On Earth As In Heaven

Matthew 6:7-13

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

AS ROMAN TERRITORY EXPANDED into Africa, Gaul, and the Greek east in the centuries before and after Christ, many cultures experienced what some historians call “Romanization”—a tendency to take on Roman ways and norms. The same dynamic had occurred when Alexander the Great’s expanding territory “Hellenized” cultures only a couple of centuries earlier. Sometimes societies adapted willingly, sometimes grudgingly, sometimes unconsciously, and sometimes only in superficial ways. In any case, some degree of adaptation occurred, which is common whenever one kingdom inherits another. Cultures have influence, shaping and adapting to each other.

We pray often for God’s Kingdom to come, just as Jesus instructed. In the minds of many, this is a far-off request for Jesus to return one day and establish his Kingdom, which he surely will. But doesn’t it also have some here-and-now implications? Is there any indication that we should pray “your will be done” for now and “your kingdom come” for later? Or might there be some process of heaven-ization that influences this world today?

In fact, there is. The question is what that should look like. Clearly we want God’s Kingdom to come in our hearts and in our families. But salt and light are not content to remain in saltshakers and under lampshades. We want to spread our influence everywhere. Jesus invites us to pray for his ways to influence the marketplace, the workplace, and other public spaces too—just as they are followed in heaven.

Pray this request not as a line in a ritual prayer but as a battle cry over the kingdoms of this world. Before Jesus ever comes back for us, he will certainly come to us and through us. Let the future realities of his Kingdom spill over into the visible realities of our day. Let him empower you to make progress toward his ultimate goal. Pray for his will to be done—right now, in our age, on earth, just as it is in heaven.

{Lord, with enthusiasm I pray: Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth—in my life, my family, my church, my workplace, my city, my nation, my world—just as it is in heaven. Show me what that looks like and help me step into it daily. Amen.