“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven . . .”

GOD’S AUTHORITY

God’s perfect will is always being done in heaven. But on earth, human free will results in selfishness, greed, and evil. In this part of the Lord’s Prayer, we ask that God’s will would take place on earth. More specifically, we pray for God’s will to become our will. God calls each one of His children to live rightly and do good to others, caring for those around us as much as for ourselves. We pray that all people submit to the will of God over their own desires and faithfully love God and neighbors as themselves. Relationship with God depends on obedience to His will. God’s will should be the context for everything we ask for, say, and do.

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”                                (Psalm 143:10)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”      (Matthew 7:21)

“Jesus prayed for his Father’s will: ‘Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
(Matthew 26:39)

“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”                                    (Matthew 12:50)

Philippians 2:3-8 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Our attitude should be like Jesus’. So often, when we come to God in prayer, we bring our own agendas. We want our will to be done, we want our wishes to be granted, and we want God to answer our prayers in a particular way. Often, God’s will differs from our own; in these situations, we need to trust God’s will over our own desires.
For centuries, Christians have debated whether God’s will is done whether or not we pray. Some question, “Why pray if God knows everything we need before we ask?” Others have wondered whether God takes action at all if we don’t initiate the request. While we trust in God’s sovereignty and His ability to exercise His good will, we also trust His commands to exercise the muscles of our wills in prayer. We pray, believing in God’s promises to respond in ways that are best for us (see Luke 18:1). Though we often pray for changes in circumstance, the real work of prayer changes us from the inside out (Romans 12:1-2). The more we talk with God, the more we find ourselves wanting to please Him. Prayer often changes our circumstances, but more importantly, it changes us and our priorities.