THURSDAY
The phrase “If the Lord wills” should sound familiar in the Christian life. When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray in the famous Lord’s Prayer, he teaches them to pray for God’s will to be done.
Matthew 6:9–15 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Jesus doesn’t just teach this, he sets the perfect example of how to pray for God’s will to be done in the Garden of Gethsemane. This is the night that he will be arrested and taken to the cross.
Matthew 26:36–46 36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Notice, Jesus prays for his wishes. He asks the Father to “let this cup pass from me.” The cup refers to the cup of God’s wrath being poured out on Jesus and the suffering that will result. This is no small suffering that Jesus is about to experience. No wonder he asks the Father to let it pass from him. Yet, he doesn’t end his prayer there. He submits to the will of the Father.
Let’s look at one more example from the life of Jesus. Jesus and his disciples are traveling from Judea to Galilee. They stop at Jacob’s well and the disciples go into town to buy food. Jesus encounters a woman at the well and has a rather long conversation with her. When the disciples return, they urge him to eat.
John 4:34 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
Jesus is content and satisfied by speaking the truth to this Samaritan woman and revealing to her that he is the Messiah. This is the will of God for him. The women ends up going back into the town to tell others that she has found the Messiah. Many Samaritans from the town come to believe in Jesus.
Reflection
Take time today to pray the Lord’s Prayer, specifically focusing on the phrase “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Commit the situations you are facing to the will of the Lord. Surrender to his will the specific goals you are pursuing and situations you are wrestling with.