Thine...not mine | Your will be done...on earth as it is in heaven
We’re working on this line…
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it
is in heaven.”
In the previous post I suggested that when we pray this
line, we are declaring to the Father that
it’s time for a miracle to happen! I
hope you caught the reality of that, at least in part, as we considered the
Father’s kingdom and what it may mean
to pray for it to “come…on earth as it is in heaven.”
There is more to it though, huh? Look at the line again. It’s not just about the Father’s kingdom
coming, is it? The line is also about
the Father’s will being done. And more
than that, the line is about the inseparable overlap where these two subjects
run together.
When we boldly declare to the Father that it’s time for a
miracle to happen, that miracle is a unique melding of both his kingdom coming and
his will being done on earth as it already is in heaven. Watch what I mean…
“Your kingdom come, your will
be done…”
Now, it’s tempting to suppose this is our “Dear God, what
is your will for my life?” prayer, but with a more relenting “I give up” sort
of tone…
Just…whatever! Your will be done
God, okay!? Whatever your will is, do it,
please.
And then we sit back, exhausted from the journey, and
wait for God to open the door of opportunity.
I get the question – What is God’s will for my life? – and
I recall using it often enough not long ago.
But this part of the prayer isn’t that…at all actually. And here’s why…
First, it’s
not a stand-alone statement. As I just
suggested, this declaration of the Father’s will to be done is inseparable from
the earlier declaration of the Father’s kingdom to come. Together they make up a single declaration to
God himself!
Second, the
relenting tone assumes zero personal responsibility to understand God’s will
and perhaps expand on it in praying it to the Father to be done here on earth
just like it is being done in heaven right now!
Third, in
relation to the question of God’s will for my
life, if you’ve surrendered your life to God in Christ Jesus, it may be
worth remembering that it isn’t your life
anymore! The question smacks with a self-centered
assumption that, frankly, we totally give up when we are captured by the love
of Jesus poured out to us in salvation. We
belong to Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:21-23).
We have assumed the role of slave…to God himself (Romans 6:16-22); a far
more liberating position than our former role as slaves to sin.
Forth (and
final), in relation to the question of God’s will, maybe we need a better way
to understand it? Maybe God’s will is more
than a mere single dimension sovereign rule with indomitable plans for this
life I live in Christ that will come to pass with or without me?
Consider this… Maybe
there are (at least) three aspects of God’s will that we do well to understand a
bit better? Maybe they are these:
Determined
Declared
And
Desired
What do you think I mean by these three aspects?
Maybe this…
Determined
is that “will of God” that he sovereignly establishes among all created
things. This aspect is certain of
fulfillment, and generally the specifics of it are known by God alone. (Ironically, I think this is what we assume
when we want to know His will for these lives.)
Declared
is that “will of God” that reflects His holiness and moral absolutes for all created
things. This aspect is commanded to be
fulfilled; spelled out clearly in scripture, but often is missed amidst our sin.
Desired
is that “will of God” that reflects his hopes and longings for all created
things. This aspect is commissioned unto
fulfillment and is fulfilled to the degree we respond positively to God’s
Spirit at work in us, compelling us to love God and love others.
(I realize we are categorizing aspects of something that
is essentially part of God and God alone.
But sometimes it is helpful for us humans to divide out the indivisible
so we can more fully admire and adore its Possessor.)
Want some examples?
Read these verses and see if you can’t catch which aspect or aspects
(maybe more than one) of the will of God is being emphasized.
o Isaiah
46:8-11
o Ezekiel
33:11
o Daniel
4:34-35
o Matthew
23:37
o Mark
3:35
o Romans
8:27
o Romans
12:2
o 1
Corinthians 1:1
o 1
Corinthians 12:11
o Ephesians
6:5-6
o Colossians
4:12
o 1
Thessalonians 4:3-6
o 1
Thessalonians 5:16-18
o Hebrews
2:3b-4
o Hebrews
10:36
o Hebrews
13:20-21
o 1
Peter 2:15
o 2
Peter 3:9
o 1
John 2:17
o Revelation
17:17
There are a ton more we could look at. For sure what we see though is when we talk
about the “will of God” we are talking about something more than a particular
path he has mapped out for these lives we live or a direction related to a
particular decision we are faced with.
That said, when we come to this line in the Lord’s
Prayer, we need to see it as way broader than merely a prayer for direction or
something of that nature. In fact, we need to see it as really not that at all.
“Your will be done” is a declaration to the Father that,
most specifically, His declared and desired will would be done, not His determined will.
Think about this…
His determined
will, again is a sovereign decision or resolve of the Father that was
established as certain without me and long before me. Of the three aspects of the will of God, I
have no say in His determined will. I
have no voice in that conversation. I
have no role on that stage. I needn’t
stand around declaring to the Father that His determined will would be
done. He has been taking care of that
long before I came about and He’ll continue to long after I’m gone.
His declared
and desired will on the other hand, here
is where we are when we pray “your will be done.” Here is where we have a part to play. When we pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done…” we have in mind all
those things related to the Father’s declared will – His moral precepts and
legal moorings – and His desired will – His impassioned pleas and heart’s cry
for humankind.
So, our prayer, so far…
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.”
And I hope you are noticing the inseparable overlap of
the Father’s kingdom and His will. We do
realize, don’t we, that the Father’s declared will and desired will are most
fully experienced where his kingdom has come.
Where His kingdom is – where there is repentance and
healing and justice and joy and peace and so on – is where His will is being
done – where there is obedience and his people are gathered and there is prayer
and rejoicing and thanksgiving and an abandoned pursuit toward loving God
wholly and loving neighbors radically.
Do you see that? Are
you catching the massive significance of declaring to the Father that His
Kingdom would come AND His will would
be done right here on earth as it is in
heaven? That is to say, that which
is already prevailing in heaven…would prevail on earth too. Whew!
Do you see as well that, just about the time we pray it,
we have a role in it? Just about the
time we open our mouths to announce to God our hopes for His Kingdom to come
and will to be done, we do best to adjust our lives to make it happen! If we will declare to the Father that we are
ready for a miracle of kingdom proportions to occur, we best be ready to have a
hand in it.
Now try this: Remember your list from the previous post on
the Father’s kingdom? Remember all the
realities of the kingdom that you want to see come? Things like repentance and healing,
righteousness, peace and joy, etc.? Go
get that list.
Then make another list.
Think about the verses you read a moment ago. Think about everything the Father has
declared and desired to be done; namely His will. List out the elements or issues of His will
that you want to see done here on earth, right now.
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| His kingdom come |
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| His will be done |
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