Kingdom Energy on Earth || Learning the Lord’s Prayer || Week 2

Podcast: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/4rCMdi41Owb

What are we saying when we recite the Lord’s Prayer? It’s a practice for most Christians to say in their daily lives when they get up, go to bed, and at church, among other practices. Yet, how often do we think about and dig deeper into what we are saying to God? Over the next five weeks, I will take the Lord’s Prayer, as told by Jesus in Matthew 6:9-13, apart line-by-line. We will examine what each line is saying and how it’s reflected throughout the rest of the Bible. Let’s dive into it!

Last week, we covered the opening line: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” We discussed what hallowed means and how to express God’s name in reverence. Today, we progress to the following line: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Hear it in Matthew 6:10 from the NLT:

10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven.

At first, I was confused about what “your kingdom come” meant. What does it mean to bring the kingdom of Heaven to Earth and do God’s will? It feels like a heavy task to do, but is it? This thought led me to think of the two rules Jesus gave: Love God and love others. Is that all it takes or is there more we need to do? This line feels simple but also asks many questions about and for us.

Before I jump into the connecting verses, my study Bible pointed out this one thing regarding this verse. It said all prayers get willingly submitted to God’s purposes, plans, and glory. When we pray, we submit our thanks and ask God to see if they align with God’s mission and plan for us and how we should glorify God. That sounds pretty sound. Prayers are about asking God for something and thanking God for what he’s done. As Christians, we want to ensure that our life aligns with God’s teachings. We see Jesus use this mindset in the Garden of Gethsemane before being crucified. Hear what he says in Matthew 26:39

39  He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 

Jesus asks not to be killed but still says that if it needs to happen to follow God’s plan, then so be it. Granted, I know you might not be in a difficult situation like Jesus was, but this applies to us. We might not want to do something, but if God asks us to do it, we should. It may be scary, anxious, and emotional, but God wouldn’t ask you to do it if you couldn’t. God sees more power in you than you do, and God can call you to do more than you think and succeed. God won’t leave you or abandon you. God is going to be with you the whole time. 

Now, let’s look at some connecting verses and take a deeper look at this verse. 

Heaven is Close

Listen to what Jesus is saying in Matthew 3:2 and 4:17

3:2 Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 

4:17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 

Early in Jesus’s ministry, we hear him tell people to repent of their sins and accept God as their Messiah because the Kingdom of Heaven is close. The phrase “kingdom of heaven” is unique to Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew uses the word “heaven” as a substitute for God’s name – to accommodate the Jewish readers’ sensitivities. He uses “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” interchangeably throughout this Gospel, with both expressions talking about the sphere of God’s authority over those who belong to him. The kingdom is now apparent in Heaven’s spiritual rule over the hearts of believers, and one day it will be established in a literal earthly kingdom. 

There are two ways I’ve thought about this explanation. We can understand this as the Kingdom of Heaven representing who Jesus is and how we’re supposed to act like him. We could also understand this as the physical location we hear in the book of Revelation. If I understand it correctly (which I could be wrong), there was a widespread belief that this new kingdom would happen in the disciple’s lifetime. Matthew could have written this in to say that this new version of Heaven would happen during the 50ish-year period between Jesus’s ascension and when he wrote this Gospel. It’s hard to say, and most of that is my opinion on why we hear the consistent nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The people hear about “the kingdom of heaven” for the first time. It’s learning what heart posture it takes to bring the kingdom of Heaven down to Earth. It’s learning how to talk to one another, take care of the needs of others, and help when help is needed, among many other facets. Jesus will teach us what it looks like to do that in detail, but it’s summed up: Love God and Love Others. Let’s shift ahead in verse and discuss what it means for God’s will to take place on Earth. 

God’s Will Being Done

Three verses are associated with God’s will taking place on Earth. These verses (Matthew 26:42 and Luke 22:42) continue Jesus’s prayer in the Garden. Jesus says that if God can’t take the burden he has away unless he does what God asks him to do, Jesus will do God’s will. We see the plan of God sending his Son to the Earth as a human sacrifice for our sins ending in this verse, which is a fulfillment of God’s will. The other verse is interesting to me, though. Hear Acts 21:14 from the NLT:

14 “When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” 

An intriguing way to hear about God’s will, right? Giving up on your actions and just leaving them to God to handle. It’s different than how we heard it from Jesus. 

This concept comes from Paul’s visit to Jerusalem. The disciples are hearing from the Holy Spirit that the citizens will not receive Paul well in Jerusalem. The Jews will tie up Paul and send him off to the Gentiles. Paul’s mission of spreading the Gospel was strong enough to say that he was ready and willing to receive whatever punishment was waiting for him and die if it happened. The disciples knew that they couldn’t do anything to stop him. They let him go trusting that God will take care of him. 

Two different ways to see how to do God’s will. A submission that God’s plan is worth the suffering and the eagerness to follow God’s plan regardless of the consequences. How do we follow God’s will? We can be scared, nervous, or anxious about it but still do it, or we can be so confident in what God told us to do that we do it without fear. I’ve learned about the nervous excitement of faith. There’s been plenty of things lately that have had me anxious but also excited. It means I want to make this change, but I’m also scared. That’s where God comes in. I can lean my anxiousness on him and trust that He will guide me through the journey. Speaking of that, let’s read some more scripture. 

Hear this from Hebrews 13:21

21 may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, everything good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.

What does it mean to get equipped with what we need to do God’s will? In this verse, “equipped” comes from the Greek word that means “prepared” and “created.” It refers to believers receiving an education. It holds the idea of equipping through adjusting, shaping, mending, restoring, or preparing. 

God is going to do all of that with us. 

• God will adjust us. Adjusting means moving something to achieve its desired results. God will move us to do what he needs to and place us where we need to be when we need to be there.
• God will shape us. Shaping means developing something in a particular way. God will shape our gifts so we can best utilize them for his plans, purpose, and glory. 
• God will mend us. Mending means repairing something that is broken and damaged. We all sin, meaning we all miss the mark of perfection in God’s eyes. God will help us fix those sins with grace and mercy.
• God will restore us. Restoring means returning something to a former place, owner, or condition. God will restore us to be his spitting image and restore the world to the Eden-esque place we see in Genesis. 
• God will prepare us. Preparing means doing something to get ready for something else. God will prepare us to do the Great Commission, which is what we’re all called to do. 

Doing God’s will is complex but something we all can do. How do we do things here like it’s happening in Heaven? Check out Psalm 103:20-21. 

20 Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. 

21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will. 

We carry out God’s plan, listen to God’s commands, and praise God. We serve him. We can start by telling someone about Jesus. We can take care of our neighbors. We can love God with all our beings. We can praise and worship God at all times. We can reach out to those who grieve. We can volunteer at school. We can help in foster shelters. We can work down at the Soup Kitchen. We can do what God’s will calls us to do in many ways. If you think of something, see if it aligns with these two commands: love God with all your being and love your neighbor as you love yourself. 

Thank you for joining me in Week 2 of my “Learning the Lord’s Prayer” series. Next week, we look at the middle line of eating bread daily. Until then, stay blessed.