The Lord's Prayer: As It Is In Heaven

"Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
-Matthew 6:10

Our Father in Heaven,
- may your name be considered holy,
- may your kingdom come,
- may your will be done...
...on earth as it is in heaven.

A scholar I know suggests that the Greek lends itself to the above translation. Hallowed be thy name, he contends, belongs with "on earth as it is in heaven."

"On earth as it is in heaven" is not only one of the deepest prayers of the Church, it is also her commission. When we pray "on earth as it is in heaven," we accept the responsibility to make these statements true in our own lives, and to set the example for the world to see. Worded another way, we pray "May your name be considered holy (Hallowed), by humanity as it is by heavenly beings. May our world, nation, state, community, congregation, family and even our very selves, be submitted to your holy name, your great kingdom and your merciful will."

When we pray "on earth as it is in heaven," we enter into the prayer Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, "Not my will, but yours be done." And we do not pray out of exasperation, like the two year old who agrees to obey, but only begrudgingly and only because he has no other choice. We do not pray "Let your will be done on earth." Rather we pray for God’s will to be done on earth in the same manner that it is done in heaven--joyfully, and with great awe. When we pray "As it is in heaven," we are praying that God would give us wisdom to see things as he sees them. This portion of the prayer, when answered, moves us away from the blind obedience of the subjugated, to the faith filled obedience of the submitted.

This portion of our Lord's prayer is contingent upon the preceding words. "Our Father in Heaven." It is only when we experience the faithful love and provision of "Abba" Father God, that we can trust enough to submit ourselves to the holiness of God's name, the greatness of God's kingdom and the wisdom of God's will. And only through our submission to God, will that great prayer be finally answered.

Homework this week: Meditate on our Lord's prayer. Pray that God would reveal to you what it looks like for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

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