On earth as it is in heaven. It seems like a small, almost insignificant phrase in a prayer full of such magnificent petitions. But a closer look reveals a whole new way of seeing, not only this prayer our Lord taught us, but His entire work.

First, we should notice that our English translation reverses the word order. In Greek, Matthew 6:10 actually reads: as it is in heaven so also upon earth. This doesn’t change the meaning of the phrase, but the Greek word order conveys the right movement. What happens in heaven determines what happens on earth. Heaven sets the pattern which earth must follow. Heaven is the light, earth the reflection.

The Lord’s Prayer is not the only place where Scripture speaks of this pattern, where earth mirrors heaven. Psalm 19 directs us to the heavens of this creation, that is to the sky (or what we now coldly and boringly call “outer space”).

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language,
where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven,
and his circuit unto the ends of it:
and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul:
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever:
the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

Outer space is not empty, but full of light; and these created heavens and their celestial spheres reflect who God is and what He does. The sun is an analogy for the Law and Word of God, and for the Bridegroom Himself, the Word made flesh. Earth (or in this case the sun, moon, and stars) reflect the working of God. This creation follows the pattern set by its Creator.

A more straightforward example of this heavenly pattern appearing on earth is explained in the Epistle to the Hebrews, particularly chapters 8 and 9.

1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. 4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” (Heb. 8:1–5).

23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these [sacrifices of the Old Testament], but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (Heb. 9:23–24).

Notice how the writer to the Hebrews drives home the point of what God says to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 25:9, 40; Numbers 8:4; Stephen says the same in Acts 7:44). The Old Testament tabernacle was a replica of God’s heavenly temple and throne room. As it is in heaven so also it was upon earth where the Aaronic priesthood ministered. The earthly tabernacle followed the pattern of heaven. But what the writer to the Hebrews wants to make most clear is that Christ is a greater priest who serves a greater temple. He does not minister in the copy, but in the true heavenly temple made by God. He entered the very presence of God with His own holy blood and made satisfaction for us once and for all. And now in the earthly tabernacle of the New Testament Church, a new heavenly pattern is followed. The sacrifice for sin has been offered, but now Christ serves as our minister, purifying us who are with Him in the heavenly places, making us holy by His body and blood.

So, back to the Lord’s Prayer: on earth as it is in heaven. This little phrase is connected especially to the first three petitions, but we can also let this heavenly pattern run through the entire prayer. Notice where the prayer starts: Our Father who art in heaven. The prayer begins with God in His dwelling place with all His heavenly host. And then, as our Small Catechism emphasizes, the prayer begins to move from heaven to earth: God’s name is certainly holy in itself (that is, in heaven), but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also (that is, on earth); so also with His kingdom and His will. We are praying that we would be like the holy angels and saints in heaven who always hallow God’s name, who always dwell in His kingdom, who always do His will. We are praying that we would follow that pattern and participate in the life of heaven even now.

With the fourth petition, the focus shifts to more earthly needs, but do not let heaven fall from your sight. When we pray for daily bread, we are asking that the blessing of heaven would rest upon the earth; that the earth would be fruitful and provide for all our needs in this body and life. When we pray for God to forgive us our trespasses, we are asking for the blessing of heaven to be given to our souls; that the blood of Jesus would cleanse and cover us, purify and sanctify us, and make us fit for God’s presence in heaven. And when we forgive those who trespass against us, we are actually living the life of heaven here and now. When we pray, lead us not into temptation, we are recognizing that we live in a spiritual world, with dangers to both body and soul. We are asking that God would lead us to what is good; that He would say to us: “Don’t go that way! That way is death. Come, heaven is this way.”

Finally, we pray, deliver us from evil. The ultimate deliverance from evil is that God would give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven. The prayer ends where it began: in heaven. If you need more evidence of the Lord’s Prayer running with this heavenly pattern, notice the context in which our Lord gave this prayer. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches the Lord’s Prayer along with three spiritual disciplines: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting—three disciplines that help you lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:20). So, we pray that we would follow the pattern of heaven on earth, but ultimately we pray that we would leave the pattern, the copy here on earth, and go to the true, the original in heaven. We are being transformed… from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18). We are headed for the new creation, where heaven and earth are one, where the original and the pattern are perfectly united, where God dwells forever with man.