Thought for the Day – Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

Hi there, Stuart here with my next thought for the day working through the Lord’s prayer, partly inspired by this book: What Every Child Should Know About Prayer.

We’ve looked at the phrases ‘Our Father’ and ‘Holy is your name’. After that, as I’m sure you’re all aware, is ‘your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’.

There are two main things to say about this.

Firstly, this phrase reminds us that this is not our world and that our lives are not our lives – they are God’s. And when we pray ‘your will be done’ we are giving up authority and control over our own lives, recognising that they are God’s to do with as he pleases. We trust, of course, that he is a good God and that he will do good for us, but we accept that God’s idea of what is good for us might be different than our own and we submit to that.

Secondly, if we do submit ourselves, truly, to God’s will by praying ‘your will be done’ we provide for ourselves a framework for what we can petition him for and what we ask of him. Instead of asking for things that serve our felt needs (even though this is necessary), we will FIRST focus on the things we KNOW are God’s will for us.

God’s glory is ALWAYS for the good of his people. So be bold, and continue to pray thy will be done.

Which, to quickly sum up by borrowing from the Westminster Catechism, is to God him by enjoying him forever. And, of course, we enjoy God most when we are saved by him, being full of the joy of salvation because we trust in Jesus and have the hope of heaven and are growing in grace.

And friends, if it takes a worldwide health crisis and for us to be stuck in our homes for three weeks, or to lose our jobs or our free time, for God to be glorified in us, then he will do it! But don’t resent it, don’t resist it. God’s glory is ALWAYS for the good of his people. So be bold, and continue to pray thy will be done.