“I want to do Thy will oh Lord, I want to do Thy will oh Lord. Take me and break me, hold me and make me. I want to do Thy will oh Lord. I want to do Thy will oh Lord” (Del Reeves).
Do you know that song? It is beautiful isn’t it? Can you recall ever singing it? Have you ever taken time out to really understand what those words mean? Have you simply sang the song because you liked it or was told to sing it? Most of us are like that. We do things because we are told to so or maybe out of sheer enjoyment. But we need to be careful of the things we say or ask for if we don’t mean them. Words are powerful. The effect of our words can lead to a good outcome or to a disastrous one. Proverbs 18:21 states, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
Declarations made to God must be taken seriously. We have to mean what we say. Ecclesiastes 5:4 warns us, “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.” The will of God is serious business also. You see, it is one thing to know God’s will; but it is another thing to do it. As we saw in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus wished he did not have to do the will of God. The Scripture’s account revealed that Jesus went away and prayed three times, saying the same thing. What God wanted Him to do was awful. When He realized what He had to do, and the agony of anticipating the separation from the Father, He cried out, “Oh God let…Oh Father God, let this cup, this cup of wrath pass from me. Nevertheless not my will but Thine be done,” Matthew 26. It was one of total sacrifice for him. His thoughts were centered, consumed and committed on doing whatever his father desired in spite of the consequences.
Doing the will of God may involve, at times, giving up things we do not want to and going outside of our comfort zone causing us to go places we may not want to go, and doing things that we do not want to do. Sometimes God puts us in the crucible of poverty (2 Kings 4:2); reproach (Ps 69:20) and bereavement (Ps 28:2). The will of God can cause suffering, pain, rejection and great uncertainty at times. There are numerous stories that highlight these in the Scriptures. These are just a few: God spoke to Jonah, son of Amittai, commanding him to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh. Jonah found this order unbearable. Not only was Nineveh known for its wickedness, but it was also the capital of the Assyrian empire, one of Israel’s fiercest enemies. Jonah, a stubborn fellow, did just the opposite of what he was told. He went down to the seaport of Joppa and booked a passage on a ship to Tarshish, heading directly away from Nineveh. The Bible tells us Jonah “ran away from the Lord.”
We know the consequences of that decision and the final outcome. God’s will can never be derailed or be aborted. No matter how hard Jonah tried he had to fulfill it. That is something we all will do well to understand and remember.
Abram was told to leave his country. The Lord said to him: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. He obeyed although he had no idea at the time where he was going, but in order for Abram to receive the promised blessing, he had to be willing to break out of his “Comfort Zone”, and leave the things, people, and places with which he was most familiar(Genesis 12:1-2).
Ezekiel was sent to the house of Israel where he would be rejected. God said to him, “Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiff-hearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; and he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe” (Ezekiel 2: 2-10). One could only imagine Ezekiel’s emotional state knowing he has to carry out that request.
Nathan was sent to confront King David. He wasn’t to confront just any man about his sins – he was sent to confront the king of Israel. It must have been a frightening experience for him. Who would dare rebuke a king? But how could Nathan dare say “No” to God? The historical account doesn’t detail how Nathan was directed – it simply says, “Then the Lord sent Nathan to David…” (2 Sam. 12:1). Nathan was the best friend David ever had. Nathan could have defended his friend. He could have attempted to justify the sins of David. But rather than cower before the king, Nathan rose to the challenge. He knew the seriousness of God’s will.
Nathan responded to David, “You are the man!” (2 Sam. 12:7). What an indictment! David had pronounced judgment on himself. Nathan’s acceptance of God’s command resulted in one of the most familiar confrontations ever recorded in Scripture. However, in the end, he helped turn his friend back to God. Nathan saved David’s soul from death. True friendship is manifested in the willingness to save a friend’s soul despite the risks. Nathan knew his rebuke of the king could have cost him a friendship and possibly his life; nonetheless, he was willing to risk it all to save the king – to save his friend. Rather than responding with bitterness towards Nathan, David saw the love of a friend. He responded with godly sorrow that produced repentance. He understood what courage it must have taken for his friend to confront him. This indeed exemplified the hallmark of true friendship! The darkest hours of life surely do reveal the greatest friendships.
You see, saying the Lord’s Prayer is easy, but its meaning is very serious. The will of God is something that we must do. The will of God is not a matter for discussion but for action. We are called to unquestioning obedience. Doing God’s will calls for unwavering, unquestioning commitment. Are we willing to truly say to God, “Thy will be done” regardless of the cost? Let us not continue to say or pray vain, empty, repetitious, ceremonial and ritual prayers anymore, my friends, because Jesus did not pray that way. Let us begin with renewed effort to understand and mean the prayer Jesus taught his disciples. He said to them, when you pray say:
“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen”(Matthew 6: 9-13).
Let us begin to mean the words we say from henceforth when we pray, my friends. No matter what it might be, in spite of how we may feel about the outcome, let us pray – “Thy will be done.” Let us use the experience of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and what they said to the king’s men, to strengthen our resolve. They said, “Our God will deliver us,” “And if He doesn’t” that’s OK. “We still are not bowing down to you” (Daniel 3). If He wills, we will survive on earth. If He doesn’t, we’ll survive in heaven. Whatever needs to happen in our lives and in our country, let it happen to make us what we need to be, to hallow God’s name, advance His kingdom and do God’s will.
We need to ask God to help us to accept whatever His will is for us. When we pray “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven,” let us be aware we are asking the Lord to take our lives and conform them to His word and to His will. Let us be willing to yield all we have, and all we are, to the hand of the Potter – saying, “Not our will, but Thine, be done”. Let us bow and bend to His will regardless of what that will is. Let us take our lives and finally and fully give them to God to do with as He pleases. When we pray “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven,” we are in fact praying, “Lord, help us to carry out Your will in this world, cheerfully, completely and constantly, just like it is being done in Heaven.” This will alleviate all of our anxiety, frustration and worry. This is the attitude that God wants to develop in our hearts.
When we say, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” this is profound and challenging because Jesus is teaching us that His kingdom is already established in heaven and is already done on earth. Jesus is teaching us to pray for and to work for God’s kingdom and God’s will to be done here and now, on earth, in our country – where we are. So we pray for justice and peace, for honesty and mercy, for healing and reconciliation, in all the ways we can locally and globally. And we must commit ourselves to act and work for persons and concerns, personally, socially, economically and politically.
Praying for God’s will to be done provides the very foundation for our prayers. We are asking that God’s will be done in our lives and in the world surrounding us. This petition indicates a heart that seeks God’s glory; that wants what God wants. It’s not personal. It’s rather an expression of worship. “Thy will be done”, is in reality a prayer of submission. According to Romans 12:2, it is our privilege to submit to “… that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The truth is that the cause of all the unrest, frustration, unhappiness and sense of powerlessness in our lives can be traced to trying to follow our own self-will. At the back of all our failure is the desire to have our way and not God’s way.
Moving forward, may God help us to see His will as a duty that must be carried out! Let our prayer to God be: “God, we want your will, whatever that is. If you want us to have it, we will be happy, but if you have another plan, then let us be happy with that. God, we give you the right to change our agenda any time you like, and you don’t have to inform us in advance. Just let your will be done Lord! Amen.”
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 2. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre.
