‘In Earth as…in Heaven’

“Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” –Matthew 6:10 (KJV).

Known to us as “The Lord’s Prayer,”, the prayer is indeed a lesson from Jesus Himself on how believers (disciples) should pray.  The petitions in the prayer follow a logical order.  The introduction addresses God as Father and makes Him close and concerned about us.  Then follows the prayer that we hallow His name, recognizing His sovereign rule over all of our lives and in creation. Known to us as “The Lord’s Prayer,” the prayer was, indeed, a pattern of how believers should pray.  Next comes the petition “Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” 

“Thy kingdom come.”  Can we begin to approximate the depth of meaning of this statement?  What are we asking for when we pray this prayer?  We should look at this petition from the perspective of Jesus’ twelve disciples who heard him speak the words, and then put the petition in the context of our own spiritual journey.  When “Messiah” was mentioned to the Jews of the first century AD, they immediately thought of the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel to a state similar to the glorious days of the united kingdom of Israel under King David.  “”Lord, at this time will you restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6b, ESV)  This question was posed by the disciples again after Jesus’ resurrection and just before He ascended into heaven.  Jesus could have said again that He was not going to restore the kingdom of Israel.  But instead, he patiently answered, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8, ESV).  When the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples and other believers on the Day of Pentecost, they became equipped as kingdom servants.  With boldness they proclaimed the message of the Messiah and told of His spiritual kingdom that was intended for all people—not just for the Israelites.  It was a dynamic and revolutionary idea for the disciples to embrace, steeped in Judaism as they were; but the kingdom—in the hearts of believers—moved forward.  In the context of our day, the same message prevails, the same commission to spread the word of the kingdom. The responsibility lies with believers empowered with the Spirit of God.  When we pray “Thy kingdom come,” we are praying for an endowment of the Spirit so that our witness will make a difference in the realm of this world and its people.  And one by one as believers are added, the kingdom of God grows.  What a joy and a privilege to be a subject of His kingdom!

“Thy will be done.”  This phase of the prayer is pleading that our personal dominion will grow less and less and God’s dominion will increase.  We often have our own selfish desires, our agenda for when things should be done and what activities fill that agenda.  God’s will involves conduct that is pleasing to Him and follows the teachings of the Scriptures.  His will is already being followed in Heaven.  The prayer indicates our desire to fulfill God’s will, even as the glorified beings in heaven are doing.  The will of God will be expressed in its fullness when God’s kingdom comes in its final form and when Christ returns in power and great glory.  But in the meantime, we practice kingdom citizenship as we follow the teachings God has given us in His Word.  One of the church leaders of a past century said that an important task of the  church is “to make the invisible kingdom visible.”  How can we do this?  We can bear witness of the reality of Christ by how we conduct our jobs with integrity and honesty, by how we live out Christian love and principles in family life; by how we handle our money to honor God; by how we sincerely ask the question “What would Jesus do?” and seek to follow His way.  “Thy kingdom come” will then become more and more a reality in daily life.