At intercession on Sunday, Ada got us to meditate on Matthew 6:9-10:
This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'”
As she opened up the floor for people to share what they got, I heard something deep come from the mouth of Abby. Just when I thought she was done speaking, she dropped another “gem”. She shared that the words “Your will be done” stood out to her and that God’s will often involves something outside of our own understanding. When we ask for God’s will to be done, we are essentially asking for something we didn’t think about or even perceive as an option.
Gabe also added that when we pray “Your will be done,” it isn’t always the “feel good option” or the “desired choice.” He reminded us of the prayer Jesus made in Matthew 26:39:
“Going a little farther, he [Jesus] fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
The result of God’s will was that Jesus would drink the cup of death and suffer for our sins so that we may have salvation.
I realized that I had a different assumption for God’s will. I would often pray and list options 1, 2, and 3 and ask God for His will to be done. My assumption was that God’s will would be one of the 3 options that I laid out for Him, but the reality is that God’s will may not be any of the options I came up with. In fact, it may be something I didn’t even consider. It may even be something I wouldn’t necessarily choose or want.
But the hope is that God is a good God. He knows all things and has our best interest in mind. So when we pray to God and ask for His will to be done, we are submitting to a better plan, a greater authority, and to a loving father who cares for us.
Father, I thank you for who you are. I thank you that we get to share in your will for our lives and when we trust in you we can get to experience what you see. I thank you for your son Jesus and the example He has shown us in His time here on earth. I pray that LifeSpring would be a church that prays for Your will to be done and submits our ways to You. May we be a people who obey your commands. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!