Prayer
Thy will be done
Matthew 6:8-15
8 Don't be like them. Your Father knows what you
need before you ask. 9 You should pray like this: Our Father in heaven,
help us to honor your name. 10 Come and set up your kingdom, so that
everyone on earth will obey you, as you are obeyed in heaven. 11 Give
us our food for today. 12 Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others.
13 Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil. 14 If you forgive
others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive
you. 15 But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive
your sins.
CEV
Your
will be done . . .
. . . on earth
as in heaven
This portion of the Lord's Prayer contains two important points.
The first deals with the need for God's Will to be accomplished on earth. That God's purpose is accomplished is part of God's eternal plan and decree. We know for a certainty that God's Will is complete and fulfilled on earth. What we are frequently less sure of is whether or not God's will is accomplished in our own lives.
Scripture tell us that those
who do the Will of God are those who are part of His family.
Matthew 12:50 Whoever does what my Father in heaven
wants him to do is my brother, my sister, and my mother.
TEV
So, this section of the Lord's
Prayer reminds us how we are to live
our lives awaiting this glorious event. We are to abide in God's Will.
Through what we call God&s
Providence, God accomplishes His purposes and we cannot prevent them.
But, we will be called upon to face the judge and account for the way
we have lived as believers.
1 Corinthians 3:13-15 13 And the quality of each
person&s work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that
Day fire will reveal everyone&s work; the fire will test it and show its
real quality.14 If what was built on the foundation survives the fire,
the builder will receive a reward.15 But if anyone&s work is burnt up,
then he will lose it; but he himself will be saved, as if he had escaped
through the fire. TEV
As we stand before the Bema Judgment Seat, we pray for few tears and great rewards. But, standing before the seat is too late to accomplish the answer to this seemingly simple prayer. All of our judgments have been determined by our walk on earth. We need to walk in God's Will - and the only method of accomplishing this is to pray for God's power, presence, and guidance in our lives. So the petition, "thy will be done'" becomes the same to us as to Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. The simple petition is a prayer for God's strength in our lives. We know what we should do, now we need the power to accomplish it.
As an aside to this portion of the prayer, this is an excellent place in your daily prayer to pray for others - to introduce the intercessory nature of your prayer. Here you may pray that God&s Will be accomplished in the lives of your family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, missionaries, and church leaders. You may pray for healing, leadership, faithfulness, salvation, and a great harvest. Pray for your nation and its leaders. Pray for specifics. Keep a prayer journal and record your requests - and the responses from God. If you track your prayers, you will be blessed at how many and how often God's answers are readily identified.
How is God's Will "done?"
This is the time of affliction and trial, of pain and suffering, of enduring
until the work of God is accomplished. We are not promised a smooth ride
through our Christian
walk. Paul talks of trouble on every side. While each of us may not
face the trials of Paul, we each face our own form of affliction.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10 7 Yet we who have this spiritual
treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme
power belongs to God, not to us. 8 We are often troubled, but not crushed;
sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; 9 there are many enemies, but
we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are
not destroyed. 10 At all times we carry in our mortal bodies the death
of Jesus, so that his life also may be seen in our bodies.
TEV
The prophet Isaiah tells us
that these trials are the measuring stick of our maturity. God uses them
to help us grow. The refine us into better Christians.
Isaiah 48:10 I have tested you in the fire of suffering, as silver is
refined in a furnace. TEV
. . . on earth as it is in heaven.
How is it in heaven? Of course, we do not really know. We need to remember, however, that heaven is the abode of the angels. Perhaps, the point here is that we need to act more like the angels in terms of our reverence and obedience to God.
How do the angels act?
- According to God's commands
Psalm 103:20 Praise the Lord, you strong and mighty angels, who obey his commands, who listen to what he says. TEV - Fervently
Psalm 104:4 You use the winds as your messengers and flashes of lightning as your servants. TEV - Never growing weary
Revelation 7:15 That is why they stand before God's throne and serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will protect them with his presence. TEV - And, while the verses I will
quote are about Solomon, the lesson applies to all of us. We need to
serve with a willing mind
1 Chronicles 28:9 And to Solomon he said, "My son, I charge you to acknowledge your father's God and to serve him with an undivided heart and a willing mind. He knows all our thoughts and desires. If you go to him, he will accept you; but if you turn away from him, he will abandon you for ever. TEV
So, let us do our best to accomplish God's Will on earth as His obedient messengers.
