The Lord's Prayer, Phrase by Phrase, Part 6
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
Right now, let's focus on the phrase about God's will that says "on earth as it is in heaven."
We are still inviting God more deeply into our experience and also into the environment in which we live. We are inviting God's rulership again, but now we are inviting God to rule in our world. We are asking for God's rule on eatrth as God rules in heaven. This is an expansion of the request "your kingdom come."
We are asking for God's will to be done immediately and without question.
This begins with me, not with others. God's will is what I do, not what I impose.
We are asking for God's will to be understood and known to be good. In heaven, God's will is unquestioned and unquestionable because God's presence puts aside all fears and worries.
What perspectives can we learn when we consider how Scripture presents heaven?
In heaven, the eternal is not seen as distant and far off. The eternal is present and never-ending. Like us, the creatures who inhabit the heavenly spaces belong completely to God's eternal family and kingdom.
In heaven, God is fully known as the creator and completer of all things and all spaces and of time itself. This gets a little philosophical, but it basically means now matter how far back along in time or space you can go, God is always "past tense." This truth is comforting even if it's not fully understandable. Every good thing is not fully understandable, but every good thing can be experienced and appreciated.
In heaven, everything and everyone completely welcomes God's will and acts upon God's will because the goodness of God's will is immediately understood and celebrated.
Please beware of and reject the false teaching that says God's will is difficult or hard to know, or impossible to understand. Jesus clearly teaches in John 10:27 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me."
In this part of the prayer he taught, Jesus shows us we can request to know and then learn God's will. In our time and place, we can embrace and welcome God's will completely and without question---as is done in heaven.
Amen.
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
Right now, let's focus on the phrase about God's will that says "on earth as it is in heaven."
We are still inviting God more deeply into our experience and also into the environment in which we live. We are inviting God's rulership again, but now we are inviting God to rule in our world. We are asking for God's rule on eatrth as God rules in heaven. This is an expansion of the request "your kingdom come."
We are asking for God's will to be done immediately and without question.
This begins with me, not with others. God's will is what I do, not what I impose.
We are asking for God's will to be understood and known to be good. In heaven, God's will is unquestioned and unquestionable because God's presence puts aside all fears and worries.
What perspectives can we learn when we consider how Scripture presents heaven?
In heaven, the eternal is not seen as distant and far off. The eternal is present and never-ending. Like us, the creatures who inhabit the heavenly spaces belong completely to God's eternal family and kingdom.
In heaven, God is fully known as the creator and completer of all things and all spaces and of time itself. This gets a little philosophical, but it basically means now matter how far back along in time or space you can go, God is always "past tense." This truth is comforting even if it's not fully understandable. Every good thing is not fully understandable, but every good thing can be experienced and appreciated.
In heaven, everything and everyone completely welcomes God's will and acts upon God's will because the goodness of God's will is immediately understood and celebrated.
Please beware of and reject the false teaching that says God's will is difficult or hard to know, or impossible to understand. Jesus clearly teaches in John 10:27 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me."
In this part of the prayer he taught, Jesus shows us we can request to know and then learn God's will. In our time and place, we can embrace and welcome God's will completely and without question---as is done in heaven.
Amen.
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