When we pray The Lord’s Prayer and say “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” what do we mean by that? What was Jesus’ intent in having that as part of the prayer that he gave us? Aren’t we praying for life here on earth to be, according to God’s will, like it is in heaven? In pondering the meaning of what we are praying, it would be ideal to contemplate life on earth in contrast to life in heaven as described in the bible.

Some bible passages that give us a glimpse as to what life is like in heaven follow:

1. He [God] will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever. (Revelation 21:4, TLB)

2. The one sitting on the throne [God] will shelter them; they will never be hungry again, nor thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb [Jesus] standing in front of the throne will feed them and be their Shepherd and lead them to the springs of the Water of Life. And God will wipe their tears away.” (Revelation 7:15b-17, TLB)

3. He [God] will arbitrate among the nations and dictate to strong nations far away. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nations shall no longer fight each other, for all war will end. There will be universal peace, and all the military academies and training camps will be closed down. Everyone will live quietly in his own home in peace and prosperity, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord himself has promised this. (Micah 4:3-4, TLB)

4. The Lord God will wipe away all tears and take away forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. (Isaiah 25:8b, TLB)

5. No temple could be seen in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are worshiped in it everywhere. (Revelation 21:22, TLB)

6. The home of God is now among men, and he will live with them and they will be his people; yes, God himself will be among them. (Revelation 21:3b, TLB)

7. For see, I am creating new heavens and a new earth—so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation. Look! I will re-create Jerusalem as a place of happiness, and her people shall be a joy! And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and in my people; and the voice of weeping and crying shall not be heard there anymore. (Isaiah 65:17-19, TLB)

What I find especially notable in these passages is the number of times it mentions that there will no longer be weeping and crying. These scriptures indicating God wiping away our tears shows how deeply He cares for his people. No death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain. No hunger, no thirst. No war, no fear, rather universal peace. No insults, no mockery. No temples because of God living among his people and worshipped everywhere. Happiness, joy, rejoicing.

If God’s will is for life on earth to be as it is in heaven, what is our responsibility toward making it so? They should not be just rote words that we recite, but rather a call for service—to care about and to comfort the downtrodden; to provide for the needy; to promote peace in our own lives, in the lives of those around us, and in our world; to treat everyone with love and respect, rather than with insults and mockery; to worship the Lord everywhere; and inasmuch as we can, to bring joy to those around us.

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