Last week we thought about God being in heaven. This week, in our next phrase of the Lord’s Prayer, we think about heaven on earth. And we are very much part of this. We cannot be passive recipients, rather active participants. There is an urgency in this part of the prayer.
We don’t want to wait for some far off time to be part of God’s Kingdom. We want to be part of that Kingdom NOW! However, this is not some selfish desire, or hastily put together request.
We are asking for a foretaste of what heaven is like. There is a desire for it to come to those whom we love, and those who find difficult to love, for all those in our world.
We are asking not for what we want, but putting our trust in God, that He will guide us in how we can carry out His desires for us and for our society.
There is a video produced by the Church of England on the Lord’s Prayer using both traditional and contemporary language, and matching alongside appropriate images. Alongside the words “Thy Kingdom Come” there is an image of three people, who appear to be town pastors working in a town or city, with police flashing lights in the background. Then under “Thy Will be done” there is a guy weightlifting wearing T-shirt with the slogan Tough Talk on his chest, and lastly “on earth as it is in heaven” shows a farmer caring for his herd of cows.
It’s amazing where heaven can be found and the will of God can be done!
What is God’s will for you an earth as it is in heaven today?
Prayer: Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Lord we prayer for your Kingdom here on earth, that your purposes can be carried out by your servants here – on the streets amongst the distressed, in the gyms and clubs where people seek to gain strength and power, and in the fields and wonder of your Creation. Help us to bring your Kingdom to others, to seek to serve your will, here on earth today. AMEN