God’s Will Be Done
Do you pray for God’s will in your life?
Verse of the Day
‘May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.’
Today’s Devotional
I was watching a video yesterday made by a woman who trains dogs for a living. In this video, she was training a dog how to walk with a leash without pulling the human down the sidewalk. It was a fascinating process to watch. Basically, she was trying to train the dog that she, the “walker”, needed to be the focus, not all of the wonderful sights and smells of the walk experience. Once the dog learned to walk with manners – that is, focused on the walker and therefore not pulling against the leash, the dog would then get to enjoy the world around it while going where the walker desired.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
There is a strain and tension when I’m trying to pull God along to all the places I want to go, just like the dog pulling on the leash. My intentions are good, and I’m inviting God along, but I still think I am deciding where we are going.
When I pray “may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, I am acknowledging that God’s will is done in heaven without fail. On earth, however, we see evidence everywhere that God’s will is not being done. I have learned, through much pulling on the “leash”, that I do not have any power over anyone or anything except myself. So for me, this prayer that God’s will be done is deeply personal.
I absolutely desire for all people to receive God’s love and salvation through belief in Jesus. But…the area where I can have an impact on whether or not God’s will is invited in and followed is in my own life.
Andrew Murray says, “In heaven God’s will is done, and the Master (Jesus) teaches the child (us) to ask that God’s will may be done on earth just as it is in heaven – that is, in the spirit of adoring submission and ready obedience.” So as I’m praying for God’s will to be done, I can be asking for His help for me to be ever adoring, in full submission, and always ready to be obedient.
The next question might be: How do we know what God’s will is? We don’t, that’s why we pray for God’s will to be done. How do we know if we are praying for the right things? First of all, ALL prayers are good. Just like a human father does not expect every conversation with his child to be profound, neither does our Father expect that of us. As far as learning which things fall into the category of God’s will and which do not, Andrew Murray says, “By His Word and Spirit, God will teach those who are teachable, and who give Him time, whether their request is according to His will or not.” So for today, my prayer is that I will be in the Word, that I will be teachable, and that I will give God as much of my time as He allows so that I will be able to discern and pray for God’s will in my life and in the lives of others.
Jesus is teaching us to pray for God’s will to be done here, today, just like it is in heaven. The place where that teaching begins is in inviting God’s will into my life today. We know that His will is that we have a relationship, so am I attending to that? We know that His will is for us to love Him above everything else, so am I growing in my love and adoration of my Father? We know that His will is for us to love others, so am I willing to ask that He show me, specifically, how best to love the people with whom I interact? And if none of that leads me to my knees in prayer, then we can always fall back on His Word: “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How do you pray for God’s will for your life?
Where and how are you trying to pull God along to where you want to go?
How can you be a person of adoring submission and ready obedience today?
Are you teachable? How can you invite God to help you to become more teachable?
How can you give God more of your time?
How can you grow in love and adoration of your Father today?
Are you willing for God to show you specifically how best to love the people you encounter?
How can you embrace joy and gratitude today?