We are thirsting for rescue and the consummation of Your Kingdom.

Yet, the very promise which You gave is what motivates us to pray like this.  You promised a new heavens and a new earth.  You promised a glorious kingdom of holy citizens wherein there would be no death, no sorrow, no war, no weeping and nothing more to fear.  You told us that You would come again.  Your Apostles commanded us to live in hot expectation that you might arrive in a moment, unexpectedly like a thief coming to claim what he desires. And You have desired us! We are the objects of your love and grace. We, the former rebels, have been subdued through mysterious grace and awakened by relentless love.  You have made Yourself to become everything to us, and we cannot suppress our longings to be with You – no longer with You by faith but by perfect sight. We are thirsting for Your uninterrupted and abiding presence.

We will see You.  We will be with You. We will know You. We will dance before Your throne. We will cast off all inhibition and rejoice with an irrepressible joy, the likes of which no earthly worship gathering has ever offered.  This is our heartbeat today and we will not place it under a smothering tarp of religion.  We refuse to allow this desire to be gummed up by fears.  Terror and mayhem continue to make the headlines down here, but I have a more sure word of prophecy – Your eternally preserved decree which promises that all Your foes will be made Your footstool, and that we will reign as joint-heirs with You. Your holy name will be vindicated, Your throne will be established, Your crown will cause every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that You, Jesus Christ, are Lord.  The Father will be glorified in this. We thirst for Your name to be uncontested among mankind.

So while human and demonic terror is being unleashed weekly here in this temporary place of our habitation, we look to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. Impart to us on this Lord’s Day a deposit of faith and love which will empower us to endure with joy, hope and peace.  Renew our minds through Your Word as it is taught and received in faith.  Holy Spirit, we are convinced that we will not be who we must be, and will never do what we must do, apart from You and our need to be filled by You. We call upon You, O God – Father, Son and Spirit – to keep our minds where they must be. Saturate our souls with holy confidence, and with enduring commitment that we will not stop longing after the coming King and the glorious promise that His Kingdom will stand in the end.  This is our Sunday thirst.