The Lord's Prayer (The Model Prayer)Sýnishorn

Often, God’s will and our will do not line up. The Christian life is largely about learning how to let God’s will prevail over our own. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus tells us to pray for God’s will to be done here on earth. A few chapters later, He gives us the ultimate example of living out this prayer.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, a short time before He was to be crucified, Jesus prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” Jesus knew the price He would have to pay. He knew the pain and the suffering that awaited Him. He knew the Old Testament prophecies about the cross, and He understood them. Jesus did not want to die on the cross. It was not His will as a man. But His prayer reflects an attitude of humility and submission to the will of the Father.

In our daily lives, we should pray as Jesus did: not that our will would be accomplished, but God’s will. There is a chance that God will lead us in a direction that we would never choose on our own. Perhaps God will call you to share the gospel with someone you’d rather avoid. Or perhaps He will call you to serve the church in a way that makes you a little uncomfortable. He may even lead you toward a major life change that you think seems impossible. We should always be obedient to God’s will, but it begins with our prayer time. Let’s seek for His will to be accomplished in our lives today.

Go deeper: Matthew 26:36–46; Psalm 143:10