Praying For God’s Will to Be Done
“Why do I need to ask God who created all things and sovereignly puts
all things in order, to do His will? Won’t he do it anyway if he is
sovereign?”
This is the question I asked at the end of my last writing regarding the Lord’s prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13. It’s a really large question too! Let’s look at the Scripture again:
“your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.” -Matthew 6:10
Jesus said this as a guide for our prayers. So we should be asking God for His will to be done here in our lives and around us on this earth, just as it has been done in heaven. So the question comes of what good is there to pray when God is sovereign and accomplishes His purposes anyway?
I have been searching for answers to this, because if there is no answer for this question, there is no need for prayer.
I’m glad there’s an answer!
I think it might start here: 1 Corinthians 10:31:
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
And what about Colossians 3:17:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
The Bible teaches us that all we do is to be done for the glory of God, meaning we are to bring fame and honor to His name by our words, actions, thoughts, etc. The verse in Colossians 3:17 adds another dimension to this by telling us to give thanks to God for Jesus.
So we know two things:
1- We are to do all things for the glory of God
2- We should be thankful for Jesus who makes all things possible that we do
So if we are to pray, “Lord, Your will be done,” it echoes the example Jesus himself gave in the Garden of Gethsemane as recorded in Matthew 26:39:
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed,
“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not
as I will, but as you will.”
Even Jesus knew that he was to follow the will of God. But so often, we think we can do things on our own. We don’t need help, right? Wrong. I think God wants us to come to the point in our lives where we’re living for His glory, and we can only do this with His help.
By praying for His will to be done and not ours, we are
1- acknowledging our priorities. We realize that God has a plan for each of us and we are expressing to God that we desire that plan to unfold the way He created it.
2-relying on God’s power, not our own, to accomplish His will on this earth.
That might be the answer. Therefore, prayer is necessary. It takes the focus off of us and brings us under the dominion of our Father.
Let’s all strive to pray for God’s will to be done, and then to follow His leading to accomplish that will in our lives!
