On Earth as it is in Heaven
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
In the last week, three little children were buried in a community we have served for the last decade. One young girl came down with a fever in the middle of the night and she was gone by morning. Just a few days before, a young boy and girl were walking home from school when they were tragically run over by a truck who ran off the road. In the middle of grieving, praying, and updating sponsors, we received a phone call that a mother who recently delivered twins had passed away. The father is paralyzed in the countryside and cannot care for twin babies who are less than a month old. This same day, we were missing a member of our staff who went to the countryside to attend a funeral for his sister who died from AIDS. These are the days when the pain and grief are all too much.
It’s not fair.
It’s not just.
It’s not okay.
I just want to go home.
I have been asked by visiting mission teams, and people I meet after speaking engagements, “How do you do it? How do you see and feel all of this and keep going?” I share with them my secret. I pray often for Jesus to come back.
You see, I used to think during these seasons of heartache and grief, that I was missing America. I used to think that what I needed to heal my heart, were some good old fashion comforts of home. Like my mother’s chicken almond noodle casserole, or a trip to Target to just wander and look at pretty things, or an afternoon spent sitting in Starbucks. Having no access to things like these in a third world country, I am left void of the earthly comforts that help console me during sadness, and I am forced to seek comfort elsewhere. When everything is stripped away, one things remains. Jesus.
A few years back, when I was missing my comforts of America, I remember opening up a news app on my phone and seeing story after story of horrifying reports: missing children, mass shootings, threats of war, airplane crashes. It was all just too much. I was drawn back to my prayer for Jesus to come soon. Hurry back! Please, King Jesus, we need you here.
I realized that all this time I had not been longing for America. I had been longing for home. I had been longing for heaven; the place where I belong. I was drawn back to a prayer I memorized in my childhood; the one Jesus used to teach people how to pray. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” I want to be a doer of His will! I want to see His Kingdom here on earth! I want to be a citizen of heaven!
“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:4
“‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, ’nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:16-17
This the place I am craving.
The place of no more tears.
The place of no more death.
The place of no more pain.
The place of no more hunger.
The place of no more thirst.
This is the place I call home.
Have you found yourself longing for this place too? Have you found your prayers begging for more of this place? Have you found your heart crying out for more of this place?
If you have been a loyal reader to this blog, you may have noticed the wording I have chosen to close each post. “His Kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This wasn’t just a cute, little whimsical way to end my blogs by throwing some spiritual ritual in as a closer. These words are a true, grieving, cry of my heart.
I crave His love.
I crave His justice.
I crave His goodness. His mercy. His truth. His grace.
I long to see His Kingdom come, here on earth as it is in heaven.
It is coming, friends. I hope you take comfort in the fact that it is coming. I hope you are screaming “Hallelujah!” and not “Oh, crap”. (If you are saying the latter, please go read Claiming your Calling)
It is near, friends. And I, for one, am so ready!
His Kingdom come, His will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
