On Earth as it is in Heaven Christian Prayer

Prayer

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”  Matthew 6:10

Logical, concise, emotional, passionate and convicting.  When asked by the disciples how should we pray, Jesus was so clear that a child could understand it.  “Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”  Matthew 6:9-10  In a previous posting I addressed the beginning ‘Hallowed be your name’, in brief – honored be your name, how do I honor God, how do I honor my father?  

Logically the answer to that is what follows, praying that His kingdom comes and that His will is done on earth just as it is in heaven.  You do not have to go any further in your walk with Christ then this to determine exactly the status of your relationship with Him.  You do not need to read any best selling books, listen to any Christian music, or hear an inspiring sermon.  Either you will pray like this and mean it or you won’t.  It isn’t what you say, it’s what you do. 

Jesus was not suggesting, He was not asking, He was commanding Christians to pray in this manner.  To begin your prayers in that manner mandates that before you consider your personal requests, your personal desires, you are first and foremost willing to subject yourself and your will to God.  We want God’s will to work out when it happens to coincide with what we want, or when it applies to other people.  However, those words, following that command is…how to put this…  Not what we want for ourselves.  

To pray that way means that you have to mean what you say, you have to honestly desire God’s will over yours.  God’s will, that would mean you can’t look at those pictures, or that magazine, you would forgive the one who hurt or stole from you, there would be no divorce, no abandoning your children (thus no child support) no gossiping, no ‘it’s just business’, no little white lies, no keeping up with the Jone’s.  Perhaps it means instead of that new television the money would go to feed a family in need, or the time you spend on the internet would be spent instead helping others.  There would be no - this is what I want, and God will either let me have it, or He will forgive me for taking it. 

Either you will or won’t pray as Jesus commanded.  Either His words in Matthew 6:10 convict and inspire you or His words will convict and condemn you.