There are not a lot of examples in the gospels of people asking Jesus to teach them something. But in Luke 11, Jesus’ disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Perhaps more amazingly is that Jesus teaches them to pray in just fifty-odd words (about 290 characters by my count – just a little more than a tweet!)
In the next 8 blogs, we’ll look at the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 and Luke 11. We’ll do this slowly and allow the truths of Jesus’ teaching to shape and encourage our prayer lives.
Your will be done
24th May 2021
It is very hard to pray for God’s name be honoured above everything, for His Kingdom to be established and grow, and not pray for His will to be done. After all, if we acknowledge Him as King and desire to see the advancement of His Kingdom, then surely it must be His will that we desire to see accomplished. Surely our greatest desire ought to be for the fulfilment of God’s agenda, God’s plans, and God’s will.
And I’m sure most of us would say ‘yes, that’s what I want!’ But there’s a problem – often we love our own plans more. We love our will more than God’s will, our way more than God’s way.
The prayer for God’s will to be done is a prayer for obedient Christian lives. Lives that are obedient to following God’s will, submitting to God’s will, and learning to trust and love God’s will. When we pray, ‘your will be done’ we are asking God to fulfil His plans here on earth. But we are also asking that God would humble us and help us to be obedient to His will.
Those who are against the Christian faith may argue that it is cruel for God to demand obedience to His will like some kind of evil dictator. But that view is only possible if someone thinks God is evil. As we pray these words, we can also ask God to teach us that His will is indeed always for our good. We can ask God to help us trust His will and love His will. As Christians, God’s will is not forced upon us but is something that we wonderfully share in as co-heirs with Christ. We are not servants of a cruel master but children of the Father whose love for us is perfect.
Do as I say, not as I do
Perhaps this is a phrase you’re familiar with - that hypocritical phrase where someone openly admits they expect someone to behave or act in a way that they themselves do not model.
Jesus teaches us to pray, ‘your will be done’. And we see that Jesus doesn’t only teach this, he does this. I was speaking to Douglas Faulds, a member of our church, a week or so ago about this very thing. And Douglas pointed out how Jesus is the perfect model of this prayer – after all, Jesus is the one who on the very night of His arrest prayed,
'not as I will, but as you will.' (Matthew 26:39)
Perfect obedience. Perfect submission. Perfect trust in the goodness of God’s will. Perfect love for God’s will. All of these are seen in Jesus’ very own prayer and his subsequent actions on the cross. The will of the Father being willingly fulfilled through the obedience of the Son.
On earth as it is in heaven
The first thing that we see is that God’s will is done in heaven. In heaven, our relationship with God and with one another is fully restored and perfect. All the things that God loves: righteousness, justice, goodness, and love are all perfectly lived out. It is a place of healing and perfect peace. A place where sin and all its devastating effects are banished.
It is a place where God’s will is done.
And as we pray for God’s will to be done on earth, we’re praying that God's salvation that reconciles human beings with God would continue to break through on earth; that God’s desire to reconcile and forgive might be seen on earth; and that love, righteousness, justice, and goodness might be seen on earth. And that as these things happen, they are a glimpse, a foretaste, of what heaven is really like.
One of the most common struggles that Christians often face is knowing God’s will. People might say, ‘I don’t know if it's God’s will for me to move house or move town.’ ‘I’m trying to work out if it is God’s will for me to take this new job.’ ‘I’m waiting to hear God’s will about how I should serve.’
But this can often come from a place of misunderstanding God’s will. God’s will is for people to believe in Him; for His people to love Him with all their heart, mind, soul and strength; for His people to sacrificially love others; for us to make disciples who love and follow Jesus; for us to love God’s church; for us to pray to God in loving dependence on Him.
These are just some of the things that are God’s will for us. And we can do these no matter where we live, work, or serve.
So as we pray, ‘your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’, we are submitting ourselves to obediently fulfilling God’s will wherever he has placed us.
How does this affect us as we pray this week?
Praise
Praise God that His will is always good and perfect. Praise Him that He loves justice, righteousness, goodness and love because He embodies these very things.
Repent
Consider how your will may sometimes take prominence to God’s will. Repent of these times and seek God’s help to follow His will.
Ask
Pray for your church Pastors, leaders, and members – asking that God would help all of us to submit to His will and to live out His will where He has placed us.
Yield
Submit yourself to God’s will, trust in the goodness of His will, and seeking to be obedient to our Father who is in Heaven.
Next - 'Daily bread'