“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10 NIV
Do we really understand what that means for us who believe? Most of us have memorized the disciples' prayers. It’s not the Lord’s Prayer, because He was teaching them how to pray to His Father in order for us to get heaven’s response. We don’t need to turn to it, we know it by rote. But for the prayer to be effective, we need to understand the power behind every word.
Do we have faith to believe that heaven can come to earth? Think about it. God made it easy by bringing the glory of heaven to us by the earthly manifestation of His Son, Jesus. Heaven came to earth. Jesus said He only did and spoke what His Father demonstrated and spoke. This is why everywhere He went, the Bible says, He was doing good because God was with Him. He showed us what heaven on earth looked like by the things He did. So in teaching the disciples to pray, He was inviting them into His world.
And guess what? He has invited us too. Do we believe that we can see heaven on earth in 2020? I most certainly do! Do you have mustard seed faith? Then use it to touch heaven for what you need. Don’t be foolish and ask for what you can’t handle, start where you are. This way when God who is all knowing doesn’t grant what He knows will ruin your life, you won’t say He doesn’t answer. The first time I heard the audible voice of God say, “You have not because you don’t ask.” I put that word to the test in a simple request. I needed a particular silk floral arrangement in a certain color. I described it to the Lord and set out to find it at a particular store. When I got there, there was only one exactly as I described it. I continued doing that in other areas, and He kept building my faith.
As a single mom making peanuts, life was difficult. He not only provided but stretched me as well. I remember once all I had was the $100 dollars I needed to pay for daycare. All this is happening during the time I heard Him say what I shared. There was a hurricane in Jamaica and my aunt’s roof was damaged. Her son’s wife was asking the family to help repair it. This was not my favorite aunt. I hung up the phone and heard the audible voice of God say, “Send her a hundred dollars.” I said, “are you crazy? That’s all the money I have!” He repeated the order. So without saying anything to my brother about what God had told me to do, I mentioned to him that I was sending a hundred, he suggested that we split it. That sounded good to me. But after I hung up the phone, the audible voice of God said. “ I didn’t tell you to send fifty I said one hundred!” So I called my brother back and said you give the fifty but I have to give the hundred.
I proceeded to plead my case of needing the hundred by Monday to pay my daughter’s childcare bill. But He stayed silent. Long story short, I mailed the check that Saturday morning for the hundred dollars, not knowing what was going to happen. Monday morning nothing. Monday afternoon I went home for lunch. Opened my mail to a four hundred dollar money order, unexpected money that was owed me from a while back. He knew it was coming, I didn’t. But my obedience made it show up on time. There were times when I’d say to Him, “Sheri needs these items and this is all I have. I’m going to the store and I’m believing that I will come home with everything I need.” I have a friend named Kirstan who will bear witness to what I’m sharing. I’d go to Burlington Coat factory at the time, with $100 dollars. I’d tell her what I had asked the Lord for and she’d watch in amazement as I bought everything on my list and have change left over. She was a practicing agnostic at the time and God used these simple acts of miracles to change her mind.
I’m talking real shopping. Gunny sack (Jessica McClintock) dresses, that brand was expensive at the time. I’d find five dresses, shoes, socks, underwear, coats etc. whatever was on my list I got. Growing my faith to believe for little, led me to believe for much. I moved from that to believing for better cars, raises, promotion, homes, healings for myself and others. The ability to be a blessing as well as being blessed, came as a result of that encounter. He has continued to grow and stretch me in so many ways. But I’m sure most if not all of you have the same or similar testimonies. When faith touches heaven, heaven comes to earth.
We’ve never been to heaven, but Jesus demonstrated what Heaven is like. We have the Word as a guide to help us tap into the vast resources it has to offer. We read and understand what heaven is not. It’s not sickness, death or lack. We have been given authority in the Name of Jesus to bring what heaven represents to earth. We don’t have to die to experience heaven. We have been given the guarantee of His Spirit to live it here. Read that verse again, slowly and purposefully. Read it and get a godly vision of what that request means for you as a child of God. We have faith to move mountains. The problem is, we don’t believe it.😔 and it grieves His heart. Look at this verse:
“I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:19 AMP
When will we believe what He’s said? He meant every word. I’m more disappointed when things don’t happen than that it can’t. I expect your healing and deliverance whenever I pray. Whether it happens immediately or not is irrelevant. When I pray I believe! Why? Because I’m praying His will. His will is always for our good. When faith touches heaven, things have to change. Jesus didn’t wonder if people were going to be healed, neither did He agonize over calling Lazarus from a stinking tomb. As a matter of fact He had to call him by name or every dead within the sound of His voice would’ve walked out of their tombs. He knew if people had faith to believe, then His Father would respond in kind. When He took that little boy’s sack lunch and blessed it, He knew everyone present would be fed with leftovers. When faith touches Him/Heaven, He knew virtue would flow from Him. He knew showing up before the death of Lazarus was premature, so He waited four days, his body would’ve been decomposing. Resurrection wouldn’t have happened had He shown up too soon, healing would’ve happened. Daniel waited 21 days, not because God is late, you can’t be late when you’re omnipresent! The answer was so important that Satan wanted it stopped. Daniel’s persistency paid off. We give up in one hour. There are times when we’ll have to persevere in prayer through the circumstances we face, but if we won’t faint, heaven will show up.
When faith touches heaven for healing, heaven shows up because there’s no sickness in heaven. When faith touches heaven for lack, heaven shows up because there’s no lack in heaven. When faith touches heaven for peace, heaven shows up because there’s no chaos in heaven. When faith touches heaven for deliverance, heaven shows up, because there’s no bondage in heaven. When faith touches heaven for a sorrowful heart, heaven shows up to turn your mourning into joy because there’s only joy in heaven. When faith touches heaven for anything that has to do with His will, heaven shows up so His will is done. What are you believing for? Do you have faith to bring it from heaven to earth? You have not, because you ask not. Find out what His will is, and pray that. Pray only for His will, He cannot and will not deny you His will.
Jesus made this precious promise in John’s gospel and throughout the New Testament. “If you ask anything in My Name, My Father will do it.” Wow! That’s a promise worth pursuing, wouldn’t you agree? Then why are we living beneath the privileges of that promise? His plans are good. They’re promises to prosper and not harm. We have more faith in people than we do in God, who has a proven track record of faithfulness. Let your faith rise up and touch heaven today. He, more than we could ever ask imagine or think, desires to bring heaven to earth. Begin where you are, small faith is not a put off to Him, on the contrary it blesses Him. Just do it! Prove Him and see for yourself that He is good.
Scripture references: John 12:49; John 5:19; Acts 10:38; Matthew 17:20; Luke 17:6; James 4; John 14:4; 13-14; John 6; Matthew 9; Mark 5; Luke 8; John 11; Daniel 10; Philippians 4; Ephesians 2; Psalm 50:15; Psalm 147:3; Psalm 30; John 15:7; John 16:23; Jeremiah 29:11-12; Psalm 118:8; Ephesians 3:20; Matthew 17:20; Malachi 3.
Heavenly Father, we desire to live every promise. You sent Jesus to earth to teach us how to not only bring heaven to earth, but to live in the realities of it. Help us grow our faith by beginning where we are. Great faith starts in seed form. Tiny seeds that spring up to accomplish great things in Your Name. Give us wisdom and the grace to tap the untapped resources of heaven. You have so much in store for us if we’d only believe. Open our spiritual eyes to begin seeing what You see, and respond in faith. Help us bring Your Kingdom and will to earth through faith in Jesus’ finished work in our lives. In Jesus Name. Amen
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant