“Our Father which art in heaven; Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9,10
In Paul’s letter to the believers in Colosse, he wrote: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” (3:1) In looking at the Lord’s words, “in earth, as it is in heaven,” in what is called, “The Lord’s Prayer,” we must ask the question: “What is the Lord saying that we should trust Him for? Perhaps the question that we should ask before the previous one is this: “What did Jesus mean by the phrase: “IN EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN?” Since the believer has been placed in Christ, one with Him in his death, burial and resurrection, and now, seated with Him in heavenly places, he is called upon to follow in the steps of Christ, seeking the Father in Jesus’ name for His intervention in the affairs of this earth. This specifically, and primarily, applies to giving life to the dead, revealing the Life of God in and through Christ’s body, the church. The great blessings of God, even all the blessings in Christ, are made available in large measure by the outpouring of the Spirit, and the deliberate action of God, blessing the life of the believer. It is as the believer walks with God, being salt and light in this world, that the blessing of God spreads. Herein lies a small part of the meaning of things in heaven brought down to this earth, to be seen and known in the lives of men, in particular, as they pray and intercede for the intervention of God. What specifically does the Apostle Paul mean when he says that we are to seek those “things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God?” Let us begin to answer this question by looking at the Lord Jesus Himself, when He walk on this earth. How did He seek those things from the Father in heaven, receiving them so that there would be great blessing?
When Jesus began His ministry, He did so, with the fresh, complete anointing of the Spirit. All the enablement of heaven, in the Father, and by the Spirit, were given to Him, so that at all times He, “…went about doing good.” There was not a moment of any given day or night, that He was not abiding in His Father, receiving from Him in heaven, all that He needed on the earth, to glorify God, accomplishing the will of His Father. In essence, in the very act of receiving from the Father the very blessings of heaven, the Lord Jesus was enabled to give them unto men, that they should truly live, being delivered from their enemies, and established in the righteous blessing of God. The Lord came preaching the gospel of peace on earth, with a perfect faith. Thus, the power of the message would save the sinner, heal the sick, and set free the captive. This was only possible by the power of the Father given to the Son. Then there were His mighty acts, the stilling of the raging sea by His words, the feeding of thousands with only five loaves and two fishes in hand. He healed the sick, speaking life into the dead, bringing the very power, light, and life from heaven, into the realm of men upon this earth. It was as He preached the kingdom of God, those truths pertaining to God’s reign in the life, that the power of that kingdom, coming from heaven by the Spirit, was revealed. Hence, we begin to see something of the pattern of seeking those things above, trusting God for their manifestation on this earth, in the hearts and lives of men, women, and children.
When Jesus came to earth, He made it very clear that He came to give eternal Life to a fallen world. Like Him, we are to live lives submitted to the Father’s will, receiving Life, Light, and Power, giving to others that which is good.
Father, Make us good receivers, giving freely to all. In Jesus’ name, Amen.