In verses Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,
¹² and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

The fifth line, “on earth as it is in heaven” is actually a very scary part of this prayer. We are not only acknowledging God’s holy dominion over both heaven and earth, but we are submitting our entire lives to Him in these few words. We are laying all that we have and all that we are at His feet to do with as He wills. This includes our lives, bodies, our loved ones, our money, our health – everything, As believers, we know it is all His to begin with, but with these words, we are saying ‘Lord, I want what You want on earth, no matter what that means. No matter the cost, the hurt, the discomfort or the loss I may feel – I want it because I trust that You love me and will work all things together for my good.’

When we ask for God’s Kingdom to be manifested in our lives and for His will to be done in this world, it also means that we are placing Him first. We are expressing our commitment and desire to do His will, no matter what. We are committing to God that our priority is to see His glory displayed, whatever that may mean to us or our loved ones.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Let Your kingdom come and let Your will be done. Help us to be laborers for You to usher in Your will on earth, no matter what that may cost us. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.