Thy Will Be Done

Sometimes we really need to think about what we pray about, what we ask of God. We might not like what we’re actually asking. We might not like what we are getting, which is what we are asking for!

Jesus Christ gave us a prayer model in which to emulate when we pray. It is most often referred to as the Lord’s Prayer and can be found in Matthew chapter 6.

The Lord’s Prayer starts off by making five statements. It’s one of these statements that we’re going to look at.

1. Our Father 

2. which art in heaven, 

3. Hallowed be thy name. 

4.Thy kingdom come, 

5.Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Number 5, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Jesus Christ lets us know that we are to pray to God to have His will done.

“Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” (Psalm 143:10)

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)

As a Christian it is a common request to ask God to teach us His will. After all, that’s the purpose and intent of the Bible. But in so learning God’s will, we may discover that we don’t necessarily delight in it.

At some point in time God’s righteous will is going to run counter to man’s carnal will. Sometimes this is obvious such as when a sinful lust meets God’s righteousness. Sometimes it isn’t so obvious. Sometimes it isn’t a matter of righteousness at all, but a matter of way.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

When we pray for God’s will to be done we are letting go of the reigns of our own life and handing them over to God. This means 1. We must relinquish control of self, not something man likes to do 2. We must have complete trust, belief and faith in God, not something man likes to do. 3. We must go willingly down an unknown path, not something man likes to do.

“I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:8-11).

One of the most frustrating times in life occurs when nothing is happening. Nothing is working. No matter how much effort we expend, we just seem to spin our wheels in the mud of life.

Or life completely and totally stinks. Everything is wrong and everything goes wrong and right when it couldn’t possibly get any worse, it does, exponentially worse.

We go to God and ask Him to, “shew me the path of life”. We ask God for His will to be “done in earth, as it is in heaven”. Then, one of two things happens. 1. Nothing. 2. It gets worse.

We break down in tears yelling, “No, no, no God. You don’t understand. I asked for you to show me the way, to do your will. Why is it worse? Why have you left me?”

“Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.”  (Proverbs 28:9)

We then proceed to take the reins of our life out of God’s hands and move on, all mad and frustrated at God, and life and our spouse and our dog and the guy in the pizza commercial and anything else we can think of.

God never promised instant gratification. God never said His will is going to align with our will, hopes, desires or worldview. When we hand God the steering wheel of our life, all too often we assume that He is going to steer us to where we want to go. This is where we are often times wrong.

God promised us an “expected end”, it just might not be the end we expected. This is something we must be most attentive to.

When we turn our life over to God we all too often think destination. God thinks journey, for He already knows our destination (our expected end). It is in the process of the journey that we become refined and purified, not at the arrival of the destination. We are to become Christ like (1 Corinthians 11:1). This requires change (Romans 12:2). Everything resists change. And since the change is from sin to righteousness, it’s probably going to hurt. To transition from righteousness to sin is usually pleasurable. But please note the word transition, for the destination of sin is pure Hell.

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Hebrews 12:11)

The Bible makes clear, that we as children of God are chosen, elect, sanctified, predestined, and ordained. Jesus instructs us to pray for God’s will to be done, not ours. This certainly sounds like God has a plan for a particular people, doesn’t it? So let’s let Him and not interfere. Problems occur when we do.

Without diving into the deep end of the theological/philosophical end of the pool, I’d like to interject something we should all contemplate in regards to God and will. It comes from the book Summa Contra Gentiles by Thomas Aquinas.

“The testimony of Sacred Scripture is witness to the divine will. For it is said in a Psalm (134:6): “Whatever the Lord pleased He has done.” And Romans (9:19): “Who resists His will?” (Book 1, Chapter 72:10).

We pray for God’s will to be done. God does as He wills. No one can resist His will. Knowing these things, don’t you think it would behoove us just to let go and let God?

Bill Hitchcock