On Earth as it is in Heaven

Lent with the Lord's Prayer

On earth as it is in Heaven.  Matthew 6:10

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 God will not let your foot slip-- God who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, God who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you-- the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm-- God will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121

On earth as it is in Heaven. This last week hasn’t seemed like what we think heaven should be. We want heaven to be a place where everything is perfect, where nothing bad happens, where you eat the best food, listen to the best music, and live with those you love, where there is no work or pain. Yet when we look around this week we see people killed fighting oppressive governments, we see people having rights taken away, we see fires, explosions, earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear disasters. How can it be on earth as it is in heaven? How do you go from what seems so messed up to what is supposed to be so perfect?

Maybe we are taking the wrong perspective. When we pray on earth as it is in heaven, we are praying for us to be the answer to our pray. When we today call someone in need of love, prepare a meal for a friend, visit someone lost in loneliness- our actions become our prayer. We become the legs, hands and feet for God’s Spirit to work on earth. Pray today with your actions. Touch someone today with the compassion and love of God, with your words and deeds touch the lost, the lonely, and the hurt. Then when you finish your day praying the Lord’s Prayer, you will have experienced what it means to say – on earth as it is in Heaven.