Hope Weekly – May 7, 2012

“Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is Heaven.”

Jesus’ words found in Matthew 6:9-10 and the Sermon on the Mount.

I have a confession to make, the more I read and study the Bible, the less I know about what is written in the Bible.

I am going through a time in my life when I have more questions than answers. I don’t doubt God’s existence, or that salvation is found in the God-Man Jesus. But my questions lie in the verses that are found in Matthew 6:9-10 and the many others I don’t understand.

Last week at lunch I was telling a good friend at school, who is one of the wisest and most committed believers I know about a conversation Drew and I had the week before. Drew, my 4-year old son, and I were driving down the road and from the backseat he says, “Dad you know, that when I am in heaven, I will be able to eat peanuts.”

For those of you who don’t know, Drew has a peanut allergy. It is severe enough that an epi-pen is always close by just in case peanuts are ingested.

What did he mean by this bold statement?

We have been reading bible stories for quite some time out of his bible and he is a regular attendee at Sunday school. Somewhere along the line he has made the connection that “in heaven” everything is ok and there is no sickness.

Well a couple of days had passed since I had shared the “peanut” story with my friend at school. She was sitting outside her classroom during our plan time when I walked by and she began to engage me in a conversation.

“Brian, do you believe in divine healing?” she asked.

I responded without hesitation and said, “yes”.

She then went on to share with me the above verse and that I need to begin to teach Drew how to pray for healing of his peanut allergy, NOW, as it will be in heaven.

I agreed and our conversation continued on about walking in the Truth of God’s Word and how we sometimes as believers don’t do a very good job of ‘claiming’ those truths that God has for His sons and daughters.

Herein lies my struggle.

How Does faith (or lack thereof) and God’s will coexist?

Is it God’s will that Drew has a peanut allergy for the remaining time he lives on this earth or does my lack of faith prevent God from healing him of it?

Is the answer “yes” to both of those questions or do I just accept that we live in a ‘broken’ world and this will be one of Drew’s crosses that he must carry?

“On earth as it is in Heaven.”

As believers can we really pray for that to occur? If so, this changes everything!

The statement that Jesus makes in Matthew seems so basic and yet so complicated.

I am guessing that it has been the question that has given many people sleepless nights as they struggle with the pain that either they or a loved one are being burdened by.

Tears, anxiety, frustration and confusion all intertwined as we struggle to find the answer of, “Why does God heal one and not the other?”

We are told that, “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20.

What does that mean?

My mustard seed must be microscopic, because I have not moved any mountains?

I guess I need to grow my faith muscle. How? Romans 10:17 says, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

Listen-Study-Trust-Act

Are we, as believers, truly walking, by faith, in prayer, and allowing God to intervene “on earth as it is in heaven?”

I think I have faith, but maybe God is calling me, you, each of us, to pray more boldly, more humbly, and more for “God’s will to be done, HERE, as it is THERE.”

Dad, Mom, and Drew will continue to pray earnestly, boldly, and passionately for complete healing of his peanut allergy.

In fact, we are encouraged by our heavenly Father to come before His throne and place our requests before Him and ask for mercy in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Whether our problem or request is big or small, God cares. Just like when a young child crawls up into the lap of a parent when they are scared or unsure, I am guessing God also desires that we do the same. We are never too old to crawl up into the lap of our Abba Father.

Trust Dad-He has EVERYTHING under His control.

As believers, let us be bold as we humbly ask God to bring heaven here to Earth. Let us be part of bringing some heaven to earth…NOW…as it will be someday.