“For He is the living God, and steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall endure to the end.” Daniel 6:26

My Kingdom

A little kingdom I possess

Where thoughts and feelings dwell,

And very hard I find the task

Of governing it well;

For passion tempts and troubles me,

A wayward will misleads,

And selfishness its shadow casts

On all my words and deeds.

How can I learn to rule myself,

To be the child I should,

Honest and brave, nor ever tire

Of trying to be good?

How can I keep a sunny soul

To shine along life’s way?

How can I tune my little heart

To sweetly sing all day?

Dear Father, help me with the love

That casteth out my fear,

Teach me to lean on Thee, and feel

That Thou art very near,

That no temptation is unseen,

No childish grief too small,

Since Thou, with patience infinite,

Dost soothe and comfort all.

I do not ask for any crown

But that which all may win,

Nor seek to conquer any world,

Except the one within.

Be Thou my guide until I find,

Led by a tender hand,

Thy happy kingdom in myself,

And dare to take command.

                                                                                    —Louisa May Alcott*

I found this poem years ago, and thought it just about says it all. So much of the warring we do is within. We don’t need any outside forces to unsettle or defeat us, we do so ourselves within our own little “kingdoms.” Our thoughts, fears, selfishness, passions and the griefs we hold onto are more than enough to do that all on their own. But as the author so wonderfully puts it, we can be brave and true, we can have a song in our hearts and sun in our souls by leaning on the Lord. He will not leave nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8), but He will comfort us as one of the beloved children of His that we are. He guides us in finding the joy and peace within ourselves as we discover the joy and peace of being His (Romans 15:13). We can take command of our little kingdom by taking our thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5-6), by knowing in our “knowers” that Psalm 23 is true. Life’s circumstances will always be changing, but God never does; His love towards us is constant and pure and nothing can separate us from it (Romans 8:37-38). The very Spirit of the Living God dwells in the kingdom of our heart (Romans 5:5), giving us the power to do and be the things we cannot without Him. Let us rejoice in that this day!

Dear Lord, thank You for the reminder that through You and with You we can have joy and peace. You are tender, faithful and true. You love us more than we can possibly imagine. Help us walk with victory in the kingdom of our hearts through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

*Alcott, Louisa May. “My Kingdom.” 2006. https://allpoetry.com/My-Kingdom