1 of 1

Key Bible Verse: "May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven" Matthew 6:10). Bonus Reading: John 4:31-34

What if we ask for guidance and God guides us in ways we don't want to follow? What if we pray for wisdom and the wisdom we receive seems more like nonsense? What if we pray for patience and the answer means nothing but trouble for us?

All of this shouldn't surprise us. Jesus hinted at the problem when He gave us the Lord's Prayer. Included in that model prayer were the words [of today's Key Bible Verse]. The basic difficulty comes clear if we lay it out in a syllogism:

1. God has a will (or desire) for your life.
2. But you also have a will (or desire) for your life.
3. Therefore, when you pray, "Your will be done," you are asking that His will take precedence over yours.

Only one will can be done at a time. Either He is in control or you are. It's not easy to pray like that because when you ask that God's will be done, you're implicitly asking that your will be overturned, if necessary. It's not easy to pray that way when you're standing beside the hospital bed of someone you love.

But then you're not really in control anyway. It only seems that way.

—Ray Pritchard in The Incredible Journey of Faith

My Response: In what situation am I now prepared to pray, "Your will be done"?

Thought to Apply: Ninety-five percent of knowing the will of God consists in being prepared to do it before you know what it is.—DONALD GREY BARNHOUSE (Philadelphia pastor)

Adapted from The Incredible Journey of Faith (Crossway, 2005) by permission.

Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

 1 of 1

share this page

Prayer for the Week

Lord, help me to accept your "good and pleasing, and perfect" will, even when that runs counter to my natural desires.

				Try an Issue of Men of Integrity Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Men of Integrity as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up for the Men of Integrity Newsletter (All fields required)    RSS Feed   RSS Help