Kingdom = Presence

"Abide with me; fast breaks the morning light;
Our daystar rises, banishing all night;
Thou art our strength, O Truth that maketh free,
We would unfailingly abide in Thee.

"I know no fear, with Thee at hand to bless,
Sin hath no power and life no wretchedness;
Health, hope, and love in all around I see
For those who trustingly abide in Thee.

"I know Thy presence every passing hour,
I know Thy peace, for Thou alone art power;
O Love divine, abiding constantly,
I need not plead, Thou dost abide with me."

Hymn #7, Christian Science Hymnal

This hymn helps me understand the 3rd verse of the Lord's Prayer more deeply. I think it describes what "Thy kingdom come" means to us. And the last verse especially echoes Mrs. Eddy's spiritual sense of this verse: Thy kingdom is come; Thou art everpresent.

God's kingdom is His presence in our heart, our thought, our life. Think about His presence being with you right now, right where you are, no matter what your circumstances are like. Consider what that means, what that feels like, what that looks like. How would you feel, think, act, if you just accepted that God is already here, present with you right now? Wouldn't you relax? wouldn't you let go of any fear? any fear of being alone, of being unloved, of being responsible for everything? Wouldn't you be thrilled and grateful and happy and joyful? Wouldn't you be more conscious, more aware of your oneness with divine Love? of your incredible worth as His perfect child? Wouldn't all thought and fear of separation from God, from good, from Love - just simply evaporate? And wouldn't you glimpse that you don't have to somehow earn this Love? Wouldn't you sense you are already in the presence of God, already loved by Him?

Who feeds you?
Who forgives you?
Who leads you away from deception, delivers you from evil?

Only someone who loves you would do all these things, only someone who truly already loves you: your Divine Parent, your Father-Mother God, all harmonious - who is already with you, right here right now.

As the hymn says, "I need not plead, Thou dost abide with me."

"Thy kingdom come."
Thy kingdom is come. Thou art everpresent.