Thy Will Be Done
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Thy Will Be Done
We are “funny” people. We want God’s will to be done, just so long as it’s the same as our will. Nevertheless, we dutifully pray as Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:9-13,
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
The Lord’s prayer starts out acknowledging that God is our almighty heavenly Father and we want to treat His name as holy in our hearts and minds. That is only good and right, since He made us and has redeemed us in Christ Jesus. Realizing that God is the one and only Almighty is saying that we know for sure He knows what is best for us because His wisdom is far beyond our puny imaginations.
And then, we go on to ask that His kingdom would come to us. There we are asking that God would implant the truths of His word and His salvation in our hearts. God’s almighty power and love have been proven in Jesus Christ and we greatly desire to have a part in God’s eternal goodness. Who wants to miss out on heaven?
And then comes the sticky part of the Lord’s prayer. Jesus, who is God in the flesh, says we must willingly and whole-heartedly submit to our heavenly Father’s will for our lives here on earth. But, we kinda skim over “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
And, here we are wrong. The words are on our lips, but we don’t really mean it. When we pray, we want our will to be done — not the will of our all-wise heavenly Father. After all, our desires are great and we don’t have the patience to wait for God’s will to be done rightly. We would rather assume that what we desire has got to be what is best in the end. Don’t we know what we need?
Sometimes yes, and sometimes no.
We are sinners living in a sinful world. We are easily persuaded to feel that we need certain things. But, when it seems that God is not answering our prayers, we still need to submit to His love, power, and wisdom. He has loved us enough to suffer and die on our behalf, to pay for all our sins. Surely, after all that, He will only give us what is good for us eternally.
And so, we need to learn to submit to God’s love and wisdom. We need to trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. Let us humbly acknowledge God’s Lordship, love, power, and wisdom as our heavenly Father.
It really will be best for us in the end — far better than our imagination. Then we say, “Hallelujah! Lord, Your ways truly are so much better for us. Let us always treat Your name as holy by trusting and obeying. Lead us to know and trust Your tender love.”
Love,
Margaret
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A Christian devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and God of gods
This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
The word of the LORD is tried;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30
Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming to the upright.
Psalm 33:1
How blessed are those who dwell in Thy house!
They are ever praising Thee.
Psalm 84:4
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:13
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Psalm 107:1
Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
Psalm 105:3
Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that
I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12
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