Teach Us to Pray

Part 4: The Lord's Prayer

"Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."

Studies in the Lord's Prayer By PHILIP FOSTER

IN the last Vanguard we looked at "Your will be done". I now want to look at this next clause linked to it. What does this mean as far as our prayers are concerned?
1. It means that wherever we are doing God's will here on earth, "God's will is being done on earth". As we saw before — it is vital that it is God's will we are doing, not our own schemes dressed up as God's will. And our hearts naturally being what they are we can easily deceive ourselves in this matter. As we die to self and our own (well-intentioned) plans and are obedient to God — then God's will is being done through us on earth.
But that is part but not all of the sense of this phrase.
As it is in heaven implies something rather more. In heaven God's will is being done continuously and without flaw, let or hindrance. Whereas here on earth it might be said that God's will was not being done — at least consciously by the vast majority of mankind. We are members of a rebel race who flout the laws of God and ignore His gospel through His Son Jesus.
I suppose it could be argued that in a sense this is still under God's sovereignty, but we must distinguish between what God allows and what God wills in this context: that God allows sinners to perish is one thing — but it is not God's will that any should perish:
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Messiah Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time" (1 Timothy 2:1-6).
This reminds us clearly that we should pray earnestly for the salvation of everyone. God so loved the world,
"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did" (1 John 2:2).
Thus we have no excuse to sit back and not be witnesses. We must walk as He walked John tells us — that is doing only the Will of God as He did. He did what all of us should try to do:
"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Mic 6:8 NIV).
"Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does" (Jn 5:19 NIV).
"So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me" (Jn 8:28 NIV).
Now I know that we will fail: we will be self-willed — we are not yet in a state of sinless perfection and when we sin we have an advocate with the Father.
But there is ample provision in the cross of Christ for the sins of the world — not just enough for a few. God's salvation plan is not designed like the Titanic — with far too few lifeboats. There is ample grace for all — but the sad truth remains that though there is salvation offered to all — not all avail themselves of it and not all hear of it because they are not doing the Will of God.
Thus this part of the Lord's prayer points us to praying for others to be saved: knowing that THAT is most certainly God's Will. Now whereas we are not in control of who gets saved when, we also need to be careful not to assume that `X` or `Y` won`t get saved — so we won't pray for them or speak to them about the gospel. Again it is true Jesus told us not to cast pearls before swine or give what is holy to dogs (Matthew 7:6) but that is about something slightly different. Namely that we should not for example assume people ARE believers and teach them "the things of God" when their minds and hearts are unregenerate — when they first of all need to hear the gospel of repentance. It is a little like going into a class of children aged nine and trying to teach them quantum physics as one might to first year undergraduates — not only will they not understand it, but they will probably become very unruly!
But did not Jesus sometimes restrict the preaching of the gospel?
"These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: `The kingdom of heaven is near'" (Matthew 10:5-7).
Here Jesus DOES make a distinction as to whom they were to preach to. Only to Jews, but it is important again to see the reason for this.
It was through the Jews that God brought salvation (John 4:22) and it was offered to the Jews first — why? So that God would just save them and let the world go hang? No! It would be through the Jews that gospel would then go out in due time to the whole world. Remember that in Jesus' day there were Jews scattered all over the known world inside the Roman empire and way beyond its borders to the north and east. If there is one thing that every foreign missionary knows it is that they often have the very hard task of learning a language as well as learning the bible: A missionary needs both to be instructed in the Word and instructed in languages. But if you think about it, these Jews were all at least bilingual. If, for sake of argument, the Jewish nation as a whole had accepted Jesus as Messiah then all these communities all over the world would have been `live centres of mission' without the particular need for extra `language learning'. It might be argued that if this had happened Jesus would not have been crucified and there would have been no sacrifice for sin — but in fact He most certainly would have been by the Romans.
But although this somewhat `idealised` route was not to be — the opportunity nonetheless was given through this preaching tour. It was two chapters later (Matthew 12:24) that the Jewish leadership committed the ultimate (and unforgivable) sin of rejecting Him (accusing Him of being possessed by Beelzebub) — I'll talk a bit more about that when we get to the phrase on forgiveness in a later article (God willing) — from then on it was through the faithful remnant that the `plan' would be carried out: through "the Twelve". Even so the principle remained: Jews from every nation under heaven were converted at Pentecost, and Paul still worked on the principle that the gospel was "to the Jew first" (Romans 1:16) — again for the same reason. He always went to the Jewish communities first be they synagogues or prayer meetings (as at Philippi). It was always going to be that God would fulfil the promise through Abraham: that through his seed all the nations would be blessed.
As predicted by Zechariah 8:23: "This is what the LORD Almighty says: `In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, `Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'"
"Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith" (Galatians 3:6-9).
And still today God brings blessing especially through believing Jews.
2. But the prayer has a second element in it: One day Heaven and Earth will be in harmony. A new heaven and a new earth. One day all who live will live in the Will of God — sin and death will be no more. When Jesus returns and deals in judgement with those who have not repented and resurrects to eternal life all who have — be they Jew or Gentile.
"We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord`s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Messiah will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18).
Until He comes let us seek to do the will of God here on earth.

PHILIP FOSTER

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Appeared in Issue 12 September 2000
"...contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" -- Jude v3