On Earth As It Is In Heaven!

Source: Francis Frangipane

We have recited it in private and also prayed it publicly in unison with
others; we have even sung it in reverence on select Sunday mornings. It's
been a familiar prayer at somber cultural events. Yet I wonder if we really
grasp what was in Jesus' heart when He gave His disciples the words to "The
Lord's Prayer."
Remember, they had asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). Contrary
to its most typical uses, the Lord did not give His disciples a prayer just
to help them cope. What He gave them was almost militant in nature; it was
vibrant, not passive.

For many centuries the holy realities of this prayer have been obscured by
traditions of religious unbelief; its potential was relocated strictly to
eternity, and thus disbarred from affecting conditions on earth. In recent
years, its truth is again filling the words of this heavenly anthem: Thy
kingdom come! Thy will be done!

These are emphatic statements. They ought to be punctuated with exclamation
marks. This prayer is heaven's Pledge of Allegiance.

This not a prayer limited to the Millennium. It is a decree that God's will,
through our living union with Christ, should be accomplished today on earth.
Where is the room for compromise in those words? Jesus is saying that, with
miraculous power, abounding joy and unwavering mercy, God's will is destined
to be fulfilled on earth, just "as it is in heaven"!

We call this The Lord's Prayer, yet more appropriately, it might be called
The Disciple's Prayer or The Kingdom Prayer, for it is something Jesus gave
to ignite fire in the hearts of His followers. Indeed, this prayer is
revolutionary. It is the kind of prayer a spiritual extremist would pray.

Fighting Words
We have been too polite with God. I do not mean we should be disrespectful
or irreverent; I am saying the Lord's prayer is not a weak, pleading prayer.
Yes, there is a time for pleading with God, but this is prophetic prayer.
There is not a "please" anywhere in it. Jesus taught His disciples to pray
with power, not merely pleading.

We already know it is the "Father's good pleasure" to give us His kingdom
(Luke 12:32 NKJV). Jesus is not instructing us to beg for a blessing or two;
He is commanding us to call for God's kingdom to rule on earth. This is a
prayer of authority. The Son of God wants us to pray like we were created to
bring heaven to earth. Our prayer simply aligns us with what is already
God's great pleasure to give us.

Of course, it is vital we embrace repentance for both our sins and the sins
of our forefathers. But there is another type of prayer that builds upon
repentance. It is the prayer of those fully committed to the vision of God!
It embodies the expanse of what Jesus came to establish. Although men and
women are both called to proclaim the words of this decree, this is
decidedly a masculine prayer. These are fighting words.

Remember, this form of prayer is not my idea; it's Christ's. He told
faltering, fumbling, often sinful disciples to pray like they were mature,
victorious warriors. He didn't say this prayer should be prayed only when
they had become perfect. No. He was saying this is how we should pray right
now, even while we are imperfect. Yes, we humble ourselves; yes, we confess
our sins. Yet, we must learn to pray with unsheathed spiritual authority,
with heroic faith, and with the fire of divine possibilities burning in our
souls.

Beloved, a time is coming when God's people will have reached the depth of
their repentance. Knees bent and worn from the weight of prolonged kneeling
will slowly creek upward. Heads will lift, and then hands. Like the rumbling
of a volcano no longer dormant, the cry Thy kingdom come will begin to
gather and then rise from within the inner spirit of the redeemed.

Yes, even now, the armies of God in heaven are beginning to unite with the
armies of God on earth. Lightening-like power is beginning to fill the
backbone of the redeemed. From every nation, a holy people shall stand
upright before the Most High. In their mouths will be the words taught them
by the Son of God Himself:

Thy Kingdom Come! Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!
Useful link: www.frangipane.org