Your Will Be Done

Your Will Be Done

Nearly everyone prays it sometimes. A lot pray it every week. A few pray it daily. What is it?

It is the prayer that Jesus taught us – “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 today our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom, the power, and the Glory, for ever and ever, Amen”. That’s the Church of England’s version and one I learned at my mother’s knee if only because we said it every single day at school and several times on Sundays.

I wonder how many have really given any thought to this prayer. I wonder if many realise the import of what they are praying when they utter the words of this prayer. For example, do we really mean it when we say, “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”? Hmmm – I don’t think so somehow. I mean, can you imagine it if we actually started to do God’s will rather than our own? All over the earth? Doing His will here just like it is in heaven? Without question or argument? Without even questioning it?

Do many people have any idea of the price, the cost of allowing God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven? Do we have any idea of the changes this would generate within the body? It is so radical an idea as to be outrageous – in the sense that it is, in Paul’s words, of being “above and beyond. Abundantly greater in every respect than anything we could ask, think, or imagine.

Also, consider “thy Kingdom come”? Do we really understand what will happen when God’s kingdom comes here on earth. This, to me, is like asking Jesus to come again and bring His Kingdom rule to bear on earth. When, not if, the Lord answers this prayer, I am certain we will be surprised and as unready as we are today. Delighted maybe, but unready.  Are you ready for the white throne of judgement – because the kingdom reign happens just before, (1000 years), the  judgement – so I understand anyway.

As we forgive those who trespass against us, hurt or offend us? Do we forgive those who have trespassed against us? A read of “The Bait of Satan” by John Bevere is all about offence, while “Total Forgiveness” by Dr RT Kendall is all about just that – total forgiveness. One of the reasons we miss so much of what Christ has for us is that we harbour unforgiveness; we harbour offence. When will we learn to grow less that He might be more? When will our ego submit to His teaching? When will we learn to give Him our pride, our hurts, our pain, our wounds – so that we might be healed by His wounds?

Oh there is so much more here – it is a wonderful minefield of everything to do with dying to self and living only to Him. It all comes back to “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. It’s all about God’s will and not our will. It’s all about total and complete surrender to Jesus and allowing Holy Spirit to lead us through the whole of our life.

Total surrender – thy will be done – not mine.