The Lord’s Prayer - "On Earth"

The Lord’s Prayer - "On Earth"

As we read this part of the Lord’s Prayer, our eye is immediately drawn to the two big words spoken by Jesus: Earth and Heaven. We know what Earth is and we all have some idea of what Heaven is, but it might surprise you that neither Heaven nor Earth is the main topic of this petition. What is the focus of this element of the prayer? It’s the appearance of the two smallest words in the entire prayer.

On and in.

Jesus didn’t just arbitrarily say “on Earth” and “in Heaven”. He is telling us something about those two places. The Christian has a unique place on this planet. We are here, but we are not a part of it. While our real home is someplace else, we live here for a while. So, we live ON the Earth but we don’t live IN the Earth. That is because we will one day live IN Heaven. That is where our citizenship lies. That’s where our home is. We are ON the Earth for a while but we will ultimately be IN Heaven with our God.

So, then, we have to ask ourselves why we are here. What are we doing on this Earth? More importantly, what does all of this have to do with prayer?

Our role here on Earth is to be God’s light to those who are still attached to it. There are people who live IN this world who have not come to terms with God. They have not transformed themselves into residents of His kingdom. They are IN the world and they are a part of it.

Our charge is to bring Heaven to them. We are to pray for them and show them that there is something so much better waiting for them. There is a home where they can have peace and comfort and all the blessing of God but they have to let go of this world. They have to loosen their grip on what this world is throwing at them. They have to change their hearts and become followers of God.

This is God’s will and this is what the church is here to do. We pray, “Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Romans 12:2

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”