When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He gave them these words that have been uttered through the centuries:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” are particularly prescient words for us living today. We are seeing a greater emergence of the manifestation of God’s power from ordinary believers who are just “doing the stuff,” as John Wimber might have said. Healing, deliverance, raising the dead is SUPPOSED to be in our “purview” as followers of the Living God. Becoming joint heirs with Jesus is not just about some inheritance when we die. There is an inheritance to be claimed in the NOW. Thy kingdom come is truly becoming for this generation thy kingdom now.
But the KINGDOM NOW inheritance does not come without a fight. There is still a thief in this world who is intent on robbing, killing and stealing. It is the kingdom of satan that is in jeopardy with the emergence of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. But it is God’s will that the works of darkness be exposed and destroyed. We are the army to manifest His rule and if “God be for us, who can be against us?” And so, we are called to participate, shake off our dullness, and PRAY HIS WILL ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN for His will is not AUTOMATICALLY done on earth as it is in heaven. Participation requires us to become the vessels to channel His frequency. It requires us to pray and seek His face and become involved in this world and take the risk and give the right words for the right hour. It requires us to submit to God and exchange our will for His will. And it necessitates us to know Him intimately.
Our most potent weapon is prayer. Prayer is not just the travail of the believer and of those who would be called sons of God. Prayer is the intimate communion that will transform us to become more like God. It is His still small voice of loving encouragement in our hearts. It is the voice of the Wonderful Counselor who says “this is the way, walk in it…”
Let us seek to become more like Him with every day and every breath. Let us recognize His workings, His designs and His patterns in all our ways. Let us become sons of God and take authority against darkness. And let us find Kingdom Now living for this day and every day.