2018 在地若天

Sharing from Crystal Chan (SEEC 2018 advisor, Guildford)

Matthew 6:10
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus came from Heaven to earth, word became flesh, to tell us about God’s kingdom and invites us to be a part of it. God knows our sorrows and tears, and He is the only hope of all nations. Hence, Jesus taught us how to pray and petition- “God’s will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.
When we pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, our prayers flow towards two directions:
1. Earth to heaven – When we find ourselves struggling in this fallen world tainted by sin, we are encouraged to pray for God’s will to be done in our situations. We invite heaven to come to earth and we see this when Father God pours out His grace, love, gifts, wisdom and peace into these difficult situations.
2. Heaven to earth – When we see injustice, poverty and suffering in this fallen world tainted by sin, we have the privilege to petition for these earthly situations and bring these to God’s throne of mercy and grace in heaven. How privileged it is to have the Holy Spirit, who advocates on our behalf anyway, to teach us how to pray in these difficult situations (Rom 8:26-27).
Glory and praises to be with our God in Trinity!
In both directions, we desire God’s will and sovereignty in the situations. We thank Jesus for giving us hope while we find ourselves in the “already but not yet”. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Cor 13:12).
May God reveal to us more truth on how His kingdom operates and stir within us a desire to petition more to have His kingdom on earth and to help us to have the heavenly perspective.

耶穌道成肉身，從天降臨到地上，是要告知我們天父掌管萬有 ，並邀請我們進入祂的國度裡。因為 上帝能完全體會我們在罪中敗壞之哀痛，並且是萬國唯一的盼望及拯救，所以耶穌教導我們要如此禱告：「願祢的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。」
當我們祈求 上帝的旨意行在地上如同行在天上時，禱告會雙向流動：
1. 地向天- 當我們在這充滿罪惡的世界掙扎時，耶穌鼓勵我們祈求 上帝的旨意成就在我們身上。我們渴望天國降臨，而我們其中的一個憑據，就是在困難當中體會父 上帝所傾出的恩典、慈愛、智慧和平安。
2. 天向地- 當我們看見因世界敗壞所引致的不公義、貧困和苦難時，我們有幸能為地上的事祈求，並將這些事帶到 上帝的施恩寶座前。我們何等有幸有聖靈為我們代求，並教導我們如何在困苦中禱告。 （羅 8：26-27）
願讚美和榮耀歸於三一真神！
無論向何方，我們都渴望 上帝的旨意和權柄降臨。感謝耶穌於「已經來了，但未成全」(Already but not yet) 的時候給予盼望。正如保羅在哥林多前書13章12節提到：「我如今所知道的有限，到那時就全知道，如同主知道我一樣。」
願 上帝曉諭我們更多天國的奧秘，使我們渴慕和憧憬天國降臨，並培養屬天情操。