Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

God doesn’t need us to tell Him to do His will. But we may need the reminder. It’s something of an attitude adjustment or an agenda reset for us, as well as a clear declaration of our allegiance to His authority in our lives.

When we pray for God’s will to be done on earth, in the same way it is done in Heaven, we acknowledge His power and priority. We stop and step back and look at the longer-range view of life, catching a tiny bit of eternal perspective.

Things may look pretty confusing to us right now – for a host of reasons. Maybe we face struggles, stresses, worries, and woes. Perhaps we wrestle with perplexing problems or seemingly unanswerable questions.

Honestly, earth doesn’t look very heavenly sometimes.

But we know Who holds the final outcome. We know the King of Heaven. We understand that He is ultimately in charge. And He is looking out for us, even as we look to Him.

I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

Psalm 40:8, KJV

Bless the Lord, ye his angels,  that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

Psalm 103:20-21, KJV

And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

Daniel 4:35, KJV

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

1 John 5:14-16, KJV

Often, we may just have to get out of His way … and let Him have his way. He loves His children and is working His good will in and around us, even when we cannot see it - or maybe, especially at such moments.

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Thy Kingdom come.

Nothing’s gonna stop it. God’s Kingdom is coming.

With or without us, God’s Kingdom is gonna come. Whether we hear His call or not, His Kingdom is gonna come.

Our children, our closest kin, our best friends, and our neighbors may follow Him or not. Still, His Kingdom’s gonna come.

Governments may rise and fall. God’s Kingdom is gonna come.

Sorrows may grow. Sickness may strike. Crime may increase. But His Kingdom is gonna come.

By restating “Thy Kingdom come” when we speak the Lord’s own Prayer, we are not telling God anything He does not already know. In fact, He know exactly when it’s going to come to pass. By speaking this truth, we remind ourselves before God that His plan prevails, no matter what.

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

Daniel 2:44, KJV

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 4L17, KJV:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:33, KJV

And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

Mark 8:1, KJV

His Kingdom’s gonna come. Oh, Lord, make us ready. Make our loved ones ready. We pray!

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Hallowed be Thy name.

Maybe most of us have forgotten how to hallow. Sure, we get the point, when it comes to All Hallows Eve (or Halloween) in autumn.

But that’s a far cry from hallowing the name of the Lord.

If we caught half a glimpse of God’s actual holiness, we’d stop dead in our tracks. Quite literally, one peek at His glory would probably slay us on the spot.

But we lose sight of that truth, perhaps because our vision is so limited.

I wonder if that’s why Jesus inserted this reminder at the beginning of His own prayer. He knew we’d likely forget, if we were not nudged each time we prayed according to His model.

In Old Testament times, the people of God dared not utter the name of the Lord Jehovah aloud. The considered it too holy for speech. That’s where the word YHWH comes from – Yahweh is Jehovah God.

And His name stands for His honor, His perfection, His reputation, His royalty, and His unique and indescribable glory.

 Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

1 Chronicles 16:8-10, KJV

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

Psalm 8:1, KJV

In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

Psalm 44:9, KJV

I will praise thee forever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

Psalm 52:9, KJV

My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Psalm 145:21, KJV

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11, KJV

The name of the Lord is to be praised. What a wonderful place to start.

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Our Father, who art in Heaven …

The first line of the Lord’s Prayer addresses our great God. It’s a respectful greeting, a reverent salutation, and a reminder of the One to whom we speak in prayer.

“Our Father, who art in Heaven” is a statement of adoration and worship. We recognize that God is the Creator and Ruler over all. And we are in awe of His holiness and greatness, for there is none like Him.

He is Jehovah, the Almighty, and the One who saves.

Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

Nehemiah 9:6, KJV

The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

Psalm 24:1-2, KJV

He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

Psalm 89:26, KJV

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2, KJV

Sometimes I feel like it’s easy for us to take God too casually. 

Yes, He adores His children and welcomes us to come into His Presence without fear. But, the formal address that opens the Lord’s Prayer serves as a wonderful reminder of the honor due our great God. 

For He is our Abba Father, but He is also the sovereign Ruler of all.

 

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