July 05th, 2020

The Lord’s Will on Earth
 
Isaiah 6:11-13 Then I said, “For how long, O Lord?” And he answered: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, 12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. 13 And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”
 
WHEN you pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) it is likely you seldom, if ever, consider you are praying for God’s judgment to destroy evil. Our vision of these words is God erasing the multitude of afflictions and sins that disrupt God’s kingdom from coming. But what must happen for heaven’s complete will to be done on earth? Sins must be judged. The unrepentant must be condemned. Evil must be defeated and abolished.
    That is God’s purpose for Judah. He will judge the unbelieving, pagan-worshiping people into their destruction. They will not escape God’s will done on earth because, as we have seen, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3). It is our tendency in our sin nature to believe, “I can escape punishment. My sin isn’t so bad. Surely, God will let this pass.” The Jews of Judah and Jerusalem acted that way. They repeatedly refused to hear God’s Word, listen to his warning or repent of their sins. Thus, the judgment will go on as long as it takes for God’s will to be done.
    Then see, as always, the evidence of the will of God’s mercy. A repeated illustration of God’s redemptive power comes in the vision of the terebinth and oak stumps regenerating to new tress. These trees would look dead but would regenerate to reproduce many more trees. In a like manner, God will preserve a tenth, a remnant of the Jews. From this remnant will come the holy seed to be the stump. Of course, this points to Jesus. He will be the stump to bring forth the new harvest of God’s people on earth.
    This is God’s will. As you pray, then, “Your will be done.” pray it often with the mindset you are praying for the kingdom of God to come fully onto the earth. You are praying for God’s justice and his salvation to come, for sin to be gone and life everlasting to begin on earth as it is in heaven.
 
Revelation 21:2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”