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ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
By Niki Behrikis Shanahan
If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. John 15:7
When the disciples asked Jesus how they should pray He said the famous “Our Father” prayer. One of the very interesting parts of that prayer is that Jesus said we should pray that Thy will be done ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. That leads us to ask the question, how are things in Heaven? Is there any sickness in Heaven? Is there any trouble in Heaven? Is there any lack of finances or things we need? Is there any death in Heaven? The answer to all of these questions is NO! Therefore, when we are praying for our needs, we need to look at this statement that Jesus made and realize that we don’t have to ask if it’s God’s will for us or our pets to be healed or to have the things we need. He said pray that we have things here on earth as they are in Heaven.
Jesus further reinforced this fact by healing people everywhere He went, and so did His disciples and other Christians. He also said “I have come that you might have life and more abundantly.” That means He wants us to have the very longest, healthiest, and happiest life that we can possibly have here on earth.
There are times when we should ask God if it’s His will when praying. Things that come to mind are which job should I take, what house should I buy, what car should I buy, which pet is the right one for me. These things are all important to us, and we should seek God’s will on what is the right thing to do. However, we should always know that God wants us and our pets to be healthy. He doesn’t want our pets to be lost out in the world somewhere away from us, and He doesn’t want us to have difficulty paying for food, shelter and other needs for us and our beloved animal companions.
I believe one of the first things we need to establish in our minds is that God wants us healthy, happy and well. If we are not sure that God wants this for us, how can we have the faith we need to receive from God? I know that we all get frustrated when we don’t see the answer to our prayers quickly enough. I, too, feel this way many times, but please don’t get discouraged. The Lord loves you and your pets, and He will help you. We know that when it’s time, our pets will go to Heaven and they’ll be waiting there for us. This is a fact through the Scriptures, and it is so very comforting. May God bless each of you, and your beloved animal companions greatly!
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
Copyright Niki Behrikis Shanahan 2010