Your Will Be Done

The Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6:5-15

 

Our responsibility isn’t to figure God out, but to believe and

 

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.’” Matthew 6:9-13

 

The Lord’s Prayer directs us to Jesus’ vision for what our lives should be every day all day.  Our goal is to make Jesus’ vision our own and to add the words, “in my life, and through me,” to each part of the prayer. To pray for God’s will to be done is a prayer for my own, and every believer’s, obedience to God’s will as it is revealed in His Word.  The purpose of prayer is not getting God to do my will, but rather bringing my will in line with His. 

 

The will of God has two primary meanings:

 

• “God’s sovereign will” (Genesis 1; John 11)
• What is pleasing to Him (2 Peter 3:9, Romans 12:1, etc)

 

“On earth as it is in heaven” means that there’s an between God’s will on earth and God’s will in heaven. 

 

1. Not my will

 

John 14:30

 

 A prayer for God’s will to be done is a prayer to dedicate myself to every day in spiritual warfare and to put on the full armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-19

 

“Let Your will be done, dear Father, not he will of the devil, or of any of those who would overthrow your Holy Word or hinder the coming of Your kingdom; and grant that all we may have to endure for its sake maybe endured with patience and overcome, so that our sinful flesh may not yield or give way from weakness or laziness.”                                                                    -Martin Luther

 

Matthew 26:39-42

 

The great tasks of the Christian life: being transformed by the. 

 

Romans 12:1, 2                                  2 Timothy 3:16, 17

 

2. Accepting God’s will

 

Accepting God’s will means that we are continually work on developing a spirit of meekness that whatever God sends (or does NOT send) into my life. 

 

Luke 22:39-44

 

The real prayer of faith is the prayer that trusts God.

 

3. Finding God’s will

 

lack of faithful prayer keeps His will from being done on earth . . . And therefore, that prayer is essential to God getting .

 

If you are open to what God wants, God will get through to you and make His way clear. 

 

God wants me to know His will more than . 

 

It is God’s will that . . .

 

• We are in a relationship with Him

1 Timothy 2:3, 4

• We are filled with the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 5:17, 18

 

• We are in the process of being made holy

1 Thessalonians 4:3

 

• We are to others

1 Peter 2:13-15

Hebrews 13:17

 

• Give thanks to Him in whatever situation we find ourselves

1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

4. A Covenant with God

 

“I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will; put me to work, I will suffer for you; let me be Your servant whether in a high position or a low position; I will serve You full or I will serve You empty; I will serve You with all things or I will serve You with nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal. And now, O Lord and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are mine and I am Yours. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”

-Richard Alleine (1755)

Psalm 103:20

 

To pray “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is to rebel against the worldly idea that sin is normal and so we should we . 

5. Heaven

 

In heaven, God’s will . 

 

“God has not bowed to our nervous haste nor embraced the methods of our machine age. The man who would know God must give time to Him.”                  -A.W. Tozer

 

Daily Meditations

 

Memory verse:  “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’”                                                    Matthew 6:9, 10

Monday

Read Matthew 6:5-15 in a paraphrase.  What is prayer’s true purpose?  Is this why you pray?

What does prayer have to do with denying yourself?

 

 

Tuesday

Read Matthew 6:5-15 in another language (use www.biblegateway.com) even if you don’t know it super well.  What are some of the problems involved in finding God’s will for your life, and how should you deal with them?

 

What is the significance of God not being limited by space and time? 

 

 

Wednesday

Read Matthew 6:5-15.  What are the necessary elements of perfect communion with God?

 

Why does petition tend to exhaust us and praise invigorate us?

 

 

Thursday

Read Matthew 6:5-15 in another version. What are the reasons that someone might forget to do God’s will in their life?

 

What are the potential barriers that would cause someone to wrestle with following God’s will?

 

 

Friday

Read Matthew 6:5-15. What might motivate someone to follow God’s will in their life?

 

What characteristics about God inspire trust in His plan for your life?

 

 

Saturday

Read Matthew 6:5-15.  Why is it important in your prayers to surrender your will to God?

 

What prevents you from praying “Your will be done” with sincerity?

 

How would your week be different if you took time each day to surrender your will to God?