"Thy Kingdom come,
Thy Will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven." - Matthew 6:10
Thy Will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven." - Matthew 6:10
The Lord's Prayer is probably one of the earliest prayers I ever learned, outside of a bedroom prayer that we said every night. It has, over the years, had greater and lesser repetition in my prayer lexicon: some churches (mainline Protestant) recited it every service, other (non-denominational) occasionally or even not at all, reserving it for sermons on "How to pray like Jesus". But it remains there, embedded in my mind, a plaque on the wall of my inner sanctum like the 10 Commandments that were posted on either side of the altar in the Episcopalian church of my youth.
"Thy Kingdom Come". That is a phrase that just sort of rolls of the tongue in this prayer, wedged in between the Hallowed-ness of God and our day sustenance and forgiving others, things that would seem to be far more relevant to our daily lives. And how often have I muttered those words and just thought "Wow, if God's kingdom came and His will would be done, that would just be...swell."
I wonder, do we truly understand what that means?
For myself, God's Will (as revealed in His word, the sermons and writings of His servants, and that occasional nudge of His Spirit) is not something I am always so good at obeying. I can often treat it as optional or even outright ignore it. But that is not what Jesus says: Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
How is it done in Heaven? Immediately. Completely. Without the option of holding back or thought of cost to self.
Do I want that? Do I really want that?
Sure, it is easy enough to think that I would love to see that upon evil, upon the sin in the world, on those who abuse and mock Him. At some point, says the New Testament, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Ah, says the lesser part of my self, the vindication.
But what about me in that moment?
Do I confess Him as Lord? I do, or at least I believe I do to the best of my ability. But then comes the question "Why do you confess me as Lord and do not do what I ask?" The question was leveled at the Israelites more than once and by Jesus as well (Luke 6:46) ; it should equally be leveled at me.
Am I quick to obey? Do I pivot as soon as asked? Do I act selflessly when asked to follow or act? Or do I try to negotiate with God about what obedience means and how far I have to obey and if a thing can be put off entirely?
Thy will be done, indeed.
Yep TB, Thy Will be done was heard every service growing up in the same faith as you, trying to understand at age fifteen and since and following it....well.... sometimes the word struggle is an understatement.
ReplyDeleteNylon12, it is a word struggle at times. Especially if we truly understand what we are asking for.
DeleteSTxAR, C.S. Lewis wrote that we cannot fully know what people are like because we do not fully understand them. One person may be difficult to get along with, but they are saved and trying the hardest they can. Another may be the nicest person ever, but unsaved. How much worse would the person difficult to get along with be if they were not saved? How much nicer would the nice person be if they were saved?
ReplyDeleteLike you, I find I have more of a focus on being what God wants me to be, as imperfect as I am at it.
Back about 12 years ago I picked up a book by a messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, a best-selling author of The Harbinger. Five pages in I went and got a King James bible, Catholic bible and the Torah. I would look up passages in all three. Rarely was there any difference. An 'a' or 'the'. It's a book I've never forgotten and the history this book imparted was astounding. Fell asleep reading and I could tell where I was by what pages were open in all the bibles.
ReplyDeleteThis is not the type of book I would pick up nor of any interest at the time. But it accomplished what I apparently needed.
Anon - I have picked up a book which I had no reason or thought to but fit the needs of that moment perfectly. Like you, I found it accomplished whatever was needed, even if I was not always fully aware of the initial need.
DeleteAlthough I'm Catholic, I'm a convert of only 20 years so am not as knowledgeable about it as I probably could be. But one thing that strikes me is that Catholics utilize confessions to equalize between what God commands and what we do. I'm not sure that it a complete pass, but it is a bit different than my experiences with Methodist, Baptist and Lutheranism that I have experienced during my life.
ReplyDeleteEd, interesting thought. In both the Episcopalian and Lutheran churches which I have been in, there has been a group from of confession, but nothing like the individual confession of the Catholic church (I think the Orthodox Church has similar practice). Opinions may vary on who has the "right" to declare forgiveness, but it seems clear to me that Christians can and should hear the confessions of others and remind each other that as we confess our sins to God, He has promised forgiveness.
DeleteI mean, I know what happens to me when I resist, so, . . . .
ReplyDeleteRight John? It never goes well.
DeleteTB, this post reminds me of a study our congregation did in July. For four weeks, instead of a sermon, we read and discussed each of the four chapters of the book of Jonah. Most, if not all of us, knew well the story - from childhood, but looking at each chapter closely, and sharing insights with each other gave me a perspective on Jonah (the man and the book) that I'd not contemplated so fully before. I always saw the book of Jonah as a warning, a cautionary tale, as well as a story of God's forgiveness and salvation to all who believe. What I don't think I'd seen clearly before was that "I am Jonah". Jonah is every person. That was my take away, anyway. It was sobering... humbling...
ReplyDeleteBecki - What an interesting study! And I agree - I think we get so caught up in the story of Jonah being in the whale that we often miss the fact that Jonah was also just like us - fearful, petty, angry, unwilling to see God's grace manifested on an undeserving (to Jonah) people, selfish because our comfort is more important than the salvation of others. "Humbling" is indeed a good word.
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