How to Pray (Part 4 of 9)

…Your Will Be Done, on Earth as it is in Heaven…

Scriptures:

Matthew 6:9-10

“Pray, then, in this way: Our Father, who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done, On Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Matthew 16:24

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Mark 14:36

“And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”

By our very nature we seek our own ambitions in this world. The Lord Jesus demonstrated perfectly how every dimension of our lives must be subjected to His Fathers Will. From Christ’s humble birth to His death on the cross, Jesus fulfilled His Father’s Will by submitting to Him and advancing His Kingdom. When we pray, “Your Will be done. On Earth as it is in Heaven”, we are acknowledging that God knows what is best for our lives and that we surrender our will to His. It also expresses a longing to see His Will acknowledged throughout the earth. In Heaven the angels only exist to do the Will of God. They are obedient and love to serve Him daily. So it should be with us, the redeemed of Christ. Praying that God’s Will be done is not a negative thing for our lives, but a positive thing. Once we grasp that God is always Good and that His plans for our lives are always perfect, we can bring God more glory as we submit to His perfect plan for our lives, even when in a trial. God’s Will is always our sanctification and that we would conform to the image of Christ more and more (1 Thessalonians 4:3, Romans 12:2). Christ is our example of what submission to the Father’s Will should look like in our lives. He was obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8).

Practical Steps:

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let us do the Will of God and Love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Let us love our neighbor as ourselves. Let us deny ourselves daily and seek the Will of God in our lives. You are here for a specific mission. Each day and every minute must be redeemed for God’s Glory. Brothers and Sisters let us not have idle hands and lusting hearts. Let us daily read the Word of God because in it we will learn the Will of God for our lives. It is there where our God speaks to us. Let us fill our free time reading the Word of God, listening to others preach the Word of God, singing praises to our God, and serving our God by serving others. If you want to hear from God, look to His Word. When it comes to new teachings and ways of thinking, remember this, “if it is not in the Word, forget what you heard.”