Thy Will, or My Will

Just looking at one verse tonight,

‘Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’

Matt 6:10

This sentence from the Lord’s prayer focuses our thoughts on letting go of our personal desires and goals. Unfortunately, and if we are completely honest with ourselves, our desires are predominantly self-serving and very short-sighted, truth be told. But instead of placing our personal ‘will’ at the front of the queue, Jesus teaches us that we are to seek God’s will and place it first and foremost in our lives. As all of us know God’s divine purpose is for the greater good, and so we must recognise this, humble ourselves, and submit to His will as we lay down our own desires.

And so Jesus teaches us to pray ‘your will be done’. If we are to do this then we must align our personal desires and actions with God’s divine purposes. This is naturally counterintuitive to us, and so Jesus encourages us to surrender our desires as we place our faith and trust in God’s plan for our lives. Our prayer must never be ‘my will be done’, as seeking our own will is simply self-serving, selfish and ultimately evil!

‘On earth as it is in heaven’ This part of the Lord’s prayer reveals that if we obey God’s law in this earthly realm, then we are already connected to God’s heavenly realm through the redemption of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. For each of us as children of God, are called to help transform our world so that it reflects the goodness and perfection of heaven here on earth!

This is a prayer for divine intervention, which also implies active participation on our part as we work towards the actualisation of God’s presence and purposes in our world.

Seeking God’s will isn't easy. It involves mush discernment, prayer, patience, and trust in God’s divine timing and wisdom. In contrast to this when we seek our own will, we often make quick decisions, knee-jerk reactions, prioritise personal ambitions whilst holding an incomplete understanding of the impact of our individual desires.

When we align our hearts and minds with God’s will, we are granted a sense of inner peace and fulfillment that comes from living in accordance with divine intentions. In this we are content and blessed.

Whilst having our own will may give us temporary satisfaction, it often lacks the deeper contentment that comes from living in line with God’s will! This verse in the Lord’s prayer is a wonderful expression of faith and hope, that urges each of us to seek God’s presence and purposes for our lives in this world here and now.

 Have a great week, and God bless,

Trev.