Malik Talks to God

1. Thy Kingdom Come

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

MATTHEW 6:10 — KJV

Lord, when Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He told them to ask for Your Kingdom to come.

But what is Your Kingdom?

Is it a physical place?

Is it a nation with borders and rulers?

Or is it something greater than the kingdoms we understand on Earth?

Scripture teaches that Your Kingdom is connected to Your rule, authority, and purpose.

Jesus announced the Kingdom of God and called people to repent and believe.

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

MARK 1:15 — KJV

So when we pray for Your Kingdom to come, we are not simply asking for the world to become more comfortable.

We are asking for Your will to shape our lives.

We are asking for justice, mercy, truth, and love to become visible through our actions.

2. God Is Everywhere — Omnipresence

Lord, You are known as omnipresent.

This means Your presence is not limited to one location.

There is nowhere we can go beyond Your reach.

"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?"

PSALM 139:7 — KJV

David continues by describing the heavens, the depths, the farthest sea, and the darkness.

His message is clear.

No distance can place us outside Your presence.

Think about that.

We often behave differently depending on who is watching.

Some people act with kindness when others are present, but behave differently when nobody can see.

Yet if Your presence is not limited by location, then our relationship with You cannot be limited to a church building.

Our faith should influence how we live at home, at work, and within our communities.

3. God Knows All — Omniscience

Lord, I also know You as omniscient.

You know all things.

You understand what we do, what we say, and even the thoughts we have not yet expressed.

"O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off."

PSALM 139:1–2 — KJV

David acknowledges that You know him completely.

Nothing about his life is hidden from You.

This reminds me that our intentions matter.

We can perform good actions for the wrong reasons.

We can help others because we genuinely care for them.

Or we can help simply because we want recognition.

People may see the same action, but the intention behind it can be different.

Lord, You know the difference.

So perhaps understanding Your Kingdom begins not only with changing our outward behaviour, but also with examining our hearts.

4. God's Purpose for Humanity

Lord, when I reflect on the beginning of creation, I see that You gave humanity responsibility.

You created human beings in Your image.

You blessed them and gave them the responsibility to be fruitful, multiply, and care for the Earth.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

GENESIS 1:27 — KJV

Adam was placed in the garden to work it and care for it.

Later, Eve was created as a suitable partner.

Together, humanity was given the responsibility of stewardship.

But what does stewardship mean?

It means recognising that what has been entrusted to us carries responsibility.

Our abilities.

Our relationships.

Our communities.

The natural world.

These should not be treated simply as things we can exploit for our own benefit.

We have a responsibility to care for what You have created.

5. The Fall and the Desire for Power

Lord, Genesis teaches that humanity did not remain faithful to Your command.

Adam and Eve disobeyed, and sin entered the human story.

We begin to see how disobedience, pride, and the desire to define good and evil apart from You affect humanity.

We also encounter the figure of Satan, the adversary, who opposes God's purposes.

Lord, I am reminded of the words recorded in Isaiah.

"I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God."

ISAIAH 14:13 — KJV

In its original context, Isaiah 14 is a judgment against the king of Babylon.

Some Christian traditions also understand the language of pride and downfall as reflecting Satan's rebellion.

But the passage should not be presented as a direct conversation between Satan and God.

The lesson about pride, however, is worth examining.

What happens when people desire power without responsibility?

What happens when leadership becomes domination?

What happens when people believe their own desires should stand above every principle?

We see the consequences in families, communities, and nations.

6. Why Did God Send Jesus?

Lord, if humanity has fallen short of Your will, what is the way back to You?

I am reminded of John 3:16.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

JOHN 3:16 — KJV

What does this verse mean, Lord?

It teaches us that Your love is central to the message of salvation.

Jesus did not come simply to introduce another set of human traditions.

He came to reveal Your character, proclaim Your Kingdom, and reconcile humanity to You.

"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."

MARK 10:45 — KJV

Jesus demonstrated His mission through service.

He taught.

He healed.

He showed compassion to those who were rejected by society.

And through His death and resurrection, Christians understand that He opened the way for reconciliation with God.

Lord, this challenges the way we understand power.

The world often associates power with control.

Yet Jesus demonstrated authority through humility, service, and sacrifice.

7. Jesus Teaches Us How to Pray

Lord, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray.

But before teaching them the words, He challenged the way people approached prayer.

He warned against praying simply to be seen by others.

He also warned against believing that many words automatically make a prayer more effective.

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret."

MATTHEW 6:6 — KJV

Lord, this teaches me that prayer is not a performance.

It is not about impressing other people.

It is about our relationship with You.

Jesus then teaches the Lord's Prayer.

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

MATTHEW 6:9–13 — KJV

Think about the order of this prayer.

We begin by honouring You.

We pray for Your Kingdom and Your will.

We ask for daily provision.

We seek forgiveness and recognise our responsibility to forgive others.

And we ask for guidance and protection from temptation and evil.

Lord, perhaps the way Jesus teaches us to pray also teaches us how to live.

8. The Kingdom and the Mustard Seed

Lord, Jesus often used parables to explain Your Kingdom.

One of them is the parable of the mustard seed.

"Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed."

MARK 4:30–31 — KJV

Jesus describes a small seed that grows into a large garden plant, providing branches where birds can find shelter.

The Context

In Mark 4, Jesus teaches through illustrations drawn from everyday life.

People understood planting seeds.

They understood that growth takes time.

And they understood that something small could become much greater than it first appeared.

The Meaning

The mustard seed illustrates the surprising growth of God's Kingdom.

Something that begins in a way people may overlook can develop far beyond their expectations.

The image of birds finding shelter has also been understood by interpreters as a picture of the Kingdom's wide-reaching influence and welcome.

Lord, I see a lesson about our own responsibilities here.

We often underestimate small beginnings.

We want immediate results.

We want our work to become significant overnight.

But a seed must first be planted.

Then it must grow.

And growth requires time.

Your Kingdom does not depend on human ambition to make it grow.

Yet You call us to respond faithfully to what You have taught.

We should not despise small acts of love, mercy, generosity, or service.

Their influence may extend further than we can see.

9. The Prodigal Son — Grace and Mercy

Lord, another parable that helps me understand Your Kingdom is the story of the prodigal son.

Jesus tells the story of a father with two sons.

The younger son asks for his inheritance and leaves home.

He wastes what he has received and eventually finds himself in need.

When he recognises his situation, he decides to return to his father.

"I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee."

LUKE 15:18 — KJV

The Younger Son

The younger son represents the person who has wandered away from what is right.

He has made poor decisions.

He has wasted resources.

He has experienced the consequences of his actions.

But he recognises the need to return.

Lord, this teaches us something about repentance.

Recognising that we have done wrong is important.

But repentance also involves turning back towards what is right.

The Father

When the son returns, his father sees him from a distance.

Instead of rejecting him, the father welcomes him with compassion.

"But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."

LUKE 15:20 — KJV

Lord, the father does not pretend that his son's decisions were wise.

But he welcomes him home.

This reveals something about Your mercy.

Our failures do not mean that repentance and reconciliation are impossible.

The Older Son

But the story does not end with the younger son.

The older brother becomes angry when he discovers that his father is celebrating his brother's return.

He believes his own faithfulness has been overlooked.

Lord, this reveals another challenge.

Sometimes we become so focused on the mistakes of others that we struggle to celebrate their restoration.

We want mercy for ourselves, but judgment for those who have disappointed us.

Yet the father invites the older son to understand why his brother's return is worth celebrating.

"For this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found."

LUKE 15:32 — KJV

The Message

This parable appears in a chapter where Jesus responds to religious leaders who criticised Him for welcoming sinners.

The father reflects God's mercy and willingness to welcome those who return to Him.

The younger son illustrates repentance and restoration.

The older son challenges self-righteousness and resentment.

10. Bringing Kingdom Values to Earth

Lord, after reflecting on these teachings, I return to the words that began this conversation.

Thy Kingdom come.

Thy will be done.

On Earth as it is in Heaven.

I now understand that these words are not simply about asking for a better world.

They also challenge the way we choose to live.

If Your Kingdom is characterised by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, should these qualities not influence our actions?

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

ROMANS 14:17 — KJV

Lord, we cannot bring Heaven to Earth through our own power.

Your Kingdom belongs to You.

But we can respond to Your teaching by living according to Your will.

We can choose honesty instead of deception.

We can choose service instead of selfish ambition.

We can show compassion instead of turning away from those in need.

We can seek reconciliation instead of allowing resentment to grow.

And we can teach the next generation the importance of wisdom, responsibility, and love.

Lord, I also recognise that the Kingdom of God is greater than our individual actions.

Scripture points towards the fullness of Your Kingdom, when Your purposes will be fulfilled.

Until then, we are called to live faithfully.