As we look ahead to another year of serving in New Orleans, we are full of gratitude and expectation. Each year, God shapes MissionLab through a central theme that guides our teaching, devotionals, and spiritual focus. For 2026, the LORD has clearly set before us an emphasis that is urgent, simple, and deeply transformative.
Our theme this year is drawn from the words Jesus taught His disciples to pray:
"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." — Matthew 6:10
This prayer is not merely something we recite. It is a request that reshapes our hearts, reorients our desires, and draws us into the active work of God in the world.
Why Prayer Is Central
Prayer is not an accessory to the Christian life. Throughout Scripture, prayer is portrayed as the ordinary means by which God's people commune with Him, depend on Him, and participate in His purposes. Jesus Himself prayed constantly, often withdrawing to quiet places, not because He lacked power, but because He delighted in dependence on the Father.
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He did not begin with personal needs or daily concerns. He began with God's name, God's kingdom, and God's will. Prayer, at its core, is not about bending God's will toward ours, but about aligning our hearts with His.
To pray "on earth as it is in heaven" is to ask God to make visible here what is already true there. Heaven is the place where God's will is perfectly obeyed, His glory fully revealed, and His reign joyfully embraced. This prayer is an invitation for that heavenly reality to break into our ordinary lives, our neighborhoods, our relationships, and our work.
Prayer That Forms Us
This year at MissionLab, we want to slow down and learn to pray with greater intention and faithfulness. That means asking honest questions together:
- Why do we pray?
- How does prayer actually change us?
- What does it look like to pray not only for God to act, but for God to shape our hearts toward His purposes?
These are not abstract theological questions. They are deeply practical — because every mission team that comes to New Orleans will face moments where the work feels hard, the need feels overwhelming, and the results feel uncertain. In those moments, what matters most is not our strategy or our strength. What matters is whether we are people who genuinely trust God enough to keep asking Him to work.
What This Means for Your Week in New Orleans
Every devotional, every worship session, and every ministry site placement this year will be shaped by this theme. We want groups to leave New Orleans not just having served, but having prayed — in the streets, in the shelters, in the churches, and in their own hearts.
We invite you to begin praying this prayer now, before your group arrives. Ask God to prepare you. Ask Him to shape your expectations. Ask Him to do something in New Orleans — and in you — that only He can do.
On earth as it is in heaven. We can't wait to seek that together with you.