“ Your kingdom come, your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven”
Through our relationship with Him, God invites us to become part of his mission for the whole world, that it should be the image of heaven. God yearns for his people to live in a world that is governed fairly and justly, where the plentiful resources of creation are distributed equally, where peace reigns and everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, age and all those other barriers we use to discriminate against each other, is able to thrive and become the person that God has truly called them to be. Just like any loving parent, God longs for all his children to be healthy, happy and to fulfil their purpose through the unique gifts He has bestowed upon us all.
Yet when disaster befalls any of us either individually or collectively, we often question God. How can it be HIs will for wars to rage around the world, causing people to be uprooted from their homes, to live in constant fear, to be killed or sustain terrible injuries. How can it be God’s will that so many millions live in abject poverty without access to even the basic necessities of clean water, food and shelter. How can it be God’s will that children are abused in their own homes, that people are attacked just because of the colour of their skin, because of the faith they practice or because of who they choose to form a loving relationship with. We could go on questioning God about why, if He is so compassionate and merciful, He lets such dreadful things happen.
Or we could start questioning ourselves and each other about why we ignore injustice and cruelty, why we don’t hold those in power to account, why we don’t try and make even just a tiny difference to our world.
And we can take action – it doesn’t need to be huge acts that change the world, small acts of kindness are equally effective. A smile or wave at someone who is looking worried or sad can make a massive difference to that person’s day. And kindness is infectious – if someone is kind to us, then we are encouraged to pass that kindness on and so God’s will is done.
As disciples of Jesus we are required to be obedient just as He was to God’s will – “yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:44) He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.
We are kingdom servants, we all have a responsibility to work to fulfil God’s mission for the world. And with every small act, with every prayer Heaven on each becomes ever more possible.