On Earth as it is in Heaven

Winter Aurora Borealis

Since 2020, the northern lights in Saskatchewan seem to increase in intensity and show up in living colour. They dance and move across the night sky delighting residents and visitors.

Have you ever wondered what the 'cloud' looked like as it led the Israelites across the desert? Me either but a favourite author of mine, Connilynn Cossette gave me a new way to consider what it must have been like for the Israelites to see God's presence. The aurora borealis remind me of God's glory.

They welcomed my sixteen year old grandfather when he moved to Canada from Ukraine back in 1925. The sight mesmerized him and he never tired of telling the story of the welcome he experienced from the living skies.

Summer Aurora Borealis

Why am I talking about God's glory when I'm doing a series on the Lord's Prayer?

There's a verse in Romans 8:30 which states, " And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." The word 'glorified' caught my attention. Paul is talking about Christians. We are going to be made worthy or perfected for heaven. Just like God always does, he does all the work necessary to 'fit us for heaven'.

I hadn't intended to separate the phrase of 'your will be done on earth as it is in heaven' before I started writing this series. Let's allow our imagination to soar.

Do you see the cloud of those who've passed on celebrating and praising the One who made them? Can you envision angels going on assignment after God tells them where and what to do? Do you wonder at the glorious Being on the Throne surrounded by light and the constant music of heaven? If the aurora borealis is a tiny window of the wonders of heaven, can you picture the magnificent extraordinary light shows which await us?

The sin of pride doesn't interfere in heaven. The entanglement of the flesh doesn't trip us in heaven. The sin of others against us melts in the forgiven state of heaven. Evil or the absence of God, doesn't exist in heaven. Brokenness is made whole in heaven. Suffering from hunger or grief or the effects of war or terror or depression or dementia or Alzheimers or loneliness disappears in heaven.

Consider this an invitation to pray without hesitation or fear. When you're challenged by an obstacle or wrestling through an inner battle, remember that the Holy Spirit comes alongside and intercedes with you according to the will of the Father(see Romans 8:26-27). Or when you gather with other believers to pray for your nation or for courage to stand. Remember what happened in Acts 4:31.

"While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God’s Word with fearless confidence." (The MSG) Jesus invites us to pray this prayer with boldness. Can you imagine what we will see as we seek for His will to be carried out here on eath as it is in heaven?

May the glory of God continue to fill the earth.