Which Realm?

Read: Matthew 6:9-13

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

IN WORD

Not everyone adds an assumption to the third phrase of this verse, but many do: “On earth as (a faint reflection of what is) in heaven.” But if we really think about Jesus’ prayer, we realize it has staggering implications. He is teaching His followers to pray that God’s Kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth—not in heaven, not in some spiritual but indiscernible realm, but right here on earth—just as it is in heaven. There is no qualifier at the end that implies “as much as possible, though it will never look anything like heaven.” No, this is a blanket, unequivocal statement. Jesus’ desire is for earth to look like heaven.

Is this possible? It must be; Jesus would never urge His followers to pray for an impossibility. In fact, He told them that with God, all things are possible (Mark 9:23; 10:27). Surely He must be presenting a real possibility to the disciples. But it seems so unlikely. The Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven? God’s will being done here just as completely as it is in that realm? Has He seen the condition of this fallen world?

Perhaps that’s why we water down the impact of the Lord’s Prayer. It’s too big for us to take literally. It seems so far-fetched. It can’t mean what it looks like it means. There must be more between the lines.

IN DEED

Would world history look different if the church throughout the ages had taken Jesus’ prayer more literally and refused to compromise it by putting it off to the distant future or forgetting that it applies “on earth”? Perhaps. But we who claim the truth of Scripture and of Jesus’ words can’t be content with a weakened prayer. It has to be true—and possible.

Let this prayer shape your world. Pray it vigorously and pray it often. Let its true implications sink in, and let it feed and fuel your faith. Jesus has high expectations for the prayers of His people. We must too.

ADDITIONAL READING: Colossians 1:19-20

Large asking and large expectation on our part honor God.

A. L. STONE