The Lord's Prayer "on earth as it is in heaven"

When we pray that God's kingdom and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven there are a few things to think about. The first thing is how does His kingdom work in heaven? His rule is fully over the realm of heaven. His rule is realized by all who reside in heaven. We pray that this world would feel the greatness and majesty of His rule. We ask that He would institute His rule over all of us.
The second thing to contemplate is how does His will work in heaven. I would surmise that when His will is made known in heaven that there isn't any argument, any second guessing, any unwillingness to complete His will. In heaven, God's will is done without delay. So when we pray that His will would be done on earth, we are asking that His will would be accomplished without hesitation. That we would do His will immediately as it is made known to us.
Take some time to contemplate what God Kingdom and His will would look like if they ruled your life. What would you do different knowing that God wants you to do His will without argument or indecision?

The Lord's Prayer "your will be done"

I have been praying this prayer a lot recently. I have asked for God's will to be done. Sometimes it is easier said than done. It can be hard to determine God's will for my life and how I should go about fulfilling it. I believe that this prayer is part of figuring out what God wills. When we ask for His will to be done and during the day we have something happen that was unexpected, a phone call, an interruption that really messes up our day, how do we respond? We asked for God's will to be done and now something seems to be getting in the way of our plans. Maybe, just maybe it is God interrupting our plans so that His will could be done. We need to be aware that when we pray this prayer that God will bring about His will. We should look for it to happen instead of looking at our plans and wondering why they didn't happen. Expect God's will to become known to you throughout the day and get on board with His will. Pray that you will see interruptions and disruptions as divine appointments in your day that God planned for you to see His will completed. Be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit throughout the day.

The Lord's Prayer "your kingdom come"

What is God's kingdom and how should we understand it? When we think of a kingdom we tend to think about a geographical domain that in under control of a leader or country. Or a realm of control. The United States of America has clearly defined borders where you can look on a map and say there it is or isn't. This isn't how the kingdom is used in the New Testament. When Jesus and the apostles use the word kingdom they mean something else. The kingdom is the right to rule and not real estate. When Jesus prayed for God's Kingdom to come he was asking that God would exercise His authority, His right to rule based on His might, power and glory. When we pray this prayer we are asking God to bring abut His right to rule on this earth. We want God to display His kingly rule and power over all of creation. We are asking Him to destroy the kingdom of darkness. We seek that He would be ruler over all. One day He will rule over all the realms of this earth. We pray that His rule would expand until the day comes when He takes the entire realm. Is His rule expanding over your life? Pray that He would rule in all your affairs this week.

The Lord's Prayer "hallowed be thy name"

Jesus continued the Lord's prayer with "hallowed be thy name." This is not meant to be a statement of praise. It is a request in the original language saying: "Father... sanctify your name!" You could paraphrase it like this. Father, lift up, exalt, single out, manifest and reveal Your name to all who inhabit the earth. Become famous for who you really are. Make the people of the earth come to know and adore you.
Jesus was in effect asking, and telling us to ask, His Father to glorify His own name. We need to recapture this meaning of hallowed be thy name. We are asking God to make His name known and praised in all the earth. It is a reminder that God is the one who does the work in and through us as we follow Him to make His name known in all the earth. So go ahead and praise God, but also ask Him to make His name known so that the whole world would praise Him also.

The Lord's Prayer "Our Father"

When Jesus was asked to teach his disciples he started out by saying "Our father." This is significant because God was not seen as a father figure. God was an almighty, most powerful God who created everything and had a list of rules and regulations to follow. Jesus introduces us to God, the Father. He includes his disciples in this when he uses the word our. God is our Father. He isn't a remote God who you cannot approach except in dire circumstances or with specific rituals. He is a father who cares deeply for his children. A father who sees exactly what they need and gives it to them. A father who is perfect. More perfect than even the best of fathers. Many of us can't even grasp what kind of father God is because our own earthly fathers have not been good examples of God's love. Take some time in the next few days to ask God to show you how he cares for you as a child. Look at your own earthly father and be honest with yourself in where he failed you and don't expect God to fail you in the same way. God is the Father that all of us fathers should strive to be like but fail so short of time and time again. Ask God to open your eyes to His love for you. He is Our Father.