21 Days of Deep LivingSample

Thy Will Be Done

One of my earliest memories as a child growing up is being told by my family members and Sunday School Teachers that if I ever needed anything all I needed to do was believe and pray to God.

I saw this as an open cheque to present my wish list to God and ask for anything that I thought would make me happy and comfortable. I was often frustrated and started to believe that prayer doesn’t work. I was asking politely, asking with faith and even using my negotiation skills to bribe God (if You do this I will do that for You in return). However, I was missing one crucial element of prayer which is praying according to the ‘the Will of the Father’.

Jesus in Matthew 6:7-10 teaches us how to pray. He gives us an outline of how we must approach our Heavenly Father. In this model of prayer, Jesus mentions “Your Will be done” being the Father’s Will, not our own will and desires. One may ask how do I discover the Will of God? This is obtained through a deeper relationship with God and His Word. In Psalm 34:4, David lets us know that he sought the Lord based on the authority of His Word. Simply put, he prayed based on God’s Word and God answered him.

That’s an example of effective prayer. When you pray through the Will of God you are guaranteed positive results. No matter how difficult or complex your situation may be, remember there is a promise from God for every problem. If it’s stress He’s promised peace, if it’s sickness He’s promised healing, if it’s lack He’s promised provision. Praying through the promises of God is a form of effective prayer.

Another example to consider is when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39). He started praying according to His own Will but quickly realized that this prayer would be ineffective and so reverted to the Will of the Father. Sometimes when the pressures of life cave in on us we tend to forget that being in the Will of God is the safest place to be. It’s vital that we pray through the Will of God and also believe that His Will is best for us.

As we go deeper into prayer and seek to hear from God and as we study His Word during this fasting period, God will enable us to understand His Will for us and our families for this year. Praying for the Will of God to be done, means laying yours aside, which can seem scary at times. We have to mentally shift our perspective that God knows best and sees the bigger picture. Whose Will do you want to be done this year? God’s? If so, let go and pray God’s Will be done!