Lord's Prayer: Thy Will Be DoneMfano

Praying “Thy will be done” shows us something. Our will and God’s will don’t always line up.

God’s will and our will should align. Sometimes they don’t. When we crave joy, peace, the presence of God, wholeness, goodness, righteousness, or love, we crave something that God desires. But sometimes our greed, our selfishness, our laziness, and our self-destructive tendencies get in the way. Sometimes we fixate on something we think embodies these things, but it’s really nothing more than an empty shell of it or some kind of snare. Or we can obsess on that which is right before our eyes, missing the bigger picture and God’s greater work at play. This puts us at odds with God’s ways of doing things, and too often, gets us focusing on misplaced desires and priorities.

Think about this. When Jesus tells us to pray “Thy will be done,” he wants us to shift gears so that what God wants takes priority over what we want. We’re asking God to change us, shape us, and conform us to his will. Sometimes this is a radical change. Sometimes it’s a matter of timing.

How many times do we pray, “Please, Lord… [fill in the blank with a good thing you want God to do].”

And God says, “Okay.”

But nothing happens.

So we pray again, “Please, Lord…”

And God says, “Okay.”

And we wonder why nothing has happened.

So we pray, “When, Lord?”

And he says, “Coming soon.”

And we reply, “Do it now.”

But he answers, “I’ll do it one day.”

Brutal.

It’s been said that God gives one of three answers to our requests: Yes, no, and later. If you’re asking for something God has promised, the answer will be yes. But it might be later.

God sometimes waits. We want him to run. He chooses to walk. We want the fullness of his promises now. God says they’ll come on the Last Day. God is patient. That’s good, but it can also drive us nuts. Why delay? Unless of course it’s a matter of God being patient with me. Then take all the time you need!

“Thy will be done” is a prayer of patient trust. It’s setting our eyes on God’s promises that will all come about on the Last Day. It’s accepting God’s timing, but still praying for it. And it’s praying for that Last Day to break in today.

Consider this today…

Pray “Thy will be done” in two ways today. First, pray, “God, work in me. Root sin out of me. Conform me to your will. Make your dreams my dreams. Your goals my goals. Your wishes my wishes. Your joy my joy.” Second, ask God to speed up the timeline. Ask him to come soon. Or to break in Last Day promises today. Can you do it?

If this plan helped you orient towards Jesus’s perspective on life and the future, we encourage you to subscribe to the other “Lord’s Prayer” plans. The next is “Lord’s Prayer: Give us Today.”