γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶἐπὶ γῆς·
“May your will be done on earth as (it is) in
heaven.”
Strengthen us by
Your Spirit according to Your will, both in life and in death, in the midst of
both good and evil things, that our own wills may be crucified daily and
sacrificed to Your good and gracious will. Into Your merciful hands we commend
all for whom we pray, and all who are in need, praying for them at all times:
Thy will be done. Lord, in Your mercy…hear our prayer.[1]
Whenever a godly Christian prays, “Dear Father let
Thy will be done.” God speaks and says, “Yes, dear child, it shall be so, in
spite of the devil and all the world.”
This consolation and confidence we have that the
will and purpose of the Devil and all of our enemies shall and must fail and
come to naught, however proud, secure and powerful they know themselves to be.
For if their will were not broken or hindered, the Kingdom of God could not
abide on earth nor His name be hallowed.[2]
The Lord’s Prayer invites us not to retreat from
the world in fear and pain, to anaesthetize or indulge ourselves. The
Lord’s Prayer invites us to join the struggle, to see justice and peace
prevail. Thus, we pray, “Thy will be done Lord.”
“It’s God’s will!”
Ever hear that little phrase? How do we use this phrase? Do we use it as
an excuse? Have we ever caught ourselves saying: “well, it must have been God’s
will.” Do we use these words to help us explain the unexplainable, or to make
sense of what simply does not add up?
What is the good and gracious will of God?
I. There
are enemies whose counsel and will are opposed to the will of God. In this
season of Lent as we focus on our need and the Savior’s solution we pray that
God would break and hinder every evil will.
To be sure, the counsel and will of the devil, the world and our flesh
are all opposed to the will of God.
A. The devil
is actively opposed to the will of God. Peter reminds us, “be alert, your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.” (5:8) When Adam and Eve fell headlong into
sin; they were lied to and betrayed by the devil.
B. Not only
is the devil actively opposed to the will of God. The world also stands hostile to the
Savior. John writes in his first epistle,
“Do not love the world or anything in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
(v.17)
C. Then
there is the flesh – which is also diametrically opposed to the will of the
Savior. Paul reminds us in Romans 7, “I
know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature…” (v.18)
TRANSITION:
So, what is it that we should pray for when we ask that God’s will be
done?
II. We ask
–
A. That God
would break and hinder the evil counsel and will of the devil, the world, and
our own sinful flesh. St. Paul reminds us in Romans 16:20, “And the God of peace will crush Satan under
your feet shortly.” Notice what Paul tells us – the God of peace will crush
Satan. That happened on a hill called Golgotha,
when the Son of God, on a cross, cried out, “it is finished!”
There, at the cross, Jesus crushed Satan – And
“under your feet,” daily He breaks the devil’s power through the power of His
Word and Spirit. So we can say with Paul in Romans 8, “we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.”
B. We also
ask that God would strengthen and preserve us steadfast in His Word and faith
unto our end; so that we may at all times do His will gladly as the angels in
heaven also gladly do His bidding.
Peter reminds us how the Lord protects and guides
us when he writes that we are destined for glory. He reminds us that we have, “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled
and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the
power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
(1 Peter 1:4-5)
It is by the Word that we are directed and
protected. In Psalm 119, David writes, “Make
me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.”
C. We ask
that God would in all suffering keep us faithful to our end. It is through the cross and suffering that
you and I are brought into the kingdom of glory. We are tempted at every turn. Our faith, at
times, is battered and weak. We can become frightened and worried. How do we
know that we will remain faithful unto the end? Listen to what Paul tells us in
2 Corinthians 12 “and (the Lord) said to
me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness.” Then Paul goes on to explain what that means to him personally –
“Therefore most gladly I will rather boast
in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (v.9)
St. Paul writes: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but
God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,
but with the temptation will also make the way of escape. That you may be able
to bear it.” (v.13). Consider Job, the Lord was challenged by the devil
that he would break if temptation and heartache came his way. But God would not
allow the devil to destroy him.
So it goes with you. God knows your limits. He will not allow you
to be pushed beyond the brink. God will perfect in you His good and gracious
will.
Direct our
lives to conform to Your will. Govern history so that your plan of salvation in
Christ may be fulfilled. Bring all Your elect to stand before Your throne, made
new in Your image and perfectly conformed to Your will, the loving children of
a loving Father.
No comments:
Post a Comment