So on earth as it is in heaven
Dr. Roberto Miranda
SUMMARY: In this fallen world, God's will is opposed by the powers of darkness led by Satan. Our longing should be for the day when God's will is done on earth as it is in heaven, without any opposition. In heaven, there is total surrender to God's will, and this should be our attitude on earth. Let us strive to be an expression of God's will on earth despite the opposition.
In this fallen and evil-ruled world, God's will is grudgingly carried out, despite great opposition. There is a spirit of sin in the world, 'which opposes and rises up against everything that is called God or is the object of worship' (2 Thessalonians 2: 4). The powers of darkness exist to oppose the will of God, and to contradict every noble or holy principle that exists on earth. Satan's desire is to subvert the divine will, and fill the heart of man with the same spirit of rebellion and pride that seizes his own heart. This is your reason for being, your only purpose in creation. Satan is the Adversary, the opponent par excellence, the origin of all resistance to the will of God in creation.
Creation groans for the day when God's will is accomplished in the world without any resistance. Jesus Christ teaches us to pray that God's will be done "as in heaven, so also on earth." Our burning longing must be for the day when the will of God — his holy purposes, his initiatives to promote love, life, and justice — will be fulfilled with as much spontaneity and fluidity in the world as they are fulfilled in heaven. In heaven there is no opposition to the will of God. There, the delight of all its inhabitants is that the Father manifests his Person and his holy purposes.
In Revelation 4:10 the apostle John presents us with the wonderful scene of twenty-four elders, wonderful beings full of mystery, who prostrate themselves before the one seated on the throne, and worship the one who lives forever and ever. These elders take their crowns, symbol of their authority and royalty, and cast them before the throne as a sign of total submission to the will of the King of kings and Lord of lords. That is the attitude that rules heaven — total surrender to God's will, delight in submitting to Him, absolute desire for His will to be done.
Let us long for the day when a similar scene will be universally played in the world. May all creation embrace the Creator's sublime purposes, and may the world be a perfect reflection of his holy will. In the meantime, let us do our best to be ourselves an expression of that nonresistance fulfillment of God's will on earth.
Creation groans for the day when God's will is accomplished in the world without any resistance. Jesus Christ teaches us to pray that God's will be done "as in heaven, so also on earth." Our burning longing must be for the day when the will of God — his holy purposes, his initiatives to promote love, life, and justice — will be fulfilled with as much spontaneity and fluidity in the world as they are fulfilled in heaven. In heaven there is no opposition to the will of God. There, the delight of all its inhabitants is that the Father manifests his Person and his holy purposes.
In Revelation 4:10 the apostle John presents us with the wonderful scene of twenty-four elders, wonderful beings full of mystery, who prostrate themselves before the one seated on the throne, and worship the one who lives forever and ever. These elders take their crowns, symbol of their authority and royalty, and cast them before the throne as a sign of total submission to the will of the King of kings and Lord of lords. That is the attitude that rules heaven — total surrender to God's will, delight in submitting to Him, absolute desire for His will to be done.
Let us long for the day when a similar scene will be universally played in the world. May all creation embrace the Creator's sublime purposes, and may the world be a perfect reflection of his holy will. In the meantime, let us do our best to be ourselves an expression of that nonresistance fulfillment of God's will on earth.
