As we’re reminded by the daily news, we live in a messed up world. At any given moment there is war raging somewhere – or in multiple places. And there are leaders who put their own advancement above the good of their people. We long for a better world. We long for peace and justice.

So is our faith only ‘pie in the sky bye and bye’? We look forward to Heaven, yes, but do we have to wait for Heaven to experience all the good things of Heaven? As you can imagine the answer is ’No’ and ‘Yes’. We don’t have to wait until Heaven to experience God’s nearness, peace, happiness, and sweet fellowship with other believers. But we do have to wait till Heaven for new bodies, world peace, and happy-making circumstances. God’s kingdom is both present and future. We get to participate in it now and will experience it in its fullness when all of God’s plans come to fruition.

Right now we have his peace in the midst of upheaval. Then we will have his peace in utterly peaceful surroundings. Now we experience his nearness by faith from afar, and then we will see him and will be with him where he is. Now we are happy in him in spite of our circumstances and then we’ll be happy with him in a perfect place. Now we can enjoy being in unity with other believers even though we miss dearly loved ones that have gone ahead of us to Heaven. Then we will blissfully enjoy every dear one we have loved here as well as saints we never met on earth but will know there.

King David looked forward to God’s kingdom physically on the earth in the future but knew that God already rules in the hearts of his people. He knew that although God had given him the kingdom of Israel and Judah to rule over during his lifetime, there’s also a greater kingdom with a higher King who would rule now and forever.

“All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.” Psalm 145:10-13

Isaiah understood this and held out hope during Israel’s darkest days that this eternal King who now rules from Heaven would come to earth to bring peace and justice.

“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7

Daniel, God’s prophet far from his beloved homeland and serving a foreign king who controlled the known world, bravely told the king about an eternal kingdom that superseded his. The king himself later came to believe in the Most High and made this statement:

“How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation…Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. . .His rule is everlasting,
and his kingdom is eternal.
All the people of the earth
are nothing compared to him.
He does as he pleases
among the angels of heaven
and among the people of the earth.
No one can stop him or say to him,
‘What do you mean by doing these things?’ Daniel 4:3, 34-35

Sometime later, Daniel had a vision of the One who would rule in the hearts of those who love and obey God and would at the end of time rule over the world without contest.

The beautiful thing is that we can experience God’s kingdom on a daily basis even while evil seems to rule. When we are obeying our King’s commands, we are experiencing his benevolent rule in our lives. Therefore, we enjoy his peace and his happiness. We taste the bliss of his wise and kind control. Each small obedience allows us to participate in his kingdom. That is why our Lord Jesus prayed:

“May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

His prayer is answered every time we do the right thing. Our obedience to his will is bringing his kingdom to earth. We have the privilege of living in his kingdom now. Our economy becomes God’s kingdom economy. We invest our time and money in what has eternal significance. We value the things our King values. We have priorities that align with his, not those of our society. We treat others with the compassion of Christ. And in doing so, others see our King and his kingdom.

At the end of time, when evil is judged and eradicated, the Lord’s prayer will be completely fulfilled. God’s will will be done on earth as perfectly as it is done now in Heaven. Someday there will be no more attacks of the evil one on God’s people and no more inclination in our own hearts toward evil. Satan and sin will be vanquished and eliminated and we will do the will of our Father perfectly. In the meantime, He helps us daily by answering another part of the Lord’s prayer:

“And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13

Let’s keep looking up. Let’s remember that we are citizens of a great kingdom that has existed through the generations and we are experiencing it in our generation. Someday, in God’s perfect timing, he will assert his reign physically on earth and his enemies and ours will be put where they can no longer cause heartache and harm. Then we’ll revel in the full answer to Jesus’ prayer, “May your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Hallelujah!!!