Thy will be done

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” ~Matthew 6:10

“Thy will be done.”

There’s a lot of power in those words.

Throughout my life, I’ve heard that phrase. I’ve said that phrase. But, honestly, I’m not sure if I’ve really understood that phrase.

When we say, “Thy will be done,” do we truly mean it? I think in many cases “Thy will be done as long as it isn’t too hard, too painful or puts us too much out of our comfort zone,” is what we really mean.

Matthew 6:10 is probably one of the most well-known verses using “thy will be done.” It’s part of the Lord’s Prayer.

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”~ Matthew 6:9-13 KJV

I remember, as a young girl, my grandmother had a pillow with those words written on it. That’s actually how I learned the prayer.

There’s a song that’s recently come out, from Hillary Scott and the Scott Family, called “Thy Will.” It’s a beautiful song that speaks of how difficult life can be sometimes. I heard it on the radio this morning, as I pondered a few of my next steps.

Sometimes, I feel like it’s hard to know what the next step should be. Sometimes, it’s terrifying. We get this idea in our heads that we can take care of ourselves.

“I’ve got this, Lord.”

Sound familiar?

But we don’t. Without God, we’ve never “got this.” Without God, all steps are futile.

So why is it so hard to stop trying to do it ourselves? Why is it so hard to listen to what God is trying to tell us?

What do you do when you can’t feel which way God is leading you?

Even worse, what do you do when you feel like God is leading you down a difficult and painful path?

There’s another oft-used “Thy will” verse — Matthew 26:42.

The story begins in verse 36, when Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray. It’s not long before he’s to be captured and crucified. He takes Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him into the garden, where he wanted to go to pray, because his soul was “exceeding sorrowful.” (vs. 38)

“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (vs. 39)

He returned to the three disciples to find them asleep. After Jesus woke them, he asked them to pray, that they wouldn’t enter into temptation, because “the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.” (vs. 41)

Then, “He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” (vs. 42)

Again, they were asleep. And, again, Jesus went away to pray the same words, according to verse 44.

Three times. Three times the Son of Man asked his Father to take away what he was getting ready to face.

And yet, he faced it. Because he knew it was God’s will.

And I think, beyond that, he knew it was the way to save us all.

This happened just before Jesus was betrayed. You likely know the rest of the story. He was met by Judas, one of his disciples, with a large group. Judas kissed him, the sign of his betrayal, before Jesus was taken.

It’s important to read a little more. In verse 51, one of Jesus’s followers struck a servant of the high priest, and “smote off his ear.” What did Jesus do? He put it back on and told them to put the swords away, for “all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” (vs. 52)

Then, Jesus points out that he could easily call upon God send down “more than 12 legions of angels.” (vs. 53)

“But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” (vs. 54)

And, as we all know, Jesus was eventually beaten and crucified. But the story doesn’t end there. Despite the horror and pain he faced, despite the shame others attempted to pile upon him by stripping Jesus of his clothes and attacking his faith, he continued on.

And he rose from the dead. So that we all can find new life in God.

To bring it back around: we don’t know the bigger picture. Jesus had the luxury of knowing the outcome. Perhaps that’s why he knew he had to continue on. That, and he’s the Son of Man, so he’s perfect.

But we don’t know what our bigger picture outcome is going to be. We don’t know why the path we’re on is so hard. But we can have faith in God that he does. He knows the bigger picture. We may never see the fruits of our struggles, but God will. We may never know the lives impacted by watching us as we hold on to our faith, in spite of it all.

Perhaps God will let us know on the other side.

Either way, we can have faith in knowing that God is in control.