If you’re at all like me, you probably have a few burdens or unmet desires you’ve prayed about for years. I’ve had seasons of consistent prayer, times of fasting and crying out, and bouts of stoic checklist prayers. Occasionally, tears were all I had. I’ll even admit to trying to ignore pain, but it’s there. I know you have these burdens too; Jesus said none of us are immune to it. Our troubles may take a different appearance, but I think they really come from the same place. We long for the Kingdom, where God’s good ways are all that we know.
Our new song “On Earth as it is in Heaven” by Chris McClarney, is a powerful reminder to me to pray kingdom-minded prayers. Prayers that say “not my will, but yours” even when we have a very specific desire unmet, because we believe our truest hope is found in our good Father, not just in the answer. The title and chorus are taken from the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, “Let Your kingdom come, Let Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”(vs. 10.) Throughout the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus shows us the importance of turning our hearts to our Father and trusting that He is what our hearts long for and His good plan, the Kingdom, is what we truly need. This song echoes the same. In the verses we can admit that this longing may be hidden deep within under pain or pride, but as we turn our hearts and wait for the Lord, as the song leads us to do, we realize all the other desires are small in comparison and the cry that remains is for His will to be done. And this cry comes with a letting go of our will, because we believe He really is good.
This new song has been such an encouragement to me, stirring my faith and drawing my attention off of temporary circumstances and onto God’s good heart for us – the Kingdom. I pray that this song would encourage us to believe together that His will is good and that we would find our longing for Him is growing.
