May 29, 2021 AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
Matthew 6:9-13 “Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”
When the disciples of Jesus asked Him to teach them how to pray, this prayer above was His response as to how they were to pray. It is a beautiful, short prayer, but powerful. Note the first word of this prayer; Jesus is telling us that God is His Father, AND OUR Father. To realize that we and Jesus have the same Father is awesome. God knew us even before the foundations of the world; Jesus came to redeem us back to our Father-wow! Someone rightly said that we are ‘Fathered by God.’ Knowing that God is our real Father is a life-changer for us. Since He is our Father, what is there to fear or to worry about? Knowing that God is our Father does away with any sense of insecurity and hopelessness. The main focus of today’s subject is the part of the prayer that says “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We may sometimes feel that God and His kingdom are in heaven, and we are here on earth; we may think that we just have to get use to life on earth being just what it is-unlike the kingdom of God. We are well acquainted with troubles and trials, with brokenness, sickness, wars, unrest, corruption, moral decay, addictions-and the list goes on. Jesus knows our plight. The good news is that Jesus invites us to ask that ‘His kingdom come, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ In essence, we can experience His kingdom here on earth, even though the world itself is darkness. In heaven, His will is done, and we as His people can do His will here on earth. We can be ones who live with a kingdom of God mindset, walking according to the Spirit. We can be instruments that God uses to bless others; we are light in the darkness. Every prayer we pray may not be answered like it wanted it answered, but we can pray with all confidence that He does answer our prayer when we pray according to His will and as the Holy Spirit leads, knowing that the day is coming when He will return and His will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Let us live in His will; let us pray for the sick, the brokenhearted, and for all who are facing difficulties, and ask that God’s will be done in their lives. Let us be ones who bring part of heaven to this world-and let it impact all we do and everyone around us.
Matthew 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Luke 17:21b “nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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