Whose Will Be Done

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

WHOSE WILL BE DONE

Matt 6:9-13

9 "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. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'

NIV

What did Jesus mean when he taught us to pray that His kingdom comes, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven? Of course, we have changed your to His and we also recognize that we are praying to the Father, so it is the Father’s kingdom. This might also be the time to interject the fact that we do not pray to Jesus, but that we pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus. In order words, the only way to the Father, even in prayer, is through Jesus. Now, on to this idea of praying that the Father’s kingdom will come and that His will be done in our lives, just as His will is done in Heaven. The Father has absolute authority in heaven, nothing happens in heaven without the expressed will of God. If an angel thinks he can go here or there based on his own plans, it isn’t going to happen, because the Father has to approve everything that goes on in heaven. We are praying for that same authority of the Father to be here on earth, which implies in our lives. When we pray this, or something like this, as again, Jesus did not say that we should quote, or recite his exact words repeatedly for years and years. However, the point is that when we pray that the Father’s will be done, that is we pray that His absolute authority is present on earth as it is in heaven and by implication when we say earth, we mean us. Therefore, reciting this prayer without full understanding or a true desire for our prayer to be answered is just words, and not actually what we want to happen. In general, we think more than fewer believers do not what God’s will to be done in their lives. We struggle with that sometimes when we want our will rather than His will. How much of our lives are controlled by us, and how much is under the absolute authority of God?  How is it that we recite this prayer, and it would seem it is never answered if we are not fully under the authority of God, forfeiting our will completely? Maybe that is not what Jesus meant for us to pray. Maybe he meant that we should pray that one day, this earth, that is all the peoples of this earth will be like heaven. Maybe he meant that someday this earth will be the new earth and new heaven and that God will rule in the new city. But alas, that is not it. We are fully convinced Jesus meant for us to pray that God’s will be done in our lives, just as it is done in heaven. We are praying that we will be fully under that absolute authority of God. This means we do not do anything unless God approves it. It also means that we do not do that which God disapproves of. How do we justify any sin then, for that is us doing our will instead of His, and we know we are not free of all sin, at least at this moment? One day we will be free for all sin, but for now, we know that our sin is covered by Jesus, and we know that is the will of the Father. Jesus brought the kingdom of heaven to earth, and so as we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are perfectly doing the will of the Father. His will is done because we are in Christ. But that does not give us a license to do our will, just because Jesus has set us free. No, let us pray that God’s will be done in us, each day. Let us want His will, not ours to be done.