7 Thy Will Be Done
Thy Will Be Done
Every word of the Lord’s Prayer reflects the Lord’s vision of what our lives should be—unified, all-embracing response to the love of our heavenly Father, so that we seek his glory, trust his care, and obey his word, every moment of every day. If, therefore, we are to pray the Lord’s Prayer with understanding and sincerity, we must make this vision our own. So when I say “hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come,” I should be adding in my mind the words “in and through me,” and so giving myself to God afresh to be, so far as I can be, the means of answering my own prayer. And when I say “thy will be done,” I should mean this as a prayer that I, along with the rest of God’s people, may learn to be obedient.
Here more clearly than anywhere the purpose of prayer becomes plain: not to make God do my will (which is practicing magic), but to bring my will into line with his (which is what it means to practice true religion).
Not My Will
So understood, “thy will be done” takes some praying! I cannot sincerely ask for the doing of God’s will without denying myself, for when we get down to the business of everyday living, we regularly find that it is our will rather than his that we want to do, or to see happening. Nor can I pray this prayer without dedicating myself to keep loyal to God in face of all the opposition which in this fallen world, where Satan is “prince” (John 14:30), I regularly meet. Luther expounded the words like this: “Let thy will be done, O Father, not the will of the devil, or of any of those who would overthrow thy holy Word or hinder the coming of thy kingdom; and grant that all we may have to endure for its sake may be borne with patience and overcome, so that our poor flesh may not yield or give way from weakness or laziness.” For God’s will to be done in our lives on earth in the way that it is done among the angels will involve us in quite a struggle.
See what this petition meant when Jesus voiced it in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:42). The incarnate Lord was in the grip of mind-blowing horror, evoked not just by the expectation of physical pain and outward disgrace (strong men can bear these things in a good cause without too much ado), but by the prospect of being made sin and forsaken by his Father on the cross. “Never man feared death like this man,” said Luther, truly; and this was why. His whole being shrank from it; yet his prayer remained “not as I will, but as thou wilt” (v. 39). What it cost him to pray thus we shall never know. What it may cost us to accept God’s will we cannot say either—which is, perhaps, as well.
Accepting God’s Will
The Greek for “be done,” in both the Lord’s Prayer and the Gethsemane story, is literally “happen,” and God’s will here is two things, his purpose for events and his command to his people. In relation to the former, “thy will be done” expresses the spirit of meekness, which accepts without complaining whatever God sends, or fails to send. In relation to the latter, we are asking God to teach us all that we should do and make us both willing and able for the task. Can you pray this from the heart? It is not so easy as it looks.
Finding God’s Will
But how shall we know what God wants of us? By paying attention to his Word and to our own consciences, by noting what circumstances allow, and by taking advice in order to check our own sense of the situation and the adequacy of our insight into what is right. Problems about God’s will regularly come clear as they are bounced off other Christian minds. One’s own inner state is important too. “If any man’s will is to do (God’s) will,” not only will he know that Jesus and his teaching are from God (John 7:17), but he will be told if he is out of the way. “Your ears shall bear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21). If you are open to God, God will get through to you with the guidance you need. That is a promise!
While you are unclear as to God’s will, wait if you can; if you have to act, make what you think is the best decision, and God will soon let you know if you are not on the right track.
A Covenant With God
Here, in closing, are some extracts from the superb Covenant Service of the Methodist Church, which say exactly what you and I should now be saying. Following a reminder that in the New Covenant God promises us “all that he declared in Jesus Christ,” while we for our part “stand pledged to live no more unto ourselves,” the leader says:
“O Lord God, Holy Father, who has called us through Christ to be partakers of this gracious Covenant, we take upon ourselves with joy the yoke of obedience, and engage ourselves, for love of Thee, to see and do thy perfect will.”
Then all the worshipers join in words which John Wesley took from the Puritan, Richard Alleine, for this purpose in 1755:
“I am no longer my own, but Thine. Put me to what Thou wilt, rank me with whom Thou wilt; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for Thee or laid aside for Thee, exalted for Thee or brought low for Thee; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and heartily yield all things to Thy pleasure and disposal.
“And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Thou art mine, and I am Thine. So be it. And the Covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”
Further Bible Study
The will of God:
Acts 20:16–21:14
Questions for Thought and Discussion
What is prayer’s true purpose? Is this why you pray?
What does prayer have to do with denying ourselves?
What are some of the problems involved in finding God’s will for our lives, and how should we deal with them?