The Lord's Prayer is subversive

Dr. Albert Mohler contrasts the Serenity Prayer ("God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference") and the Lord's Prayer.

In many ways, the Serenity Prayer is the model prayer for a post-Christian society. It says nothing about the character of God, the plight of man, the need for redemption, or the nature of the Gospel. The Serenity Prayer is nothing more than a generic prayer for a people with generic religious convictions.

The Lord’s Prayer, however, is doctrinally robust, theologically deep, and anything but serene. The Lord’s Prayer is anything but tame.

Dr. Mohler also calls The Lord's Prayer "subversive."

So, what are we asking when we say “your kingdom come”? We are asking for something wonderful and something dangerous all at the same time:

• We are praying that history would be brought to a close.
• We are praying to see all the nations rejoice in the glory of God.
• We are praying to see Christ honored as King in every human heart.
• We are praying to see Satan bound, evil vanquished, death no more.
• We are praying to see the mercy of God demonstrated in the full justification and acquittal of sinners through the shed blood of the crucified and resurrected Christ.
• We are praying to see the wrath of God poured out upon sin.
• We are praying to see every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
• We are praying to see a New Jerusalem, a new heaven, a new earth, a new creation.