In Matthew 6:9-13, what is commonly known as The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us how to pray:
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be your Name
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will be Done, On earth as it is In Heaven
Give us this Day, Our daily bread, and Forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors
Lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil
For Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory, Forever, Amen
It sounds like Jesus’ model prayer gives place for the original design to be re-established on the earth. “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” A thought hit me one time that really is astounding….for the believer, earth is as close to hell as we will ever be, but for the unbeliever, earth is as close to heaven as they will ever be. Wow! So for the believer, earth can be really good, plus we have heaven to look forward to, so the best is yet to come. For the unbeliever, without the peace of God in their life, earth can be ok or really bad, and there is nothing good past their final breath. For them, this life is as good as it gets. It puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
What does heaven manifested on earth it look like? When I think of what heaven is like, I think of wonderful communion with the Father, a place of rest and peace, joy that is too amazing to explain, worship around the throne all the time, and beautiful ways of communicating our love for God all around, with absolutely no need for anything else. Wow, if heaven is even half of that, it will be abundantly above all we could ever ask or think. Of course life on earth will have challenges, but you already know that! There will be things that we can’t control or fully comprehend, but when we put it all in perspective, earth for the believer can be a little taste of heaven, experiencing the will of God, making us even more hungry for our eternal home.