Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! (Psalm 67:3-5)

How can we expect the world to let God guide and govern, if God’s people don’t let him guide and govern? If Gods people were living with changed hearts, purposeful direction and abundance that they shared with others, the world would be changed and alive with praise to God.

Often our very lives distort and corrupt the grace, guidance and goodness that God offers. We hoard everything that God gives us so that we prosper, while the world’s poor, needy and dispossessed are in want and are suffering without God’s blessing – a blessing that is ours to share.

Ultimately, all God does for us is not just, or even primarily, for our good but for his glory. To be blessed by God is to be ready to be used by God. One day all the peoples of the earth will fear him and give him the reverence, respect and honour he deserves. That is the greatest blessing of all – when all the redeemed of the earth unite in worship of the only one who is worthy.
The sad fact is that there are billions of people on this planet who don’t know the God who created them – and they couldn’t even care less. We as God’s people want all the peoples to praise God and all the nations to be glad and sing for joy. Why? For three reasons: Firstly, God is worthy of everyone’s praise. Secondly, praising God for who he is changes us – which can change adverse circumstances; or at least the way we react to them. Thirdly, think of how communal praise would affect the way we live on this planet. No more war; strife would end as races and nationalities combine in praise of God
Moreover, we’d be motivated to help each other as Jesus commanded; feed the hungry, visit the prisoners, and aid the widows and orphans. Not out of compulsion but out of compassion – when Christ returns we shall see that day, and what a day it will be!

“For you will not go out with haste, nor will you go in flight [as was necessary when Israel left
Egypt]; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”
(Isa 52:12Amp)
Yesterday: God requires an account of the past from us all. And although we choose to turn
our minds to the future, anxiety and despondency very often arises when we remember our
yesterdays. And our present enjoyment of God’s grace is often diminished by the memory of
yesterday’s sins and blunders – if we allow it, that is!
But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He very often allows the memories of them to turn
the past into the spiritual growth needed for our future in order to protect us from a very
shallow security in the present.
Tomorrow: “… for the Lord will go before you …” And He will keep watch so that we will not
be tripped up again by the same failures, as would probably happen if He were not our “rear
guard.” And for those of us who know Him, we have the assurance that His hand has reached
back to the past, settling all the claims against our often troubled conscience.
Today: “… for you will not go out with haste …” let this not be with forgetful delight, nor with
quick impulsive thoughtlessness, but with the patient power of knowing that the God of
Israel, “… will go before us.”
For most of us, yesterdays bring shattered and regrettable things to mind, however, whilst it
is true that we have lost opportunities that will not return, God can transform this
destructive anxiety into constructive thoughtfulness for the future.
Therefore; let’s leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands and step out into an
unwavering future with Him, allowing Him to exhibit in us the virtues that were so
characteristic of the Lord Jesus Christ!

“So too the Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what
prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our
supplication and pleads on our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for
utterance.” (Rom 8:26 Amp)
We are all energised by the Holy Spirit for prayer; but we don’t often realise that the Holy Spirit prays
prayers for us which we cannot utter ourselves. When we are born again, and indwelt by the Spirit, He
expresses for us in prayer, the unutterable.
The Word tell us in v 27 that the Spirit “makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
And God searches our hearts, not to know what our conscious prayers are, but to find out what the
prayer of the Holy Spirit is.
The Spirit uses the nature of a Christian as a temple in which to offer His prayers of intercession. “Your
body is the temple of the Holy Spirit …” (1Cor. 6:19). When Jesus cleansed the temple He wouldn’t
allow anyone to carry merchandises through the temple (Mark: 11:16). This implies that the Spirit will
not allow us to use our bodies for our own conveniences. Jesus ruthlessly cast out all who bought and
sold in the temple, saying; “My house shall be called a house of prayer … But you have made it a den of
thieves”. (Mark 11:17)
Do we realise that our “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit”? If so, we have to be careful to keep it
undefiled for Him, remember that our conscious life is to be regarded by us as a temple of the Spirit. He
will be responsible for the unconscious part of which we are unaware, but we must pay careful attention
to and guard the conscious part for which we are responsible.

God said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go
to the region of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of
the mountains of which I will tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the
morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his
son Isaac …(Gen 22:2,3).
God’s command was, “Take now,” not later. Isn’t it amazing our tendency to
sometimes debate the odds! We know something is right, but often try and
find excuses for not doing it immediately.
When God spoke, Abraham did not speculate or look for the opinions of
others “He did not confer with flesh and blood”. Neither did Paul confer with
flesh and blood to discover the content of the gospel. He didn’t need to,
because the gospel was revealed directly to him by Jesus. (Gal 1:16)
Beware of when you want to confer with flesh and blood, or even your own
thoughts, insights, or understandings – any revelation that is not based on
your personal relationship with God. Neither did Abraham choose what the
sacrifice would be – always guard against self-chosen service for God, it
might impair your effectiveness in your efforts for the kingdom.
If the providential will of God means a time of difficulty for you, go through
with it. But never decide on the place of your own martyrdom, as if to say, I
will go thus far, but definitely no further. You must go through the trial without
making any assumptions, because in going through the trial you learn to
know God better, which is of course our supreme desire.
God is working in us His highest intentions – until His purpose and our
purpose become one.

A commonly used verse when speaking about somebody becoming a Christian is the verse in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me.”

These are wonderful words spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ and very true. It’s however important to understand how this verse fits in with the context around it in this chapter as well as how this fits in with the wider bible teaching about becoming a Christian. 

1. What does the context say?

The above words from Jesus are part of a message he sends to the church in Laodicea starting in Rev 3:14. Jesus starts with a strong message saying that the works of this church are useless to him. They are neither cold nor hot but lukewarm. What does this mean? 

It refers to 3 different types of natural streams in the area. There were cold and clean mountain water streams in nearby Colossae, there were hot springs that brought healing in nearby Hierapolis and there was a dirty, smelly lukewarm stream in Laodicea that no one could properly drink. The reference Jesus made here is very clear, the people in the church of Laodicea professed to know him but their works didn’t carry any good fruit. 

Reading on in verse 16, Jesus says: “because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” A clear sign of rejection of the church. He compares their earthly success of riches in v. 17 to their spiritual poverty and state in v. 17-18.

In this context, Jesus says he’s at the door of the church and knocks. A call of strong warning that if he’s not the center of the church and the one they look to for spiritual life, he will reject them altogether. 

      2. Does Jesus knock at an unbeliever’s heart?

Although the idea is nice to think that Jesus at one point will knock at everyone’s heart, there is nowhere in scripture that supports the idea that Jesus himself is knocking/pleading/begging to let in.
Put simply, Christ isn’t pleading on every sinner’s spiritual doorstep. Jesus doesn’t need to beg or badger anyone into the kingdom of heaven (John 10:27-28). Salvation isn’t merely a matter of the Lord getting a foot inside the door of your heart—it’s a work of total transformation (Ezekiel 36:26). And most important of all, salvation is not triggered by an act of the sinner’s will—it is God’s intervening work that rescues us from the just penalty of our sin (Ephesians 2:4-9).

Something else to consider is that the call to become a believer is much more than just “asking Jesus into your heart” or “opening the door to Jesus” although I understand the picture may help.

The process of turning to God and away from a sinful anti-God life starts with the repentance of sin and believing in Jesus’ death and resurrection and make Him Lord of your life. That’s more specific and more in line with the specific calls in the bible when people are urged to accept the gospel:

Rom 10:9: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Acts 2:38 → Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In summary, why this is important and helpful to us in our understanding of God and the gospel is that it takes the focus off us and puts the focus on him who is the author of salvation and that we may help people into a genuine and full understanding of salvation and the gospel leading to lasting fruit in their lives and not some false assurance. 

Many people, including professing Christians, use the words of the prophet Hosea in 4:6:

“My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge” (ESV)

This bible verse is often (mis)quoted by those looking to enforce their own agendas, theories or plans and it is also used to motivate or scare others into learning something new about a situation. 

It is true that people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. But what does that actually mean?

First of all, as a basic rule when trying to understand the scripture, we need to understand the words of the Hosea in its proper context. 

Hosea was a prophet instructed by God to marry a prostitute and have children with her. The names of the children then communicated a specific message of God to the people of Israel. God had viewed their ongoing rejection of Him and their continuous following of idols as adultery against Him. He had made a covenant with Israel and they were not keeping their part of it. 

In the story, Hosea’s wife Gomer leaves him and continues her immoral activities. Hosea is then instructed by God to buy her back as his wife. It is this act by which God illustrates His mercy to His people and His faithfulness to His covenant with them, despite their unfaithfulness. In the rest of the book, there is a continuous plea by the prophet for the people to return to their God, and there is a  love declaration by God to His people while at the same time a proclaimed judgment against them because of their sins. 

Then the accusation comes in chapter 4. 

It starts with Hosea 4:1:

“Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. 

There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land.”

God then lists their wrongdoings and makes it clear that they can’t blame anyone else for His anger and His rejection of them. 

Then in verse 6 He says:

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

It’s clear that the people have rejected knowledge in verse 6 and in verse 1, and even in verse 12, where it says they inquired of a piece of wood instead of God himself. 

The people of Israel are not just rejecting knowledge (as in information), but they are specifically rejecting the words of knowledge given by God. The same kind of language is used in verse 6 where knowledge almost seems to be addressed as a person. 

To understand what this relates to, we need to look further in the book of Hosea. See chapter 6:6 “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” 

The knowledge of God is what the prophet is looking for in the people of Israel.

How does scripture define wisdom?

Proverbs 1 speaks a lot about the wisdom of God and speaks of wisdom as a person that moves, that calls out, and that people can respond to by either accepting or rejecting it/her. 

Proverbs 1:22-25 speaks about a continuous rejection of God’s words, His counsel, His knowledge which really culminates in a rejection of Him. 

How does the writer here define wisdom? Verse 7 shows us: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”

The fear of the Lord is to obey Him, follow Him and trust in Him. 

How has God provided His wisdom and how do we accept and follow it/Him?

The apostle Paul makes it clear in 1 Cor.1:26-2:16 – specifically in verse 30:

“And because of Him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”

Jesus, the Word of God (John 1;1,14), personifies the wisdom of God, the spoken and written words of scripture. To have wisdom means to embrace and receive and surrender to Christ as the revealed wisdom from God. 

One thing we know for sure are Jesus’ words  in John 3:16: 

“For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Clearly, you can (and will) perish by having lots of human, earthly knowledge without knowing the revealed wisdom from heaven – Jesus Christ. You won’t perish, however, if you have knowledge of Him, because you are saved and know Him as your personal Lord and Savior, promising you eternal life. You will perish on this earth and for eternity if your sins are not forgiven and if you have not believed in the wisdom of God – His Son, Jesus Christ. 

We don’t have to know everything to be fully equipped to handle every new thing and every crisis that happens on this earth. 

What and who we do need to know is Christ and Him crucified as Paul says in 1 Cor. 2:2 as he contrasts intelligent speech with the powerful gospel he proclaims. 

The knowledge of God is for all who believe, not limited to smart people or those who have an intellectual understanding, but for all who put aside human wisdom and fully surrender their lives to Him. 

The phrase, “let heaven come,” which is often used in worship songs and prayer meetings, has made me wonder what that would really mean and whether ‘heaven’s coming’ is really a good thing to ask of God? Is it a biblically correct or wise request? 

No doubt the sincerity of those singing these lyrics is their desire to see God exalted and have a (more) central place on the earth and in people’s lives. 

This would be the desire of every born-again believer whose heart has been transformed into loving God and His ways.
What I’ve noticed, however,  is that when the words “let heaven come” or similar expressions are used, they tend to be in the context of God’s supernatural power being made visible and predominantly manifesting itself in healings and other miraculous powers – specifically referring to the heavenly promise of the absence of pain and suffering.

Regardless of the fact that God’s supernatural power is already constantly at work on this earth, every time a lost soul is saved, every time nature follows its cycles, and every day that we come closer to the 2nd coming of Christ, there are other realities from heaven that we would need to consider when longing to see heaven come down on earth. 

The reality of heaven is that of absolute, perfect unity with the triune God, the total absence of sin and suffering, glorified resurrected bodies and an eternity of worship and service to God together with all those who have been saved. 

The reality of earth in many ways is opposite to this. The earth’s inhabitants are filled with every kind of sin and disobedience to their creator, there is sickness, suffering and death. There is no reverence for God, and his rule is not sought for by those in authority, whether collectively or individually.

Jesus came to announce “the Kingdom” of which he is the King(see Matt 3:2, Mark 1:14-15). He, however, said that his Kingdom is not one that resembles an earthly kingdom (John 18:36). Jesus’ Kingdom was established from the moment he became a man (he was worshipped in the manger in a way appropriate for a king), when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, when he was crucified on the cross, and until his final return when he finally conquers evil, judges the world and establishes an everlasting kingdom and  rule. Luke 17:20-37 gives a great picture of these different events.

So practically, given that Jesus has said He will come and take us to be with Him (John 14:3),  the statement or prayer, “let heaven come,” seems odd to me. It wouldn’t be wise for heaven to come down without Jesus coming down first to take us up with him. This is also how the bible explains the chronology of events that will take place in the end times. We will first be taken up to be with him after which heaven will come down to earth. Keep reading for more on this. 

Having said all of this, there is a reality of heaven on earth when a heart gets transformed and becomes obedient to God. Then, the sickness and power of sin are removed and there is a new and overwhelming desire to worship God individually and in community with other believers. The triune God comes to dwell in unity with the believer (Rom 8:11, 1 Cor 6:19). 

There is also a longing to seek and establish Godly principles and rule in every situation. This is what Jesus referred to when he said the Kingdom of God is in your midst (Luke 17:21), and when he taught his disciples to pray saying: “Let your will be done on earth as it in heaven” (Matt 6:10). Because God is sovereign and his will shall be done, this is equally a prayer of submission of the believer for the will of God to take place over their own will.

Furthermore, Scripture promises provision and care, and unity on earth with God for believers (Hebrews 13:5, Romans 8:32, Matthew 6:25-34). All these things are a mere foretaste of what we will fully know and experience when in heaven.

But probably the most practical and tangible way we can really understand heaven coming to earth is given to us in the book of Revelation – when Christ will finally reign and the new heaven and earth will be established. This time will go hand in hand with the final judgment of Satan (Rev 19:7-10), the judgment of death and hell and all those who did not believe in Christ (Rev 19:11-15), and the establishment of the new heaven and the new earth and the rule of Christ in which God will be among us all (Rev 21:1-7). 

This is the reality, the secure hope, and the longing that every believer has in their hearts, which will only grow as we ponder the things that are above where God is (Col 3:2).

As believers, we rejoice in the reality of our hearts being turned towards heaven and it’s glorious realities while at the same time, we press onwards and look forward to making heaven’s reality true in our lives by killing sin, suffering under earthly circumstances, and establishing as much of God’s rule in our lives by following Scriptural instructions until we reach heaven. 

In summary, do we want heaven to come down to earth? Should “let heaven come” be something we pray? One thing is for sure, it will happen in God’s time, and for those who are found in Christ,it will be a glorious, awe-invoking time. Until that time, we seek to proclaim the gospel message received from heaven to see as many people come into unity, rather than rebellion, with God. We do this through prayer, to seek God’s supernatural power to work in our own hearts and in those around us, and by proclaiming the truth to witness God’s rule and principles established where we can. 

Heaven came down 2000 years ago in the form of Jesus as a helpless babe in a manger, who came to make a way of reconciliation between us and God. When Jesus comes again it will be as the reigning King of glory, with all power, authority and majesty. And so perhaps until that time, the correct prayer from our lips should be, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”